The definitive guide to Britain's top 2,000 independent and state schools

The Sunday Times Parent Power launched today is the only fully searchable database of Britain’s top 2,000 state and independent schools. Now in online format at timesonline.co.uk/parentpower it is a unique resource, free to anyone with an internet connection.

Making use of the most up-to-date public examination results, there are 10 league tables covering all the main school groupings. Using the unique Sunday Times Parent Power formulas, developed over the past 17 years, these tables are the most reliable and authoritative guide to a school’s academic performance. They are an A-Z of our educational elite.

Wherever you live in the United Kingdom, at whatever stage of academic development you child has reached, you will find information useful to you before deciding on the next step in their education.

Parent Power is a vital first reference point for everyone with school-age children. As well as providing up-to-date information on examination results, Parent Power provides links to school websites and the latest inspection reports to help make your decision an informed one.

State and independent secondary schools are both ranked on their performance in this summer’s A-level and GCSE examinations. With A-levels the passport to a place at university for most, we have analysed the results of the leading schools at the top A and B grades, and given them a double weighting in our league tables. GCSE results at A* and A are also taken into account and given a single weighting.

The result is tables that reward those schools with the strongest profile in the senior examination – and therefore those schools with the best track record for getting students into our leading universities.

Primary and independent preparatory schools are ranked on their performance over three years in standard assessment tests (Sats), from 2004 to 2006. All these schools have shown themselves to be consistently excellent.

State primary schools are measured against the benchmark of key stage 2, level 4. This is the attainment level expected of the children when they sit the tests at 11. Six schools have perfect scores – with all their children meeting the standard; all the remaining 509 primaries in our rankings get at least 95% of their pupils on average to at least level 4. This is way above the national Sat averages for English, maths and science of 79%, 76% and 87% respectively.

Preparatory schools are measured against key stage 2, level 5 rankings, roughly equivalent to the academic level expected of 13-year-olds – two years beyond the age of those sitting the tests. Here again, all of the schools in our top 250 get well over half of their pupils to this level, and the best see virtually all their pupils race ahead in the educational stakes.

Scottish independent schools that follow the Scottish examination system are ranked on A and B grades achieved at Higher and Advanced Higher examinations in S5 and S6 (double-weighted) and at Standard grade 1 and Intermediate 2 grade A in S4. Those following the English examination system are ranked in the same way as non-Scottish independent secondary schools.

Scottish state schools are ranked on performance over three years, from 2004 to 2006. The proportion of pupils gaining five or more Highers, grades A-C, by the end of S6 is double-weighted and considered alongside the proportion of pupils achieving five or more Standard grades 1 and 2 or Intermediate 2s, grades A-C, by the end of S4.

As Chris Woodhead, the former chief inspector of schools, advises in his videoed introduction to the website:

Visit any school before you choose it for your son or daughter;

talk the head teacher and the children;

but use the information contained in Parent Power to help you map a path towards reaching one of the most important decisions you will ever face as a parent.

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