Locrating alternatives for UK parents
Locrating is the school map most UK parents reach for first, and for finding what exists near a postcode it is hard to beat. But "what is nearby?" is only the first question. Once you have a shortlist, you need to know which of those schools actually suits your child — and that is a different tool.
Here are the six places UK parents genuinely use, what each is best at, and where each one stops being useful.
1. SpotWise
Best for: Deciding between the schools on your shortlist
Ranks three to eight schools against your child's profile and your own weightings, shows the published figure behind every criterion, and writes a plain-English rationale you can take to visits or an appeal.
Where it stops: Not a property-search map tool; official catchment boundaries are shown only where councils publish them, and admissions figures cover a growing set of councils.
Free for one ranked comparison; £7.99 a month or £59 a year for the full evidence.
See a sample scorecard2. Locrating
Best for: Browsing an area on a map
Long-established national coverage, catchment history, property-portal plugin, independent schools.
Where it stops: Shows raw data rather than scoring it against a particular child.
Generous free layer with paid reports.
Full SpotWise vs Locrating comparison3. Get Information About Schools (GOV.UK)
Best for: The official record for any school
The authoritative register: type, age range, capacity, trust, contact details, always current.
Where it stops: A database, not a decision tool. No comparison, no scoring, no maps worth browsing.
Free.
The data we use and where it comes from4. DfE performance tables
Best for: Raw attainment and progress figures
KS2 and KS4 results straight from the source, with national and local averages.
Where it stops: Easy to misread on small cohorts, and says nothing about ethos, admissions or distance.
Free.
Primary league tables explained5. Ofsted reports
Best for: Reading the inspection narrative
The full report behind the headline grade, including sub-judgements and previous visits.
Where it stops: Grades can be years old, and a single label hides the trajectory.
Free.
What an Ofsted grade really tells you6. Council admissions pages
Best for: Deadlines, rules and last year's offer distances
The only place that binds: oversubscription criteria, application dates and allocation figures.
Where it stops: Buried in PDF booklets, formatted differently by all 153 authorities.
Free.
How catchment areas actually workHow to pick between them
- Still mapping the area? Use a map browser. SpotWise will not help you discover schools you have never heard of.
- Moving house? Catchment history matters most, so start with a mapping tool, then score the shortlist.
- Have three to eight schools and a form to fill in? That is exactly what a weighted scorecard is for.
- Appealing a decision? You need the figures written down with their sources, not a map.
Common questions
- What is the best alternative to Locrating?
- It depends on the question you are asking. For catchment maps and browsing a whole area, School Atlas or School Checker cover similar ground. For the official record on any school, Get Information About Schools on GOV.UK is free and authoritative. For deciding between three to eight schools you have already found, SpotWise ranks them against your own child and priorities and explains the order in writing.
- Is there a free alternative to Locrating?
- Yes. GOV.UK's Get Information About Schools, the DfE performance tables and the Ofsted reports site are all free and are the original sources most tools rebuild. SpotWise is free for one ranked comparison with the top match's evidence shown in full.
- Which tool shows school catchment areas?
- Locrating and School Atlas draw historic catchment and admission-distance maps. SpotWise shows published catchment boundaries where a council releases them, and otherwise scores admissions policy, distance and last year's offer distance rather than drawing a boundary it cannot verify.
- Why switch from Locrating to SpotWise?
- Most people do not switch, they add. Map tools tell you what exists nearby. SpotWise takes the shortlist that comes out of that and answers the harder question: given this child, these priorities and the published figures, which school actually fits, and why.
- Does SpotWise cover the whole of the UK?
- School records, Ofsted grades and performance data cover all state schools in England. Council admissions data and catchment boundaries are added authority by authority, and every figure on a page shows its source and vintage.
Based on publicly described features at the time of writing. Locrating is a trademark of Locrating Ltd; other names belong to their respective owners. None are affiliated with SpotWise.