Guidance
Similar schools model for attainment
How the similar schools data model for attainment will work when it is introduced in September 2026.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This guidance is for:
- school leaders, particularly those with responsibility for improving attainment
- governors, trustees and others with responsibility for overseeing schools and holding them accountable for their actions to improve attainment
The overview sets out:
- why Ofsted and the Department for Education (DfE) are producing similar-schools data as additional information with which to assess attainment
- how schools will be able to use that data to benchmark themselves against peers with a similar intake
- how Ofsted inspectors will use the data from September 2026
The technical note explains:
- the characteristics used to define similar schools
- why contextual analysis can boost school self-improvement
- the statistical techniques used to create the model
- the final variable set and weightings
Updates to this page
Published 12 June 2026
Last updated 16 July 2026
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Added 'Similar schools model for attainment: technical note'.
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First published.