School Context Comparator

Exam results say a lot about a school's pupils, not just its teaching. A school where many children are disadvantaged or have special educational needs will usually have lower results, even if it's doing a great job. This compares each school with what you'd expect from the pupils it teaches.

Primary and junior schools in Herefordshire, County of: SATs results in context

% meeting the expected standard, average of the three years to 2024/25. Each numbered dot is a school (see the table below). Above the line means better results than you'd expect from its pupils; the shaded strip is "about what you'd expect".

  • Better than expected
  • About as expected
  • Below expected

The faint grey dots behind are every other school in England, for comparison.

Outlined in black: the school you compared (marked "Compared" in the table).

Green ring: low teacher turnover – among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay (three-year average).

-10-1000101020203030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected % (from the school's pupils)Actual % meeting the expected standard1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465
-10-1000101020203030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected %Actual % meeting the expected standard1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465

Loading stats for 13,485 schools across England…

Did you know? In a class of 30, one child moves a school's SATs percentage by more than 3 points - which is why we use a three-year average. How this works

How each school compares

# School Compared with what you'd expect Actual Expected Gap Disadvantaged SEN EAL Pupils(3 years) Teacher turnover(a year)
1 St Joseph's RC Primary School and Nursery Well above 78% 57% +20.9 33% 38% 10% 51 12%
2 Kimbolton St James CofE Primary School Well above 89% 69% +19.6 17% 0% 0% 37 22%
3 Orleton CofE Primary School Well above 75% 56% +19.1 30% 44% 4% 84 23%
4 Walford Nursery & Primary School Well above 84% 66% +17.9 16% 16% 4% 79 18%
5 Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School Well above 88% 71% +17.1 11% 0% 0% 32 48%
6 Eastnor Parochial Primary School Well above 85% 69% +16.5 8% 15% 8% 40 16%
7 Wigmore Primary School Well above 83% 67% +15.7 23% 3% 0% 89 5%
8 St Michael's CofE Primary School Well above 79% 64% +15.5 44% 11% 44% 38 16%
9 Kingstone and Thruxton Primary School Well above 77% 62% +15.0 30% 20% 7% 86 24%
10 Michaelchurch Escley Primary School Well above 80% 66% +13.8 10% 20% 0% 30 11%
11 Burghill Community Academy Well above 70% 57% +13.4 30% 40% 0% 40 18%
12 Brampton Abbotts CofE Primary School Above 68% 56% +12.4 50% 28% 11% 60 7%
13 St Thomas Cantilupe CofE Academy Well above 76% 64% +12.4 25% 29% 43% 76 9%low
14 Cradley CofE Primary School Above 72% 61% +11.2 40% 13% 0% 50 14%
15 Kingsland CofE School Above 76% 65% +11.0 6% 29% 0% 66 0%
16 Holmer CofE Academy Above 78% 67% +10.8 12% 17% 10% 172 9%low
17 Goodrich CofE Primary School Above 70% 60% +10.5 33% 25% 0% 56 17%
18 Ivington CofE Primary and Pre-School Above 73% 63% +10.0 23% 23% 8% 55 7%
19 Ashperton Primary Academy Above 71% 61% +9.6 17% 33% 0% 90 14%
20 Clifford Primary School Above 80% 71% +9.4 6% 6% 0% 46 6%
21 St Francis Xavier's Primary School Above 80% 71% +9.0 3% 22% 50% 93 24%
22 Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School Above 73% 64% +8.8 0% 38% 0% 45 8%
23 Canon Pyon CofE Academy Above 70% 62% +8.5 30% 20% 0% 30 6%
24 Luston Primary School Above 66% 58% +8.2 27% 40% 7% 44 16%
25 Stretton Sugwas CofE Academy Above 70% 62% +7.6 13% 33% 0% 47 23%
26 Ledbury Primary School Above 64% 58% +5.9 43% 23% 6% 160 11%below average
27 St James' Church of England Primary School As expected 70% 65% +4.7 21% 14% 3% 91 18%
28 Hampton Dene Primary School As expected 69% 66% +3.3 3% 29% 0% 114 8%low
29 Ashfield Park Primary School As expected 66% 63% +2.9 33% 12% 6% 142 20%high
30 Weobley Primary School As expected 69% 66% +2.9 24% 8% 4% 85 9%
31 Weston-under-Penyard CofE Primary School As expected 67% 65% +1.9 21% 14% 0% 30 23%
32 Garway Primary School As expected 60% 59% +1.3 25% 38% 6% 48 11%
33 Leintwardine Endowed CE Primary School As expected 59% 58% +1.0 42% 25% 8% 32 11%
34 Eardisley CofE Primary School As expected 68% 67% +0.7 14% 14% 7% 44 31%
35 Lugwardine Primary Academy As expected 64% 64% −0.4 17% 22% 4% 75 43%
36 St Peter's Primary School As expected 63% 64% −1.1 26% 16% 10% 83 10%
37 Brockhampton Primary School As expected 59% 60% −1.3 32% 26% 11% 69 13%below average
38 Marden Primary Academy As expected 61% 63% −1.5 50% 0% 13% 31 0%
39 Leominster Primary School As expected 58% 60% −1.9 38% 26% 25% 219 12%below average
40 Bosbury CofE Primary School As expected 60% 62% −2.1 18% 29% 0% 60 14%
41 Trinity Primary School As expected 63% 66% −2.5 24% 15% 19% 279 12%below average
42 Mordiford CofE Primary School As expected 62% 65% −3.1 20% 15% 0% 73 9%
43 Ewyas Harold Primary School As expected 61% 64% −3.3 13% 25% 0% 49 23%
44 Gorsley Goffs Primary School As expected 63% 67% −4.0 9% 18% 0% 100 15%
45 Madley Primary School As expected 61% 65% −4.1 20% 16% 4% 87 12%
46 Our Lady's RC Primary School Below 60% 65% −5.1 27% 23% 50% 89 18%above average
47 Riverside Primary School Below 53% 59% −5.6 41% 27% 20% 236 11%below average
48 Much Birch CofE Primary School Below 61% 67% −6.0 8% 20% 4% 72 0%
49 Lea CofE Primary School Below 43% 49% −6.3 25% 75% 0% 51 21%
50 Whitchurch CofE Primary School Below 58% 65% −6.6 15% 25% 10% 62 27%
51 Shobdon Primary School Below 52% 59% −6.7 22% 39% 0% 42 23%
52 St Paul's CofE Primary School Below 59% 67% −7.8 13% 17% 8% 187 22%high
53 Sutton Primary Academy Below 55% 66% −10.7 7% 25% 0% 75 9%
54 Lord Scudamore Primary Academy Compared Well below 57% 68% −11.4 20% 9% 26% 265 15%above average
55 Llangrove CE Academy Below 52% 65% −12.8 18% 18% 0% 31 16%
56 St Mary's CofE Primary School Well below 49% 62% −13.2 29% 18% 0% 65 18%
57 Peterchurch Primary School Well below 48% 61% −13.4 21% 29% 0% 46 11%
58 Colwall CofE Primary School and Nursery Well below 48% 62% −13.7 21% 28% 0% 89 23%
59 Clehonger CofE Primary School Well below 47% 61% −13.9 32% 23% 9% 49 4%
60 Withington Primary School Well below 34% 49% −15.4 50% 50% 0% 35 31%
61 Broadlands Primary School Well below 39% 58% −18.6 46% 27% 23% 77 19%
62 Kington Primary School Well below 39% 60% −20.6 35% 31% 27% 83 8%
63 St Mary's CofE Primary School Well below 33% 59% −25.6 31% 31% 0% 48 11%
64 Bridstow CofE Primary School Well below 28% 65% −36.7 13% 26% 9% 53 9%
65 The Steiner Academy Hereford Well below 1% 62% −61.0 37% 11% 0% 83 11%low

Results are the average of the last three Year 6 groups, which is steadier than a single year. Pupil percentages are for the latest Year 6. Disadvantaged: eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, or looked after by the council. SEN: special educational needs (SEN support or an EHC plan). EAL: English as an additional language.

Not compared

How this works

We looked at every comparable state primary and junior school in England (14,315 schools) to see how SATs results usually change with the make-up of a year group. On average:

  • For every 10 more disadvantaged pupils in every 100, the share meeting the expected standard is about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with SEN in every 100, it's about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with English as an additional language in every 100, it's about 0.7 percentage points higher. Pupils learning English often catch up quickly.

From those, each school gets an expected result for its own pupils, which we compare with its actual result. Primary year groups are small – in a class of 30, one child moves the percentage by more than 3 points – so we use the three-year average and allow for each school's own pupil numbers: a small school needs a bigger gap before we call it above or below what you'd expect.

What we found: schools where teachers stay

We put every primary and junior school's result-against-expected next to its teacher turnover – the share of its teachers who moved to another school or left state schools each year, averaged over three years (DfE school workforce census). Across 8,274 schools in England, split into four equal groups by turnover:

Teacher turnoverTypical turnoverResults vs expectedDid better than expected
Lowest turnover 7% a year +1.8 pts 40%
Lower-middle 12% a year +1.2 pts 37%
Upper-middle 17% a year +0.7 pts 36%
Highest turnover 26% a year −1.2 pts 32%

The pattern is the same as for secondary schools but weaker, and most of the difference is in the quarter of schools where teachers leave most often (−1.2 percentage points, against +1.8 for the lowest-turnover quarter). Primary staffs are small and SATs results move around from year to year, which blurs the picture.

A link isn't proof that one causes the other: losing teachers may hold results back, and a school that's struggling for other reasons (leadership, for example) may also lose more teachers. Nationally, turnover is fairly steady from year to year and teachers who move are replaced – but between schools it varies a lot, from under one teacher in ten a year to more than one in five. The green rings on the chart mark the lowest-turnover quarter.

What it can't tell you

  • These three things explain only about 18% of the differences between schools. Much of what makes a school stronger or weaker, and much about its pupils, isn't captured by any published figure.
  • Even averaged over three years, small schools' results move around a lot, so treat close calls as roughly equal.
  • It isn't an excuse for lower results. It shows how a school does compared with schools teaching similar pupils, so you can compare more fairly.
  • We deliberately don't adjust for attendance or exclusions: those are partly down to the school itself.

Source: Department for Education, Key Stage 2 performance data (2024/25). Calculated by The School Companion.