School Compass
How to read Key Stage 4 and 16–18 figures
GCSE and 16–18 tables help compare secondaries. Understand gaps, special/AP cases, and what to ask on open days.
How to read Key Stage 4 / 16–18 figures
GCSE and 16–18 tables (and Ofsted/ISI excerpts) help you compare secondaries. KS3 has no school-level attainment table — published outcomes still appear at KS4.
What this data can tell you
- Published GCSE / 16–18 headline measures for state and independent settings where available.
- How a school sits against the benchmark shown on the board.
- Inspection themes from the latest usable Ofsted or ISI report.
- When a setting lacks comparable tables — often special / AP — and why.
What this is not telling you
- Whether your child will be happy, taught well, or make friends here.
- Admissions chances, catchment, faith criteria, or waiting-list practice.
- Day-to-day ethos, behaviour climate, or SEND support beyond short excerpts.
- A ranked “best school” — tables and reports are one lens, not a verdict.
Fair conclusions you can draw
- Which secondaries look similar enough to visit with the same questions.
- Where missing progress or sparse 2024/25 measures mean you need the full report and a visit.
- What to ask about curriculum breadth, behaviour, and sixth-form pathways.
How to use this for decisions
- Shortlist a few settings that look plausible on paper and on the map.
- Treat gaps and older inspections as prompts to ask, not automatic rejects.
- Visit (or watch a normal session), talk to staff, and weigh fit for your child.
- Keep notes on what you saw — printed packs are for that, not for league ranks.
Reading the inspection précis
- Excerpts are verbatim from the latest usable Ofsted or ISI report PDF.
- Positives and improvements are what inspectors wrote — not our summary of quality.
- A short précis cannot replace reading the full report in context.
- Academy conversion letters and admin PDFs are skipped when a real inspection exists.