Why this is more honest than a catchment map
A catchment map tells you which schools are near you. It does not tell you the thing that keeps parents up at night: whether you would actually be offered a place from your address. This tool answers that. It takes the straight-line distance from your postcode to each school, the measure most community schools use to decide who gets in, and reads it against how places are really allocated.
Crucially, it flags the schools where distance is not the deciding factor at all. A faith school next door will usually fill up with families who meet its religious criterion long before it looks at how close you live. A grammar school admits on a test, so proximity is almost irrelevant. And a hugely popular Outstanding school can have a cut-off distance of a few hundred metres, so even being close is no guarantee. Seeing those realities per school, from your exact postcode, is what stops families from wasting preferences on schools they were never going to get.
What it can and cannot tell you
The distance and the admission criteria are official and reliable. The chance itself is an informed estimate, because the exact cut-off for any year depends on who else applies, and those figures are not published as a single national dataset. So treat the verdicts as a way to sort likely from unlikely and to build a sensible preference list, not as a promise. Then verify everything with the school and the local authority that runs admissions.
Frequently asked questions
How do school admissions actually decide who gets in?
When a school has more applicants than places, it ranks them by its published oversubscription criteria. After looked-after children and siblings, most community schools fall back to straight-line distance from home to school, so how close you live is often the deciding factor. Faith schools rank religious criteria first, and grammar schools rank by test score, which is why proximity does not always help.
What does the verdict for each school mean?
It is an informed estimate of your chances from the postcode you entered. It reads your distance to the school against the distance places are typically offered from for that type of school, then adjusts for criteria that override distance (selective or faith entry) and for demand (Outstanding schools tend to have tighter cut-offs). It is guidance to help you build a realistic preference list, not a guarantee.
Why is a nearby school still shown as a long shot?
Usually because something outranks distance. Faith schools prioritise families who meet the religious criterion, and selective schools admit on a test, so you can live next door and still miss out. A very popular non-faith school can also have a cut-off distance of just a few hundred metres, so even close is not always close enough.
How accurate is this?
The distance and admission criteria come straight from official school data, so those are solid. The chance itself is an estimate: the exact cut-off distance for a given year is set by whoever applies that year and is not published as a national dataset. Treat strong and good as encouraging, and always check the school and council admissions pages before you list your preferences.
Does this cover the whole UK?
Coverage is strongest for England, where Ofsted ratings and admissions data are consistent. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own systems and inspection bodies, so results there may be thinner. Always confirm with the local authority that runs admissions in your area.
How many preferences should I list?
List every preference you are allowed, in genuine order of choice, and make sure at least one is a school this tool rates as a strong or good chance from your address. Listing only very competitive schools is the most common way families end up with none of their choices.