The information you need to choose your child’s school
Explained. Compared. Kept honest.
Why this exists
Choosing a school should be one of the most informed decisions a parent makes. In practice, the information is buried across half a dozen government websites, written in jargon meant for inspectors, and almost impossible to compare side by side.
The School Companion pulls it all together in one place. Ofsted ratings, exam results, how long teachers stay, how much schools spend per pupil, what parents actually think — everything on a single page, explained in plain English.
But we go further than what’s already published. We send Freedom of Information requests to schools asking the questions parents actually want answered: how many supply teachers has your child had this year? How many bullying incidents were recorded? Is the building accessible? Schools are required by law to answer, and we publish what they tell us.
What we stand for
Honesty over flattery
We don’t rank schools or hand out awards. We present the data — good and bad — and let parents draw their own conclusions. A thoughtful two-star parent review is worth more than a hollow five-star one.
Transparency both ways
We ask schools to be transparent with parents, and we hold ourselves to the same standard. Every figure on this site comes from a named source: the DfE, Ofsted, a school’s own FOI response, or a verified parent review. If we don’t have the data, we say so.
Context, not league tables
A school with a high Attainment 8 score might just have a privileged intake. Our Context Comparator shows how each school performs relative to the pupils it actually teaches — a fairer picture than a raw league table ever gives.
Every review is real
Every parent review on this site is confirmed by email. No anonymous drive-bys. No fake five-stars. Reviews expire after two years so the picture stays current, and schools can respond publicly to any review.
Where we’re headed
The School Companion started in Havering, east London, where we’ve sent FOI requests to every school and are building the most detailed profiles anywhere. We’re now expanding area by area across England — every state school is already searchable, and richer local data is added as FOI responses come back.
We’re also building tools to help parents at home: sentence maps that break down grammar visually, times tables practice that mirrors the real Year 4 check, and step-by-step guides for parents navigating the SEND tribunal.
34 areas covered so far and growing
Read The School Gate
The School Gate is our Substack — longer pieces on what the data really says, what schools won’t tell you, and the stories behind the numbers.
Get in touch
Got a suggestion, spotted an error, or want to know when we’ll cover your area? Drop us a line at info@theschoolcompanion.org.