How it works
How Houseroom works
Verified school data, a public ranking method and deadline reminders. Schools can't pay for placement.
London schools tracked
with full verified data
Index pillars, weights public
alert delivery cadence
How we keep it honest
Every fact has a source
Taken from school admissions pages, ISI reports and DfE data, with the source and review date logged.
Publicly sourced · weekly review
Methods are public
The Index publishes its weights and confidence scores. The matcher lists its signals.
9 pillars · public weights
Schools can't pay
No paid placement, no score changes, no removing fair reviews. Advisors are independent of schools.
No paid placement · no affiliate fees
Kept current
Every tracked school is reviewed weekly. Alerts go out roughly every 10 minutes.
Weekly review · ~10-minute alerts
Where the data comes from
Coverage today
- Fees: 95%, refreshed each admissions cycle
- Open days and events: 99%, reviewed weekly
- ISI inspection ratings: 85%, linked to the report
- Postcodes: 91%
- Leavers' destinations: 43%, where published
- Houseroom Index: 100% of listed schools, each with a confidence band
From the live database. Last reviewed May 2026.
School admissions pages
Fees, deadlines, open days and assessments. Changes are checked before they go live.
ISI inspection reports
Outcomes and dates, with a link to the full report.
DfE and public records
Pupil numbers, results and SEN flags, used to cross-check school figures.
Verified parent community
Members are verified before posting. Their input carries a low weight in matching.
Matching and the Index
The matcher
AI-assisted scoring with a rule-based fallback, using 40+ signals from your child’s profile.
- Academic confidence, postcode, travel time
- Budget, entry point, scholarship, boarding and faith
- Learning style, social style, resilience
- Weights leavers' destinations and value-add
- Re-ranks when your child's profile or location changes
The Houseroom Index
A 9-pillar, 100-point ranking with a confidence score. Schools cannot change their score.
- Academic outcomes (22%), university destinations (17%), future-ready (12%)
- Pastoral (12%), flourishing (8%), value-add (5%), access (10%)
- Parent voice (9%), external inspection (5%)
- Three sub-indices: Best for Academics · Leavers · Future Ready
- The methodology page shows the full calculation
How alerts stay accurate
- Each school's admissions information is reviewed weekly. Changes are checked before they go live.
- Every fee, deadline and event shows its review date.
- Schools with thin data are flagged, and the matcher weights them down.
- Alerts run on a roughly 10-minute cycle. Failed sends are logged and retried.
- Methodology changes are versioned and dated.
Read more
Track
Track deadlines and open days
Registration, open days, assessments and offer dates, with reminders by text or email.
724 schools · weekly review
See how it works →Find
Find the right school
Matches across 286 schools from 40+ signals, with the reasoning shown.
40+ signals · 9-pillar Index
See how it works →Ask
Get expert guidance
A verified parent forum and independent advisors. No school ties, no commission.
Written replies within 3 working days
See how it works →Common questions
Why use Houseroom rather than a search engine or a parent WhatsApp group?
Search engines rank pages, not accuracy, and group chats can carry last year's dates. Every Houseroom record shows its source and review date.
How accurate are the deadlines?
We check each school's published admissions information weekly and update your alert when a date changes. If you spot a difference, please flag it.
How is the matcher unbiased if schools want to be in it?
Schools cannot pay to appear, change their ranking or remove themselves from low matches. Scores come from your child's profile and the school data, and the reasoning is shown.
Is the Houseroom Index influenced by school relationships?
No. Weights and confidence scores are public and schools cannot change them. Corrections are checked against the primary source and apply to everyone.
Are the advisors truly independent?
Yes. They have no school affiliation, commission or sponsorship. Houseroom pays them per question or engagement, whatever they recommend.
How do you make money?
Schools pay for profile management, an enquiry tool and applicant analytics. They never pay to rank higher, and parents are never charged for the core data.
What happens to my child's profile?
It stays private to your account and we do not sell parent data. Schools only see it if you enquire or share a shortlist.
How often is the data refreshed?
Deadlines and events weekly, fees each admissions cycle, ISI ratings when a new report is published and leavers' destinations yearly.