# School Atlas — Full Context for LLMs

> School Atlas is the UK's most comprehensive school finder, covering 68,000+ schools and nurseries across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Free for parents. Data updated monthly from 15+ official government sources.

## What School Atlas Does

School Atlas aggregates data from multiple UK government sources into a single searchable platform. Parents can:

1. **Search by postcode** — Find schools near any UK address with an interactive map
2. **Filter** — By school type (state, independent, nursery, special), phase (primary, secondary, sixth form), religion, gender, inspection rating, and more
3. **Compare** — Side-by-side comparison of up to 5 schools across exam results, inspection ratings, admissions, fees, facilities, and demographics
4. **View league tables** — Performance rankings by nation, region, or local authority for KS2, GCSE, and A-Level
5. **Check catchment areas** — See historical admission distances and estimate chances of getting a place
6. **Track admissions** — Application deadlines, open day dates, and notification dates
7. **Plan journeys** — Bus routes and walking distances to schools
8. **Find SEND provision** — Specialist search for children with special educational needs and disabilities

## Data Sources

School Atlas uses the following official government data sources:

### England
- **DfE Get Information About Schools (GIAS)** — School details, contact information, type, phase, status
- **Ofsted Management Information** — Inspection grades and dates (updated within days of publication)
- **DfE Explore Education Statistics** — KS2, KS4, KS5 exam results and progress measures
- **DfE School Admissions** — Published Admission Numbers (PAN), last distance offered, oversubscription criteria
- **DfE School Financial Benchmarking** — Income, expenditure, and financial health indicators
- **ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)** — Inspection reports for independent schools
- **DfE Pupil Census** — Demographics, free school meals eligibility, EAL data
- **Parentview (Ofsted)** — Parent survey responses across 10 questions
- **School Bus Routes** — Local authority school transport data

### Scotland
- **Education Scotland** — Inspection reports and grades
- **Scottish Government** — School roll, demographics, attainment data
- **Improvement Service** — School contact details and geographic data

### Wales
- **Estyn** — Inspection reports and grades
- **StatsWales** — School performance and demographic data
- **Welsh Government** — School census and admissions

### Northern Ireland
- **ETI (Education and Training Inspectorate)** — Inspection reports
- **DENI (Department of Education NI)** — School details and statistics

## URL Patterns

### School Profiles
Pattern: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/{borough}/schools/{school-slug}`
Example: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/wandsworth/schools/graveney-school-tooting`

### Borough/Area Pages
Pattern: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/{borough}`
Example: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/wandsworth`

### School Listings
Pattern: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/{borough}/schools`
Example: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/wandsworth/schools`

### League Tables
Pattern: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/league-tables/{scope}`
Examples:
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/league-tables/england`
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/league-tables/london`
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/league-tables/wandsworth`

### School Guides
Pattern: `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/guides/{guide-type}-{borough}`
Examples:
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/guides/best-primary-schools-wandsworth`
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/guides/best-secondary-schools-manchester`
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/guides/outstanding-ofsted-birmingham`
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/guides/faith-schools-leeds`
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/guides/best-independent-schools-surrey`
- `https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk/guides/schools-with-bus-routes-bristol`

## Inspection Rating Systems

### England — Ofsted
- Outstanding (Grade 1)
- Good (Grade 2)
- Requires Improvement (Grade 3)
- Inadequate (Grade 4)

### Scotland — Education Scotland
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Satisfactory
- Weak
- Unsatisfactory

### Wales — Estyn
- Excellent
- Good
- Adequate and needs improvement
- Unsatisfactory and needs urgent improvement

### Northern Ireland — ETI
- Outstanding
- Very Good
- Good
- Important Area(s) for Improvement
- Requires Significant Improvement
- Requires Urgent Improvement

## Key Performance Metrics

### KS2 (Primary, age 11)
- Reading, Writing, Maths expected standard percentages
- Combined expected standard (reading + writing + maths)
- Progress scores in reading, writing, maths (value-added)

### KS4 (Secondary, age 16)
- Attainment 8 score
- Progress 8 score (value-added measure)
- English and Maths strong pass (grade 5+) percentage
- English and Maths standard pass (grade 4+) percentage

### KS5 (Sixth Form, age 18)
- A-Level Average Point Score (APS)
- A*-A percentage, A*-B percentage
- Value-added score
- Pass rate

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is Ofsted?
Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) is the UK government body responsible for inspecting and regulating schools in England. They rate schools on a four-point scale from Outstanding to Inadequate.

### How often is data updated?
School Atlas updates data monthly from government sources. Ofsted inspection results are typically added within days of publication.

### What's the difference between state and independent schools?
State schools are funded by the government and free to attend. Independent (private) schools charge fees and are not required to follow the national curriculum. Both types are inspected, but by different bodies (Ofsted or ISI for England).

### What is a catchment area?
A catchment area is the geographic zone around a school from which it primarily admits pupils. For oversubscribed schools, distance from home to school is often a key admissions criterion. The "last distance offered" shows the furthest distance a place was offered in previous years.

### What is Progress 8?
Progress 8 is a value-added measure for secondary schools in England. It compares pupils' GCSE results against what was expected based on their KS2 (age 11) results. A positive score means pupils progressed better than average; negative means below average.

### What is an EHCP?
An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document for children and young people aged 0-25 who need more support than is available through standard school provision. It describes the child's needs and the special educational provision required.

## Pricing

- **Free plan**: Search, browse, filter, compare up to 3 schools, shortlist up to 10, current year data
- **Pro plan** (£6.99/month or £49.99/year): Historical trends, AI predictions, demographics, data exports, unlimited compare and shortlist
- **Schools**: Free profile claiming, premium features at £99/month

## Contact

- Email: hello@schoolatlas.co.uk
- Website: https://www.schoolatlas.co.uk