Question 1

How quickly will I get a reply?

Accepted Answer

We aim to reply to every message within two working days.

Question 2

I have spotted incorrect information about a school.

Accepted Answer

Please tell us the school name and what looks wrong. If the error originates in the DfE or Ofsted source data we will point you to the right place to have it corrected at source.

Question 3

I have a data protection or privacy question.

Accepted Answer

Privacy requests are handled separately — email privacy@schoolfinder.org and we will respond in line with our Privacy Policy.

Question 4

Where does SchoolFinder get its school data from?

Accepted Answer

Every school listed on SchoolFinder comes from the Department for Education’s Get Information about Schools (GIAS) register, combined with Ofsted’s published management information on state-funded school inspections. Both datasets are official UK government open data published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Question 5

How many schools are listed?

Accepted Answer

SchoolFinder covers state-funded and independent Primary, Secondary and all-through schools that are currently open in England — over 22,000 schools in total. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not covered yet.

Question 6

How do I find schools near me?

Accepted Answer

Type a full postcode, an outcode such as SW11, a town or a city into the search box. SchoolFinder converts that into a location and shows every school within your chosen radius, sorted by distance. You can then filter by phase, Ofsted rating, school type, faith character and local authority.

Question 7

Are Ofsted ratings up to date?

Accepted Answer

Ratings come from Ofsted’s latest published management information release. Ofsted stopped awarding single-word overall effectiveness grades in September 2024 and now publishes report cards with separate evaluation areas, so newer inspections show those area grades rather than one overall word. Schools inspected before that change still show their last overall grade. Always check the school’s own Ofsted report for the definitive picture — we link to it on every profile.

Contact us

Send a message

Looking for a school?

Other ways to reach us

Frequently asked questions