From what is published to a celebration the school is proud of

We draw on a wide range of information - the figures the DfE publishes for results and progress, attendance, the staffing and finance picture; what parents tell Ofsted through Parent View; behaviour; and the school’s own website and the community it serves, from the national Census to local measures of need. We read every strength through an advanced measure of context we have built ourselves - far more than the single, blunt proxy of how many children claim free school meals - so a school is recognised fairly for what it achieves with the children it serves. The areas we look at run from Key Stage 2 results and progress to attendance, staffing, finances, what parents say and behaviour - plus things a school can evidence itself.

Each strength is assessed through national, local-authority, town and in-context lenses, so schools are compared with the right peers - not just the most advantaged. We show exactly where a school genuinely stands, measured fairly.

We turn each strength into clear, in-context wording and show where the school stands across every lens. It is framed cautiously and honestly - and if anything looks wrong, the school can ask us to review it.

A school can activate its recognition - confirm the wording, add a quote from a school leader, and unlock the official certificate, badges, materials and the licence to display it. The recognition is earned from the evidence; activation makes it official.

An activated celebration is one the school can share with pride - with parents, staff, governors and local media - backed by a public verification page.

We produce badges, certificates, social graphics and letters the school can use straight away - free to publish, with richer packages optional. Recognitions are year-based: each year we look again at what is published and show whether a school still qualifies, preserving an honest historical record.

Recognitions are identified from the wide range of information published about every school, read in context. No school can pay to be celebrated, to change its wording, or to remove another school’s celebration. Optional asset packages only ever apply after a recognition the school has already earned.

We have invested heavily to identify what each school is genuinely great at - on the published figures and on its position in context - so each recognition is specific and fair, not a number anyone could simply look up.

Every line is framed cautiously and in context - a fair, specific comparison against the right peers, not a single overall ranking of every school. We recognise the work that often goes unnoticed.

For the things published information alone cannot see, a school that wants it can opt in to a survey of its staff and parents, with the school’s consent, so we can recognise it with a bespoke celebration. Always opt-in, never bought, and separate from the recognitions a school earns from what is already published.