Primary school league tables 2018: How to check your local school and everything else you need to know

Primary school league tables have been released today highlighting the best and worst performing in the country.

The results follow the release of secondary school league tables in October, which will be revised again in January.

School league tables generally offer parents a good indication of the best schools in their local area but the practice has been criticised by some for being too narrow in how it measures performance.

Here’s everything you need to know about primary school league tables and how to find results for your local school:

What are primary school league tables and who publishes them?

School league tables are published by the Department of Education every year and compare schools and colleges based on their academic performance.

It is often the first port of call for parents wanting to choose a school for their child.

How to check league tables for your local schools:

You can find out where primary schools in your local area rank here.

How is a school’s performance measured for the league tables?

The league tables collect data on how well pupils in England have done in their school exams.

At secondary level, these would include GCSEs and A-Levels, whereas primary school results look at SATs results, which are taken in Year 6.

Each year, the government sets a primary school floor target prior to publishing the data. This year, the threshold is the same as it was last year.

The school is deemed to be below floor standard if:

• Less than 65 per cent of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

• The school does not achieve sufficient progress scores in all three subjects

Have SAT exams changed recently?

Yes – SATs underwent a huge change back in 2016, introducing tougher exams and a different grading system.

Whereas SATs used to be graded on levels, now parents receive their child’s raw scores (the marks they get) and informed whether or not they reach the national average.

Should league tables be used to choose a school? How important are they?

There are valid arguments both for and against the importance of league tables.

On the one hand, league tables are an easy and efficient way for parents to judge the best schools in their local area.

The tables also help drive up standards and increase accountability among schools.

However, critics argue that academic performance alone is not the best measure of a school’s overall character.

They say that more attention should be given to teaching, learning and other factors.

League tables are also believed to encourage competition between schools, often resulting in middle-class parents pushing to get their children into the top schools, further driving down standards in less well-performing schools.