School Guide
School Guide is a UK web platform that aggregates official data, Ofsted ratings, catchment heat maps, and parent reviews for ~30,000 primary, secondary, and independent schools, serving UK parents via a freemium subscription, consultancy, and data licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBath, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What School Guide does
School Guide, operated by School Guide UK Ltd. and founded in 2013 by Victoria Bond, is a UK-only web-based information platform that aggregates official school data from the Department for Education, Ofsted, the Independent Schools Council, and the devolved education bodies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The platform covers roughly 30,000 UK schools (22,200 primary, 5,200 secondary, and 2,500 independent), presenting exam results (SATs, GCSEs, A-levels, Nationals, Highers), Ofsted inspection outcomes, and pupil census data through parent-friendly infographics, interactive postcode-based catchment heat maps (pioneered in 2015), a 1–5 star School Guide rating system launched in 2014, and TripAdvisor-style parent reviews. Secondary product surfaces include league tables, a side-by-side comparison tool, a tutor directory, a school noticeboard, and an expert blog.
The business is monetised primarily through a freemium direct-to-consumer subscription (£19.95/month for premium, with a free tier offering limited catchment maps and partial data), supplemented by a £299 per-engagement personal consultancy service delivered by founder Victoria Bond, and by data/API licensing — most notably an exclusive partnership with Rightmove that links School Guide data to approximately 90% of UK homes listed for sale, plus a content partnership with Mumsnet. Go-to-market is product-led and content/SEO-driven, with distribution amplified through organic search, social channels, a weekly A* newsletter, and PR coverage including BBC Click. The company is bootstrapped, founder-owned, and operates with a small team (11–50 employees).
School Guide firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- School Guide
- Legal name
- School Guide UK Ltd.
- Website
- https://schoolguide.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- School Guide is a UK web platform that aggregates official data, Ofsted ratings, catchment heat maps, and parent reviews for ~30,000 primary, secondary, and independent schools, serving UK parents via a freemium subscription, consultancy, and data licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
School Guide industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Information Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accountability & Performance Frameworks (School/District/Institution Ratings) (EDADAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Public Transparency Portals & Open Data Reporting (EDADAIAN)
Keywords
Where School Guide is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bath
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
School Guide business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Premium Subscription: Monthly subscription at £19.95 providing access to full school data, catchment maps, all reviews, league tables, and premium consultant support.
- Personal Consultancy Services: Victoria Bond offers 60-minute deep-dive consultations at £299 for families seeking expert, personalized school selection guidance.
- Data/API Licensing: Exclusive data partnership with Rightmove enables School Guide data to be linked with property listings, generating revenue through data licensing arrangements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free access with limited features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium monthly subscription |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Personal consultancy consultation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
School Guide product offering
Product offeringCore offering
School Guide operates a UK school information platform aggregating official data from Ofsted, the Department for Education, the Independent Schools Council, and other government bodies across approximately 30,000 primary, secondary, and independent schools in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Its core offering centres on interactive catchment area heat maps (pioneered in 2015), school league tables, parent reviews, and a side-by-side comparison tool, delivered through a freemium web platform with a £19.95/month premium subscription that unlocks full data, all heat maps, and expert consultant support.
Product overview
School Guide is a unified UK school information platform for parents, offering a one-stop resource covering approximately 30,000–34,000 primary, secondary, and independent schools. The core platform aggregates official data (Ofsted, DfE, ISC, government bodies) and presents it through parent-friendly infographics. Key product components include: the Catchment Area Heat Maps (pioneered in 2015, showing admission likelihood by postcode), School League Tables (primary, secondary, independent), the School Finder (location/postcode search), Parent Reviews (TripAdvisor-style star ratings), and the School Comparison Tool. The platform also features a School Noticeboard (free school-managed content), Tutor Directory, and the School Guide Blog (expert advice on admissions and education policy). A premium subscription at £19.95/month unlocks full data access, all heat maps, reviews, and star ratings. A separate paid consultancy service (from founder Victoria Bond) at £299 offers bespoke one-to-one school selection guidance including Zoom sessions and strategy reports.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- School Guide Platform
- School Consultancy Service
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 20 million UK parents have successfully applied for their local school using School Guide's catchment area heat maps
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use School Guide
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
School Guide technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
School Guide partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RightmovecoreExclusive data partnership bringing together school and property information. School Guide shares its market-leading schools dataset with Rightmove, the UK's largest property website, enabling key statistics on 30,000 schools to be linked with approximately 90% of all homes for sale via estate agents across the UK.
- MumsnetcorePartnership provides clear online school information combined with Mumsnet users' first-hand experience of schools. School Guide's bold infographic style and no-nonsense data is combined with Mumsnet's parent community reviews.
- BBCminorFeatured on BBC's flagship technology programme BBC Click, showcasing the platform's approach to bringing key school statistics together in one place.
- TutorMapperminorSchool Guide joined forces with TutorMapper to offer parents an additional resource when looking for tutors, with a new badge scheme for verified tutors.
- Bond 11+minorTutor Directory launched in association with Bond 11+, the UK's number one publisher of learning materials for pupils studying at independent schools, helping children prepare for 11+ and 13+ Common Entrance exams.
- Galore ParkminorSite sponsor and publisher of learning materials for pupils studying at independent schools, having helped thousands of children unlock 11+ and 13+ Common Entrance exam success.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
School Guide competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GreatSchools: US non-profit parent-facing school information and rating platform with school comparison, reviews, and catchment-style functionality — broadly the same product model as School Guide, though operating in the US K-12 market.
- SchoolDigger: US school data and comparison site that aggregates official state education data and ranks K-12 schools, mirroring School Guide's model of turning official performance data into parent-friendly rankings and comparisons.
- Locrating: UK-based school and catchment area data platform that directly competes with School Guide, offering location-based school search and catchment mapping using similar official government data sources.
- PrivateSchoolReview: Parent-facing private and independent school information platform offering school profiles, reviews and tuition data — directly analogous to School Guide's independent-school coverage and parent-review layer.
Others
- Rightmove: UK's largest property portal and exclusive data-licensing partner for School Guide, embedding school information into property listings. Acts as both a strategic distribution channel and a potential adjacent competitor if it builds native school functionality.
- Mumsnet: UK parenting community and partnership platform that integrates School Guide data and parent reviews. Functions as a distribution partner rather than a direct competitor, but captures significant parent attention upstream of school selection.
- Tutorful: UK online tutoring marketplace that addresses an adjacent parent need (tutoring) closely related to School Guide's Tutor Directory. Comparable through shared audience, not through direct product overlap, with potential for cross-sell or partnership.
- Independent Schools Council (ISC): UK representative body for independent schools providing data, school search and inspection information. An ecosystem data source rather than a direct competitor, but overlaps in independent-school information delivery.
Broad incumbents
- Compare school and college performance (DfE): The UK government's official school performance comparison service using the same DfE data that School Guide aggregates. It establishes the free baseline against which School Guide's premium catchment and review features must justify their subscription.
- Find a school (GOV.UK): The official UK government school directory for admissions, publishing the underlying catchment and contact data that School Guide reformats for parents. A free, authoritative incumbent in the same user journey.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
School Guide social profiles
Digital presenceSchool Guide financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
School Guide leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
School Guide funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
School Guide M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about School Guide
What does School Guide do?
School Guide operates a UK school information platform aggregating official data from Ofsted, the Department for Education, the Independent Schools Council, and other government bodies across approximately 30,000 primary, secondary, and independent schools in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Its core offering centres on interactive catchment area heat maps (pioneered in 2015), school league tables, parent reviews, and a side-by-side comparison tool, delivered through a freemium web platform with a £19.95/month premium subscription that unlocks full data, all heat maps, and expert consultant support.
Is School Guide a public or private company?
School Guide is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was School Guide founded?
School Guide was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is School Guide based?
School Guide is headquartered in Bath, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does School Guide make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Premium Subscription is the primary driver. The others are personal Consultancy Services and data/API Licensing.
Who are School Guide's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GreatSchools, SchoolDigger, Locrating and PrivateSchoolReview. Others are Rightmove, Mumsnet, Tutorful and Independent Schools Council (ISC). Broad incumbents are Compare school and college performance (DfE) and Find a school (GOV.UK).
Does School Guide have an API?
No public API is recorded for School Guide.
What industry is School Guide in?
School Guide's product category is Education Information Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAIAD, Accountability & Performance Frameworks (School/District/Institution Ratings), with a secondary code of EDADAIAN, Public Transparency Portals & Open Data Reporting. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.