Documentation

Searching for Schools

Use the search bar to find schools by name, town, or postcode. Results update as you type. You can also use the radius search — enter a postcode and set a distance (1–25 miles) to find all schools within range. Click any school card to see its full profile.

Filters

Narrow results using filters for phase (Nursery, Primary, Secondary, All-through, 16+, College, University), school type (State, Academy, Independent, Special, Free School), gender, religion, region, and local authority. Feature filters include 6th Form, Nursery, Boarding, and Selective. You can also filter by pupil count range and FSM percentage.

Comparing Schools

Tap the + button on any school card to add it to your comparison (up to 4). The compare tool shows a scorecard matrix — every school rated across Ofsted, KS2, Attainment 8, Progress 8, English & Maths, and FSM. The winner is determined transparently with reasons shown. Switch between table and chart views. Save comparisons and export as branded PDFs.

School Profiles (8 Tabs)

Each school has a detailed profile with 8 tabs: Overview — Key facts, contact details, inspection history (Ofsted or ISI for independent schools), AI-generated summary, school fees (independent), and profile claiming. Exam Results — KS2 SATs, GCSE (Attainment 8, Progress 8, English & Maths), A-Level results, and leaver destination data showing where pupils go after leaving. Finance — Per-pupil spending breakdown from DfE (teaching, support, ICT, catering, admin, supplies). SEN — Provision types, EHCP numbers, SEN unit and resourced provision details. Area — Distance calculator, catchment map, transport links, house prices (Land Registry), feeder & destination schools, flood risk, broadband speed, crime data, noise assessment, amenities, and directions. Reviews — Parent reviews with star ratings and SEN-specific reviews. Admissions — Admissions policy, capacity vs on-roll, fill rate, and oversubscription status.

SEN School Finder

A dedicated tool at /sen for families of children with special educational needs. Select your child's specific needs (ASD, SEMH, SLCN, HI, VI, PD and more), choose the school phase, set a location radius, and filter by support level. Results show provision badges, availability status (places available / nearly full / over capacity), SEN unit capacity, and EHCP numbers. Hover on any need code badge to see what it means.

Specialist Finders

Dedicated search pages for specific school types: Grammar School Finder (/grammar-schools) — All selective state grammar schools. Boarding School Finder (/boarding-schools) — Schools with boarding provision. Nursery Finder (/nurseries) — Ofsted-rated early years settings. Sixth Form Finder (/sixth-form) — Schools with A-Level data and sixth form provision.

Area Intelligence

On the Area tab of each school profile, load data from multiple sources: Transport Links — Nearest train stations, bus stops, and tram stops (OpenStreetMap). House Prices — Recent sales and averages by property type from HM Land Registry. Feeder & Destination Schools — Which schools pupils come from and go to. Flood Risk — Active flood warnings from the Environment Agency. Broadband Speed — Download speeds and superfast/ultrafast availability (Ofcom). Crime Data — Crime statistics from police.uk. Noise Assessment — Proximity to motorways, A-roads, railways, and airports. Amenities — Parks, libraries, sports centres, playgrounds nearby. Catchment Area Map — Distance rings showing approximate catchment. All data loads on-demand so pages stay fast.

Inspection History

Every school profile shows full inspection history — not just the current rating. For state schools, this pulls from Ofsted. For independent schools, it queries the ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate). You can see whether a school is improving, stable, or declining over time.

Guides & Blog

Visit /blog for expert guides on school admissions, understanding Ofsted ratings, 11+ preparation, choosing schools for SEN children, what exam results mean, and the relationship between catchment areas and house prices. We also have a comprehensive EHCP Guide (/ehcp-guide) and Annual Review tracker (/annual-review).

AI Advisor

Visit /advisor for personalised school guidance powered by AI. Ask questions in plain English — "My daughter has ASD and we live in Reading, what are our best options?" — and get specific school recommendations based on 27,000+ schools. The AI knows admissions deadlines, SEN pathways, grammar school rules, and Ofsted data. It automatically considers nearby schools if you have a postcode saved in your profile. The AI only answers school-related questions and is safe for family use.

School Life Tab

Every school profile now has a School Life tab that scans the school's own website to extract activities, clubs, and facilities. Categories include Sports (rugby, swimming, athletics), Arts (orchestra, drama, choir), STEM (coding, robotics), Outdoors (forest school, Duke of Edinburgh), Languages, Enrichment (debating, chess, wraparound care), Facilities (swimming pool, sports hall), and Values (wellbeing, inclusion, pastoral care). Data is extracted on-demand when you click "Scan school website".

Application Tracker

Track every school application in your profile. For each school, set key dates (open day, application deadline, offer date, decision deadline) and see live countdown timers with urgency colours — red for 7 days or less, orange for 30 days, green for longer. Each application has a document checklist (proof of address, birth certificate, supplementary form, baptism certificate, EHCP copy, medical evidence, sibling proof, passport photo) with a progress bar. Applications auto-sort by nearest deadline.

Children Profiles

Add child profiles in your account with name, birth year, year group, and SEN needs. Each child shows: key dates and reminders based on their year group (reception applications, secondary applications, SATs, EHCP reviews), and nearest schools filtered by phase and SEN provision. Filter by Ofsted rating and hide schools you are not interested in. Toggle school recommendations on or off per child.

Schools Near Me

Visit /nearby to enter your postcode and see schools sorted by distance with admission likelihood estimates. Admission chances are calculated from distance and capacity data — Very Likely, Likely, Possible, Competitive, or Check School. Filter by Primary, Secondary, or All phases.

Data Sources

All data comes from publicly available sources: DfE GIAS — School details, contacts, type, phase (updated nightly). Ofsted / ISI — Inspection ratings and history. DfE Performance Tables — KS2, GCSE, A-Level results. DfE FBIT — School financial data (per-pupil spending). DfE SEN Dataset — EHCP and SEN support figures. HM Land Registry — House price paid data. Environment Agency — Flood monitoring. Ofcom — Broadband coverage data. OpenStreetMap — Transport, amenities, noise sources. OSRM — Walking, cycling, driving route calculations. School websites — Activities, clubs, facilities (School Life tab).

Matchmaker Quiz

Not sure where to start? Try the Matchmaker at /matchmaker. Answer questions about what matters to you — location, school type, SEN needs, priorities — and get personalised school recommendations ranked by relevance.

API Access

Developers can access PickMySchool data via our public REST API. Visit /api-docs for documentation and to generate a free API key. Free tier includes 100 requests per day.

Accounts & Saved Schools

Create a free account to save schools, track applications with deadline countdowns and document checklists, add child profiles with personalised school recommendations, set Ofsted change alerts, and store your home postcode for distance calculations. Sign up with email and password. Sign in with password or magic link.

For Schools

Schools can claim their profile to add photos, open day dates, a custom description, and contact details. Look for the "Is this your school?" section on any school profile page. Claiming is free and verified via email.