A sample scorecard

Based on the priorities you have set, Riverside Primary comes out ahead for this profile. Its higher-standard results are the clearest differentiator in the shortlist: 46% of pupils reached the higher standard in maths against 26% nationally, and 38% did so in reading against 29%. For a child who is already fluent and asks for harder work, that is the signal that matters most: it suggests a cohort where the top end is routinely taught, not just supported.

Kingsmead Church of England Primary scores very close behind and is stronger on the two criteria you weighted second: individual attention and values. Its average class size of 24.1 is below the national 26.6, and the most recent Ofsted narrative describes curriculum breadth, music provision and pastoral care in detail. One caveat matters here: the cohort was 29 pupils, below the threshold where year-to-year results are stable. A handful of children moving in or out changes the headline percentages considerably, so treat a single year's figures as indicative rather than settled.

Ashgrove Community Primary is the most mixed intake of the four and has the widest enrichment offer, with music tuition, trips and a substantial club programme noted by inspectors. It is less well suited to the stretch priority you set: 24% reached the higher standard in maths, marginally below the national average. If breadth of experience and a socially diverse classroom matter more to you than acceleration in core subjects, its position in this ranking would rise.

Northfield Junior sits last on these weights. Its most recent inspection judgement is Requires improvement, expected-standard attainment is ten points below national, and persistent absence is 23.4% against 17.2% nationally; absence at that level shapes the day-to-day classroom for everyone. Improvement plans are recent, so the published data may lag what you would see on a visit.

Two honest caveats. Published figures describe cohorts that have already left; they are a reasonable proxy for how a school teaches, not a prediction for your child. And nothing in this report accounts for how a school feels on a Tuesday morning, which is the thing parents consistently report as decisive.

Questions worth asking on a visit:

1. How do you identify and extend children who are already secure in reading and maths? What does that look like in a typical week? 2. What has changed since your last inspection, and what are you still working on? 3. How do you group children for maths and English, and how often does that grouping change?