School Shortlist

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Secondary schools in England, on Ofsted’s timeline

A postcode (M41, or LS1 5AS) starts from the centre of its district; one of 20 cities, such as Leeds, from the centre of its schools; a school’s name, such as Townley Grammar, from the school itself. England only. Straight-line distances.

Of the 3,491 open state-funded schools in England’s register that teach pupils of secondary age or students aged 16 and over, 679 have a report card, 571 key judgements without an overall grade, 1,271 an overall grade on the old scale, 864 an ungraded inspection and 106 no inspection in the data we hold. The oldest of these latest inspections dates from 17 September 2019; the most recent from 9 September 2026.

Each column counts the schools whose latest inspection took place that month (tallest: 126); the open part of a column counts ungraded inspections. Behind them, the ruler Ofsted used on that date: pale, an overall grade on the old four-point scale (until 31 August 2024); mid blue, key judgements without an overall grade (from 1 September 2024); deep blue, report cards (from 10 November 2025).

What School Shortlist shows

Type a postcode, a city or a school's name: the nearest state secondary schools are listed by straight-line distance, each placed at the date of its latest Ofsted inspection, with its GCSE and A level results next to those of its council and of England. Each school page adds the inspection in detail and the eight nearest state schools.

Ofsted stopped giving an overall grade on 1 September 2024 and began report cards on 10 November 2025, so two schools a mile apart can carry verdicts given on different scales. We keep each verdict on its own scale, with its date. Nothing here is ranked or scored by us: the figures are those published by the Department for Education and Ofsted, with the date we read them.

Two rulers that do not convert

Ofsted says the new grades cannot be compared with the old ones. Here each inspection keeps its own ruler and its date; nothing is converted or averaged. Ofsted ratings explained sets out each grade.

Before: four grades, one overall

  1. 4Inadequate
  2. 3Requires improvement
  3. 2Good
  4. 1Outstanding

From 1 September 2024 the overall grade was dropped: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management were still graded one to four, separately, as was sixth form provision where there was one. An ungraded inspection ends with a statement in Ofsted’s data, such as “school remains good”; where Ofsted’s data adds “(Concerns) - S5 Next” or “(Improving) - S5 Next”, we write “with concerns” or “improving” and link to the report.

Since 10 November 2025: five grades, area by area

  1. Urgent improvement
  2. Needs attention
  3. Expected standard
  4. Strong standard
  5. Exceptional

Inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, leadership and governance and, where there is one, post-16 provision. Safeguarding is met or not met.

Schools by city

Sources

Last updated 2 November 2026.