What Are School League Tables in the UK? A Parent's Guide

School league tables rank secondary schools by their pupils' exam results and, since 2016, by how much progress pupils make between primary and secondary school. Published by the Department for Education each year, they give parents a snapshot of school performance — but they capture only part of what makes a school successful.

Where do school league tables come from?

The Department for Education (DfE) publishes official school and college performance tables for England each year, typically in January following the previous summer's GCSE results. These tables are the authoritative source of the data that newspapers and comparison websites use to compile their own ranked lists. The tables cover state-funded secondary schools and academies; independent schools are not required to submit data and are generally excluded.

League tables as a concept began in the early 1990s when the government started publishing raw exam results by school. Over the following decades the methodology has been refined significantly, moving away from simple pass-rate comparisons towards contextualised progress measures.

What metrics do the DfE performance tables include?

The table below summarises the main measures published in the DfE school performance tables and what each one means.

Metric | What it measures | Headline figure
Attainment 8 | Average grade across a pupil's best 8 GCSE subjects (1–9 scale) | Higher = stronger absolute results
Progress 8 | How much progress pupils made between KS2 (age 11) and GCSE, compared with pupils nationally who had similar prior attainment | 0 = national average; +0.5 = above average
% achieving strong passes in English and maths | Percentage of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in both English (Language or Literature) and maths GCSE | Used as a basic floor standard
% entering the EBacc | Percentage of pupils entered for the EBacc suite (English, maths, science, history or geography, a language) | Reflects breadth of curriculum offer
% achieving the EBacc | Percentage achieving grade 5+ across all EBacc subjects | Narrower than entry figure
Absence rate | Overall and persistent absence rates | Persistent absence = missing 10%+ of sessions
Ofsted rating | Most recent Ofsted inspection grade (Outstanding/Good/Requires Improvement/Inadequate) | Not strictly part of league tables but often included by newspapers

What is Progress 8 and why does it matter?

Progress 8 is the government's flagship measure of school performance and the most significant single figure in the tables. It compares each pupil's GCSE results against what would be expected given their performance at the end of primary school (their KS2 SATs results). The school's Progress 8 score is the average of all its pupils' individual progress scores.

A score of 0 means pupils made exactly as much progress as similar pupils nationally. A score of +0.5 means pupils made, on average, half a grade more across their eight subjects than pupils with the same starting point elsewhere. A score of −0.3 or below triggers scrutiny from Ofsted.

Progress 8 is generally considered a fairer measure than Attainment 8 because it accounts for the mix of pupils a school teaches. A school in an affluent area might have a high Attainment 8 score but only average Progress 8, meaning its pupils achieved what would be expected regardless of the school's input. Conversely, a school serving a deprived area might have a modest Attainment 8 score but a strongly positive Progress 8, indicating that pupils made significantly more progress than expected.

What do league tables miss?

League tables are a useful starting point but they have well-documented limitations. Parents should be aware of:

What is not captured:

The quality of pastoral care and wellbeing support

Enrichment activities such as sport, music, drama, and clubs

How well the school supports pupils with SEND or those who are new to English

Sixth form quality (separate 16–18 data exists but is not always included in newspaper tables)

Pupil and parent satisfaction

Teaching quality in specific subjects (a school's overall Progress 8 may mask wide variation between departments)

The culture and ethos of the school community

Potential distortions:

Small schools have more volatile scores because one cohort of unusual size or ability can shift the average significantly

Schools that enter fewer pupils for qualifications (e.g. entering pupils for applied alternatives rather than GCSEs) may appear stronger or weaker depending on how those qualifications are counted

The tables are a lagging indicator — the results published in January 2026 reflect Year 11 pupils who started at the school in September 2021

How should parents use league tables when choosing a school?

League tables are most useful as one input in a broader decision-making process. Recommended steps:

Look at Progress 8, not just Attainment 8. A school with a high Progress 8 score is actively adding value; one with a low score may be coasting on the prior attainment of its intake.

Check the context. A school serving a high level of disadvantage (high pupil premium eligibility) that achieves an average Progress 8 may be doing excellent work; the raw data does not tell you that.

Read the Ofsted report. The most recent inspection report gives qualitative judgements that the numbers alone cannot convey.

Visit the school. No table can replicate the impression of a school visit — how staff talk to pupils, how the corridors feel, whether the environment is calm and purposeful.

Ask about specific subjects. If your child has a particular strength or interest, ask the school about outcomes in that subject rather than relying on the overall headline figure.

Are league tables published for primary schools?

Yes, but the data is different. Primary school performance tables focus on KS2 SATs results in reading, writing, and maths, and on the percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard or higher standard. Progress measures are also published for primary schools, comparing pupil progress between the end of Reception (Early Years Foundation Stage profile) and the end of Year 6.

League tables for primary schools are used less prominently in the press but are available through the DfE's Find and Compare Schools service.

Do league tables apply in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

No. School performance tables as described above are an English system. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own inspection and accountability frameworks:

Scotland: inspections by Education Scotland; no published national league tables

Wales: inspections by Estyn; school performance data is published differently

Northern Ireland: inspections by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI); results data is published but ranking tables are not an established convention

Frequently asked questions

Is a school with a higher Progress 8 score always a better choice for my child?

Not necessarily. Progress 8 measures the average across all pupils in the school. Your child's experience will depend on factors that the average cannot capture — the quality of teaching in specific subjects, the school's approach to pastoral care, and whether the school's culture is a good fit. Use Progress 8 as one signal among several rather than as a definitive verdict.

How often are the league tables updated?

DfE performance tables are updated once a year, in January, reflecting the previous summer's exam results. This means the data is always at least six months old by the time it is published, and it reflects a cohort that began their secondary education five years before the results appear. For the most current view of a school, an Ofsted inspection report (which may be more recent) and a school visit are more useful.

Can I compare schools in different local authority areas using the tables?

Yes. The DfE's Find and Compare Schools website allows you to compare schools across England regardless of local authority boundaries. This is particularly useful if you live near an administrative boundary and are considering schools in more than one area. Remember that oversubscription criteria mean you may not be able to secure a place at a school outside your catchment area even if it ranks more highly.

What counts as a "good" Progress 8 score?

The national average is always 0. A score above 0 indicates above-average progress; a score below 0 indicates below-average progress. The DfE flags schools with a Progress 8 score below −0.5 as below the floor standard, which triggers Ofsted attention. A score above +0.5 is generally regarded as strong. However, confidence intervals matter — a score of +0.1 is not meaningfully different from 0 once statistical uncertainty is taken into account, particularly for small schools.

For subject support at KS3 and GCSE, visit aitutors.me.