Parent Power User guide

Introduction

Welcome to the 2009 edition of The Sunday Times Parent Power, a fully searchable database of Britain's leading schools.

Parent Power has been designed to enable you to quickly search and compare the top 2,000 state and independent schools, all ranked by their recent examination results in the unique Parent Power tables. There are two main ways to access the schools' information -

  • Via the league tables section - accessible from the link on the top navigation bar on this and all pages of the website, or via the home page.
  • Via the main search page - also accessible from the link on the top navigation bar on this and all pages of the disk, or via the home page.

Searching by Parent Power tables

The Parent Power tables are divided into four broad categories: state primary, state secondary, independent secondary and independent preparatory schools. Within each of these groupings, there are several sub-groupings of schools. For example, in addition to our table of the top 500 state secondary schools, there are smaller tables for the top 50 state secondary schools without sixth forms, the top 50 sixth form colleges, the top 50 state secondary schools in Scotland, and the top state secondaries offering the International Baccalaureate. The full menu of 13 league tables available on this website is shown on the league tables home page. To view our selection of the best schools from each of these categories simply click on the colour-coded button. The database will compile the table (which may take a few seconds) and display the results in rank order.

From this point, you have a number of options:

  • Access a school's details by clicking on its title in the table
  • Refine the table you have called up in a number of ways.

You can re-rank all of our tables by clicking on "town" at the head of the relevant column to sort the schools alphabetically by location. This will help you identify the schools closest to the area you are interested in (although using the website's search engine will perform the same task more effeciently, see below). The schools can also be sorted alphabetically by clicking on "name". Where two sets of examination results are combined to produce an overall ranking for a school (A-levels and GCSEs, or Highers and Standard Grade/Intermediate 2), rankings for each of the examinations individually can be produced by clicking at the head of the column containing the data in which you are interested. So, by clicking on "%A/B" for A-levels will produce a table of schools ranked solely on performance in A-level examinations. This will display in ascending order in the first instance, but clicking on the column header a second time will rank the schools in descending order.

The formulae by which the various tables are ranked is outlined below. Both state and independent secondary schools are ranked equally where examination data is identical to one decimal place. The number of pupils taking the examinations separates state primary schools that share the same aggregate SAT score. So, a school with 30 children achieving Key Stage 2, level 4 will rank above a school where 25 children have reached this standard.

The gender by which schools are classified on this website is the predominant gender of the main intake. Only schools that are fully mixed throughout are classified mixed. So a senior girls school with a mixed prep department will be shown in tables as a girls school, although its Parent Power listing page will contain the additional information to show there is a mixed prep department. Where it is indicated there is a mixed nursery, this means there is a mixed intake to the age of 4, a mixed pre prep school has a mixed intake to the age of 7), while a school with a mixed prep department has a mixed intake up to the age of 11 or 13. So, a girls school that takes boys into its nursery (2-4), pre prep school (4-7) and prep department (7-11/13) would be classified as girls, mixed prep under gender of entry on its listing page, but show as a girls' school in any tables.

The Parent Power tables explained

The 13 school league tables are compiled to unique Sunday Times formulae that identify the highest achieving schools academically by the performance of pupils in recent public examinations.

Independent secondary (429 schools)

Schools are ranked by performance at A-level and GCSE in summer 2009. The number of A and B grades gained is expressed as a percentage of the total number of A-level entries overall. This is double-weighted. The number of A* and A grades gained at GCSE is expressed as a percentage of the total number of GCSE entries overall. This is single weighted. School rankings are based on their combined performance in these examinations. Rankings based on performance at A-level or GCSE alone can be found by clicking on the relevant columns displayed in the league table. A number of schools withheld their examination data from The Sunday Times this year. In the case of some previously high-ranking schools we have ranked them on their 2008 examination results to continue to give an impression of the level of academic attainment children have achieved. These schools are: Eton College; Manchester Grammar School; Marlborough College; and Winchester College. Other schools, formerly occupying lower rankings, have been excluded from our tables entirely after withholding publication of their results. All were contacted and either informed The Sunday Times they did not wish to submit their results for publication or did not respond to our request for information. These schools (and their 2008 ranking in brackets where applicable) include:

  • Abbots Bromley School for Girls, Rugeley
  • Abbotsholme School, Uttoxeter
  • Aldenham School, Borehamwood
  • Cambridge Centre for Sixth Form Studies (427)
  • Clifton High School, Bristol (215)
  • Cobham Hall School
  • Cranleigh School
  • Dover College
  • Emanuel School, London (400)
  • Giggleswick School, Settle (332)
  • Hampshire Collegiate School, Romsey (409)
  • Heathfield St Mary's School, Ascot (323)
  • Ibstock Place School, London (143=)
  • Lewes Old Grammar School (301)
  • Milton Abbey School, Blandford
  • Monkton Combe School, Bath
  • Mount St Mary's College, Sheffield (412)
  • Pangbourne College, Reading (396=)
  • Peterborough High School (347)
  • Roedean School, Brighton (178=)
  • Rishworth School, Sowerby Bridge
  • Shiplake College
  • St Christopher School, Letchworth (344)
  • St David's College, Llandudno (442)
  • St Dominic's Priory School, Stone (295=)
  • St Mary's College, Crosby (383)
  • Stowe School, Buckingham
  • The Grammar School, Hipperholme
  • Trent College, Nottingham (269)
  • Wrekin College, Telford (380)
  • Wycliffe College, Stonehouse (404).

Independent secondary (11-16)/(small sixth form) (50 schools)

Independent schools catering for 11-16-year-olds or those with small sixth forms (with 10 or fewer A-level candidates in 2009) are ranked by performance at GCSE examinations alone in summer 2009. The number of A* and A grades gained at GCSE is expressed as a percentage of the total number of GCSE entries overall. A-level results achieved in those schools with a small sixth form have been disregarded. All rankings in this category ignore GCSE performance of those schools in the main independent secondary league table.

Scottish independent secondary (Higher/Standard) (28 schools)

Independent schools in Scotland following the Scottish examination system are ranked on performance in Higher and Advanced Higher by the end of S6 and on Standard and Intermediate 2 examinations taken in S4. The number of A and B grades gained is expressed as a percentage of the total number of Higher and Advanced Higher entries overall. This is double-weighted. The combined number of Standard grade 1s and Intermediate 2 grade As is expressed as a percentage of the combined total number of Standard and Intermediate 2 entries overall. This is single weighted. School rankings are based on their combined performance in these examinations. Rankings based on performance at Highers or Standard/Intermediate 2 alone can be found by clicking on the relevant columns displayed in the league table.

Scottish independent secondary (A-level/GCSE) (7 schools)

Schools are ranked by performance at A-level and GCSE in summer 2009. The number of A and B grades gained is expressed as a percentage of the total number of A-level entries overall. This is double-weighted. The number of A* and A grades gained at GCSE is expressed as a percentage of the total number of GCSE entries overall. This is single weighted. School rankings are based on their combined performance in these examinations and the seven schools are included in the main UK independent secondary school table. Rankings based on performance at A-level or GCSE alone can be found by clicking on the relevant columns displayed in the league table.

The top independent secondary schools (International Baccalaureate) (28 schools)

Schools are ranked by the average number of points gained in International Baccalaureate examinations in summer 2009. The maximum score is 45 points. The league table also displays the proportions of entries gaining the top two IB grades (7 and 6) and rankings based on these outcomes can be obtained by clicking on the relevant columns.

Independent preparatory and junior (250 schools)

Prep schools whose pupils take Standard Assessment Tests (Sats) are ranked on their aggregated performance at Key Stage 2, level 5 for English, maths and science in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Rankings based on performance in each year can be obtained by clicking on the head of the respective columns in the league table.

State secondary (500 schools)

Schools are ranked by performance at A-level and GCSE in summer 2009. The number of A and B grades gained is expressed as a percentage of the total number of A-level entries overall. This is double-weighted. The number of A* and A grades gained at GCSE is expressed as a percentage of the total number of GCSE entries overall. This is single weighted. School rankings are based on their combined performance in these examinations. Rankings based on performance at A-level or GCSE alone can be found by clicking on the relevant columns displayed in the league table.

State secondary (11-16) (50 schools)

Schools with no sixth form, catering for 11-16-year-olds only, are ranked by performance at GCSE in summer 2009. The number of A* and A grades gained at GCSE is expressed as a percentage of the total number of GCSE entries overall. All rankings in this category ignore GCSE performance of those schools in the main state secondary school league table.

Sixth form colleges (50 schools)

Sixth form colleges are ranked on their performance in public examinations in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The total number of level 3 points earned on average each year is aggregated to produce an overall three-year score for each college. Rankings based on performance in 2006, 2007 and 2008 alone can be produced by clicking on the relevant columns displayed in the league table.

Scottish state secondary (53 schools)

Scottish state secondary schools are ranked on performance over three years (2006, 2007 and 2008) in Highers taken by the end of S6 and in Standard and Intermediate 2 examinations in S4. The percentage of the S4 roll gaining five or more A-C grades at Highers by the end of S6 is double-weighted. The percentage of the S4 roll gaining five or more Standard grades 1 and 2 or Intermediate 2 grades A-C in S4 is single weighted. School rankings are based on their combined performance in these examinations. Rankings based on performance at Highers or Standard/Intermediate 2 alone can be found by clicking on the relevant columns displayed in the league table.

The top state secondary schools (International Baccalaureate) (8 schools)

Schools are ranked by the average number of points gained in International Baccalaureate examinations in summer 2009. The maximum score is 45 points. The league table also displays the proportions of entries gaining the top two IB grades (7 and 6) and rankings based on these outcomes can be obtained by clicking on the relevant columns.

State primary (500 schools)

Primary schools are ranked on their aggregated performance in Standard Assessment Tests (Sats) in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The combined percentages of pupils achieving level 4 at Key Stage 2 (taken by 11-year-olds) in English, maths and science across all three years are taken to produce an overall aggregate score on which schools are then ranked. Rankings based on performance in each year can be obtained by clicking on the head of the respective columns in the league table. Only those schools where 20 or more pupils on average have taken these examinations are included. Where scores are level, rankings are determined by the average number of children entered for the tests over the three-year period.

Small state primary (50 schools)

Small primary schools are ranked on their aggregated performance in Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The combined percentages of pupils achieving level 4 at Key Stage 2 (taken by 11-year-olds) in English, maths and science across all three years are taken to produce an overall aggregate score on which schools are then ranked. Rankings based on performance in each year can be obtained by clicking on the head of the respective columns in the league table. Schools where more than 10 but fewer than 20 pupils on average have taken these examinations are included in this table. Where scores are level, rankings are determined by the average number of children entered for the tests over the three-year period.

Searching by school name or location

The search page enables you to find schools in a more exact fashion.

There are six key means of searching through the Parent Power database of 2,000 schools contained on this Website.

You can search by school name if you have a particular school in mind. The database uses each word to search with and uses the "and" form of combining terms. It also omits certain words such as school, primary, college, secondary, junior, preparatory, the, of, and or. It doesn't matter if you use these words, the database will simply ignore them. For example, searching for

Cheltenham Ladies' College will look for Cheltenham and Ladies

And

Saint John's Primary School will look for St and John

Alternatively, you can search by location by entering a postcode, a town name, a region or a local area that corresponds to an individual local education authority. The map on the right hand side of the Search Page is also interactive and divided into local areas and larger regional groupings.

To use the postcode search facility, key in your own postcode or that of the area in which you are looking for a school. Enter the full postcode if you know it. The search engine will also operate - although less precisely - on the basis of the first half of a given postcode.

You can select the number of schools you wish to view (from 5 to 50), the type of school (state secondary, independent secondary, state primary etc) and the gender of entry for each search. Click Search Now and the Parent Power website will generate a list of schools according to your precise specification on the basis of proximity to the postcode you have entered. If you wish to amend your selection of schools, click on the Back to search button and the last postcode you entered will still be in the search field, allowing you to revise the terms of your search or begin a new search by deleting the existing postcode.

If you are unsure of the postcodes in the area in which you are interested, you can use the town search facility. Simply type in the name of the town you are interested in, together with the number of schools in or nearest to the town you wish to view, the type(s) of school, and the gender of entry. Click Search Now and the website will generate a list of schools located in or near to the town in question. This search makes use of the Royal Mail's 434 town/district postal towns database. If the town that has been chosen is not one of the 434, the search engine trawls for an exact match for the town within the Parent Power schools' database alone. This over-rides the search for schools near to the town and delivers only the often much smaller number within it.

To use the local area search map, click on the required local area. This will highlight your selection in the local area display in the middle of the screen. You can either click Search Now, which will produce a list of all schools in the area you have defined, or you can refine your search using the school type and gender of entry drop-down menus as above. The full list of local areas by which the database is searchable is available on a dropdown menu, accessible by clicking on local area in the Search by location section of the search home page

For broader geographic searches, click on the regional search tab on the search by location menu. This will offer you a choice of seven English regions, or national searches for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The local areas contained within each search will be highlighted on the map to the right.

You can click Search Now for a list of all schools in the region you have defined (but be warned, this may be a very large number), or to refine your search you can select the tope of school and the gender of entry that is of interest to you.

Once you have found the schools you are looking for, you can save them to a personal shortlist by clicking on the button at the right-hand end of the search result and then clicking the ADD TO SHORTLIST button.

You can change your search at any point by clicking on the BACK TO SEARCH button to the left above the schools listed on your search results page. This will return you to the main search page and allow you to perform either a completely new search or a refinement of an existing one. Clicking on the search button on the main navigation bar will achieve the same effect.

The final means of searching is provided by our search by map function. Click on the Search map now button to activate this choice. When the map displays, you will be given an option at the foot of the map to search it by postcode, town or county. By selecting or deselecting the colour-coded buttons at the top right hand corner of the map (purple for independent secondary, blue for independent preparatory, green for state secondary and sixth form colleges, and yellow for state primary), you can refine your choice of schools to be viewed for a given location. Select the Go button to activate your choice. All schools in the location you have selected will be shown, identified by pins, colour-coded as above. Clicking on a pin will identify the school by name, type and Parent Power ranking, and show its most recent public examination results. By clicking on View full school listing, it is possible to access all the contact and examination details held on the school, together with access to its website (where available) and a recent school inspection report. Clicking the Back button at the top left corner of your screen will return you to the main Parent Power search home page.

Categories of schools

Schools on this Website are colour-coded by sector to enable you to identify the category of schools at a glance. This is particularly useful when searching by regional or local areas to get an overall assessment of the range of high-quality schools in your chosen location.

The colour codes are as follows:

State Primary State primary schools

State Secondary State secondary schools

Independent Secondary Independent secondary schools

Independent Preparatory Independent preparatory and junior schools

All school listing pages contain basic contact information and recent examination history. Where available, we provide live links to school websites and to full school inspection reports.

There are also features on the eight Sunday Times Schools of the Year for 2009: state secondary, independent secondary, state primary, independent preparatory and junior, International Baccalaureate secondary, Scottish state secondary, Scottish independent secondary, and Northern Ireland secondary. Via the Previous Winners home page it is possible to read the features written from 2004-2008 on a further 34 schools of the year. There are links to school listing pages for the remaining previous winners, if they continue to feature in Parent Power.

The school ratings explained

Independent secondary (429 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of independent secondary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the percentage of A-levels entries returning A or B grades (double weighted) and the percentage of GCSE entries returning A* or A grades in summer 2009.

Independent secondary (11-16)/(small sixth form) (50 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of independent 11-16 secondary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the percentage of GCSE entries returning A* or A grades in summer 2009. Although some schools in this category have small sixth forms, A-level results (where relevant) are disregarded as there were 10 or fewer candidates in summer 2009.

Scottish independent secondary (Higher/Standard) (28 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of Scottish independent secondary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the percentage of Highers and Advanced Highers entries returning A or B grades (double weighted) and the percentage of Standard grade or Intermediate 2 entries returning 1 or A grades in summer 2009.

Scottish independent secondary (A-level/GCSE) (7 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power UK league table of independent secondary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the percentage of A-levels entries returning A or B grades (double weighted) and the percentage of GCSE entries returning A* or A grades in summer 2009

Independent secondary schools (International Baccalaureate) (28 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of independent secondary schools - not its IB ranking. The arrow indicates whether the main independent secondary school ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The school's separate IB ranking can be found in the results area of the school homepage. This ranking is derived from the average number of IB points (out of a maximum of 45) obtained by candidates in summer 2009.

State secondary (500 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of state secondary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the percentage of A-levels entries returning A and B grades (double weighted) and the percentage of GCSE entries returning A* and A grades in summer 2009.

State 11-16 secondary (50 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of state 11-16 secondary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the percentage of GCSE entries returning A* and A grades in summer 2009.

Sixth form colleges (50 schools)

The figure shows the college's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of sixth form colleges. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the college's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the aggregated average number of level 3 points achieved in public examinations in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Scottish state secondary (53 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of Scottish state secondary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the percentage of pupils on the S4 roll achieving five or more Highers graded A, B or C by the end of S6 (double weighted) and the percentage of the S4 roll gaining five or more Standard grades at 1 or 2 or Intermediate 2s graded A, B or C by the end of S4. Rankings are based on examination performance in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

State secondary schools (International Baccalaureate) (8 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of state secondary schools - not its IB ranking. The arrow indicates whether the main state secondary school ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The school's separate IB ranking can be found in the results area of the school homepage. This ranking is derived from the average number of IB points (out of a maximum of 45) obtained by candidates in summer 2009.

State primary (500 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of state primary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the aggregate of key stage 2, level 4 results in English, maths and science in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Only schools where 20 or more children were entered for Sats on average over the three years are included.

Small state primary (50 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of small state primary schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the aggregate of key stage 2, level 4 results in English, maths and science in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Schools are drawn from those with an average of more than 10 but fewer than 20 pupils taking SATs.

Independent preparatory and junior (250 schools)

The main figure denotes the school's ranking in the 2009 Parent Power league table of independent preparatory schools. The arrow indicates whether the ranking is higher or lower than last year. The smaller figure in brackets denotes the school's ranking in our 2008 table. The ranking is based on the aggregate of key stage 2, level 5 results in English, maths and science from 2006, 2007 and 2008. Schools with 10 or fewer candidates on average were excluded from the rankings.