What the public scores on WhichStreet mean

Each scored postcode on the map has four public gauges and an overall figure. They are a way to compare places in London, not a certificate.

Safety

Safety uses street-level crime counts published by police.uk, counted near the postcode. A higher score means fewer recorded crimes relative to other London postcodes in the same import. Crime data arrives a couple of months late, and it records reports, not how a street feels after dark.

Schools

Schools measures how close the postcode is to an open school in the Department for Education’s school list. Closer scores higher. It does not measure Ofsted judgements, admissions, or whether you would get a place.

Transport

Transport measures distance to the nearest Tube or rail station drawn from OpenStreetMap. Bus stops appear on the map when you zoom in, but they are not part of this score.

Parks

Parks measures distance to the nearest park or green space from OpenStreetMap. A high score means green space is close. It does not describe the park’s size, lighting, or how busy it is.

The overall figure

The overall score is the average of whichever of those four parts we could measure. If a part is missing, it is left out of the average rather than treated as zero.

Sector and outward dots use the average of the full postcodes inside them. Street lines have their own scores. People can add a separate rating on top of the public figures. Read both before you decide, and look at the street yourself. Start from the map.