Today we launch the second edition of the most comprehensive guide ever to state-funded primary schools, rating schools on their results, teaching, progress and attendance.

The ranking system uses 33 different measures, put together from the latest publicly available data covering up to the 2013/14 school year, broken into four indicators.

National league tables only look at Key Stage 2 results, which may mean schools which help all pupils make progress but only get slightly better than average results overall may be overlooked.

Our ranking system aims to move beyond just looking at Key Stage 2 results as a measure of how good schools are and to give parents an idea of which schools will help their child prosper, no matter what their background is.

As a result, the league table tries to factor in other things as well, like whether all pupils are making progress (not just those expected to get top grades), what attendance is like, the ratio of teachers to pupils and whether pupils are doing better than expected.

Attainment is worth 30% of the total score – this based on pupils’ Key Stage 2 performance in 2014 and how it compares to 2013 and 2009.

This measures whether a school is getting top marks and if it is managing to improve year on year.

Teaching is worth 40% of the score – it is based on how well different types of pupil at all levels of attainment do in comparison to expectations and how well the school does at closing the gender gap – measuring how teachers are helping pupils do the best they can.

It also looks at how big the pupil/teacher ratio is in comparison to the national average as well as teachers’ average salaries.

Progress is worth 20% and is based on whether pupils at different levels of attainment and from disadvantaged backgrounds are making progress between the end of infants and the end of juniors.

Attendance looks at levels of absence, unauthorised absence and persistent absence at the school, and is worth 10% of the total score.

Expert and political backing

Academics and Government ministers welcomed the primary ratings as a way of helping parents find out how their local schools are performing when the Chronicle parent company Trinity Mirror launched them last year.

Head of primary initial teacher education at Manchester Metropolitan University Dr Elaine McCreery, said: “Undoubtedly, some parents will welcome the tables so that they can see the many ways in which judgements can be made about primary school provision.

"Parents with very young children, who are getting ready to go to school, might use them to view the provision in their area."

She added: “It would also be valuable if parents with children already in school use the tables to get more involved in their children’s school, supporting developments that are under way.”

The ratings have also won Government backing.

Schools Minister David Laws said: “Making information about school performance freely available allows parents to see how their child’s school is performing compared to others - and if necessary challenge it to improve.

“I’m pleased to see Trinity Mirror putting this information to good use.”