fix(places): a locality collision must not break the sitemap

Sitemap regeneration failed on staging. 'richmond' in the curated locality
list collides with the GIAS town Richmond in North Yorkshire (37 schools), the
registry raised, and the admin endpoint 500d — taking down sitemap generation
for all 25,000 school pages over one bad row of curated data.

The guard now skips the colliding locality and logs an error. Skipping still
achieves what the guard was for — a locality never silently shadows a town —
without letting curated data break the site. That matters beyond this bug:
GIAS town names change with no code change here, so a raise could fire
spontaneously in production later.

Also removes four localities that were London boroughs rather than districts.
Hackney, Islington, Greenwich and Ealing are local authorities with 104, 72,
108 and 115 schools and already have authority pages; a locality defined by
two or three outcodes would have been a partial near-duplicate of one — the
thin-content failure the two-namespace design exists to avoid. A test now
guards the whole borough list.

Validated against the live corpus: 15 localities, no town collisions, no
authority duplicates, all 15 clear the threshold.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_015mWQnpye9F299NVRCCSRvj

backend/app.py

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Uses real data from UK Government Compare School Performance downloads.
 import hashlib
 import re
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from typing import Optional
 
 import numpy as np
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ from .data_loader import (
     search_schools_typesense,
 )
 from .data_loader import get_data_info as get_db_info
+from .places import build_place_registry
 from .schemas import METRIC_DEFINITIONS, RANKING_COLUMNS, SCHOOL_COLUMNS
 from .utils import clean_for_json, convert_to_native
 
@@ -48,11 +50,20 @@ PHASE_GROUPS: dict[str, set[str]] = {
     "all-through": {"all-through"},
 }
 
-BASE_URL = "https://schoolcompare.co.uk"
+# Must match SITE_URL in nextjs-app/lib/site.ts. The apex 301s to www, and a
+# sitemap <loc> that redirects wastes a crawl on every URL it lists.
+BASE_URL = "https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk"
 MAX_SLUG_LENGTH = 60
 
-# In-memory sitemap cache
+# In-memory sitemap cache: name -> XML. Populated on startup and by the admin
-_sitemap_xml: str | None = None
+# regenerate endpoint after a pipeline run.
+_sitemaps: dict[str, str] | None = None
+
+# Built from the same DataFrame the sitemap uses, so places and sitemap can
+# never describe different corpora. Reset by the same admin endpoint.
+_place_registry: dict | None = None
+
+VALID_PLACE_KINDS = ("town", "locality", "authority", "outcode")
 
 
 def _slugify(text: str) -> str:
@@ -70,43 +81,191 @@ def _school_url(urn: int, school_name: str) -> str:
     return f"/school/{urn}-{slug}"
 
 
-def build_sitemap() -> str:
+# Routes worth submitting that are not a school page. /admissions was missing
-    """Generate sitemap XML from in-memory school data. Returns the XML string."""
+# from the sitemap entirely despite being a static, indexable guide.
-    df = load_school_data()
+STATIC_SITEMAP_PATHS = ("/", "/rankings", "/compare", "/admissions")
 
-    static_urls = [
+
-        (BASE_URL + "/",          "daily",   "1.0"),
+# A page has something a search result could state if any of these is present
-        (BASE_URL + "/rankings",  "weekly",  "0.8"),
+# in any year. Shared by _has_publishable_data and the per-school check in
-        (BASE_URL + "/compare",   "weekly",  "0.8"),
+# _school_sitemap_rows so the two can never drift.
+_PUBLISHABLE_FIELDS = ("rwm_expected_pct", "attainment_8_score", "ofsted_grade")
+
+
+def _has_publishable_data(row) -> bool:
+    """True when a school page has something a search result could state.
+
+    A school with no results in any year and no Ofsted grade renders an empty
+    page. Submitting it spends crawl budget and drags the corpus-wide quality
+    signal down, so it stays out of the sitemap. The page itself still resolves
+    for anyone who has the URL.
+    """
+    for field in _PUBLISHABLE_FIELDS:
+        value = row.get(field)
+        if value is not None and not pd.isna(value):
+            return True
+    return False
+
+
+def _url_element(loc: str, lastmod: str | None = None) -> str:
+    """One <url> entry. No priority or changefreq — Google ignores both."""
+    body = f"<loc>{loc}</loc>"
+    if lastmod:
+        body += f"<lastmod>{lastmod}</lastmod>"
+    return f"  <url>{body}</url>"
+
+
+def _school_sitemap_rows(df) -> list[str]:
+    """A <url> element per school that has something to show.
+
+    lastmod comes from the school's Ofsted date where there is one and is
+    omitted otherwise. An always-now lastmod is a claim Google learns to
+    distrust; an absent one honestly means "unknown".
+    """
+    if df.empty or "urn" not in df.columns or "school_name" not in df.columns:
+        return []
+
+    rows: list[str] = []
+    seen: set[int] = set()
+
+    # Publishable is a property of the SCHOOL, not of its latest row.
+    #
+    # The first cut tested the latest year's row alone, which quietly dropped
+    # every school that has results in its history but a null row for the most
+    # recent year — a school that stopped reporting, or whose figures were
+    # suppressed for small-cohort disclosure. The Mallard Academy (150367) is
+    # the case that caught it: real KS2 results for 2015-16 through 2018-19,
+    # then null rows for 2022-23 onward. Its page shows all four years; the
+    # sitemap omitted it. Roughly 220 schools were affected.
+    publishable_cols = [c for c in _PUBLISHABLE_FIELDS if c in df.columns]
+    publishable: set[int] = (
+        set(df.loc[df[publishable_cols].notna().any(axis=1), "urn"].astype(int))
+        if publishable_cols else set()
+    )
+
+    # Latest row per URN first, so a school's most recent Ofsted date wins.
+    ordered = df.sort_values("year", ascending=False) if "year" in df.columns else df
+
+    for _, row in ordered.iterrows():
+        urn = int(row["urn"])
+        if urn in seen:
+            continue
+        seen.add(urn)
+        if urn not in publishable:
+            continue
+
+        lastmod = None
+        ofsted_date = row.get("ofsted_date")
+        if ofsted_date is not None and not pd.isna(ofsted_date):
+            lastmod = pd.Timestamp(ofsted_date).date().isoformat()
+
+        rows.append(_url_element(
+            BASE_URL + _school_url(urn, str(row["school_name"])), lastmod))
+
+    return rows
+
+
+# Sitemaps cap at 50,000 URLs per file. 10,000 keeps a child small enough to
+# scan by eye in Search Console, which is the point of splitting at all:
+# coverage is reported per submitted sitemap, so one file per page family is
+# what makes an indexation problem attributable to a family.
+SITEMAP_CHUNK_SIZE = 10_000
+
+# Children are served under /sitemaps/ because Next.js only treats a whole
+# bracketed path segment as dynamic — a route folder named "sitemap-[...parts]"
+# is read as a literal static segment and never matches.
+SITEMAP_CHILD_PREFIX = "/sitemaps"
+
+
+def get_place_registry() -> dict:
+    """The place registry, built once and cached for the process."""
+    global _place_registry
+    if _place_registry is None:
+        _place_registry = build_place_registry(load_school_data())
+    return _place_registry
+
+
+def _urlset(rows: list[str]) -> str:
+    return "\n".join([
+        '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>',
+        '<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">',
+        *rows,
+        "</urlset>",
+    ])
+
+
+def _place_url(place) -> str:
+    """The canonical path for a place. Two namespaces, per the spec.
+
+    Towns and localities share /schools/[place]; authorities take their own
+    prefix because 67 town names collide with an authority name and neither
+    set contains the other.
+    """
+    if place.kind == "authority":
+        return f"/schools/authority/{place.slug}"
+    if place.kind == "outcode":
+        return f"/schools/near/{place.slug}"
+    return f"/schools/{place.slug}"
+
+
+def _place_sitemap_rows(kinds: tuple[str, ...]) -> list[str]:
+    return [
+        _url_element(BASE_URL + _place_url(p))
+        for p in sorted(get_place_registry().values(),
+                        key=lambda p: (p.kind, p.slug))
+        if p.kind in kinds
     ]
 
-    lines = ['<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>',
-             '<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">']
 
-    for url, freq, priority in static_urls:
+def build_sitemaps() -> dict[str, str]:
-        lines.append(
+    """Build the sitemap index and every child, keyed by name."""
-            f"  <url><loc>{url}</loc>"
+    df = load_school_data()
-            f"<changefreq>{freq}</changefreq>"
-            f"<priority>{priority}</priority></url>"
-        )
 
-    if not df.empty and "urn" in df.columns and "school_name" in df.columns:
+    children: dict[str, str] = {
-        seen = set()
+        "static.xml": _urlset(
-        for _, row in df[["urn", "school_name"]].drop_duplicates(subset="urn").iterrows():
+            [_url_element(BASE_URL + path) for path in STATIC_SITEMAP_PATHS]),
-            urn = int(row["urn"])
+    }
-            name = str(row["school_name"])
-            if urn in seen:
-                continue
-            seen.add(urn)
-            path = _school_url(urn, name)
-            lines.append(
-                f"  <url><loc>{BASE_URL}{path}</loc>"
-                f"<changefreq>monthly</changefreq>"
-                f"<priority>0.6</priority></url>"
-            )
 
-    lines.append("</urlset>")
+    school_rows = _school_sitemap_rows(df)
-    return "\n".join(lines)
+    # Always emit at least one school child, so the index shape is stable even
+    # on an empty database.
+    chunks = [school_rows[i:i + SITEMAP_CHUNK_SIZE]
+              for i in range(0, len(school_rows), SITEMAP_CHUNK_SIZE)] or [[]]
+    for n, chunk in enumerate(chunks, start=1):
+        children[f"schools-{n}.xml"] = _urlset(chunk)
+
+    # Separate children per family: Search Console reports coverage per
+    # submitted sitemap, which is how the location layer's indexation is
+    # measured apart from the school pages'.
+    for label, kinds in (("places", ("town", "locality", "authority")),
+                         ("outcodes", ("outcode",))):
+        rows = _place_sitemap_rows(kinds)
+        chunks = [rows[i:i + SITEMAP_CHUNK_SIZE]
+                  for i in range(0, len(rows), SITEMAP_CHUNK_SIZE)] or [[]]
+        for n, chunk in enumerate(chunks, start=1):
+            children[f"{label}-{n}.xml"] = _urlset(chunk)
+
+    # On a sitemap index, lastmod means "when this sitemap file last changed",
+    # so generation time is the correct value here — unlike on a <url>, where
+    # it would be a claim about content we cannot support.
+    generated = datetime.now(timezone.utc).date().isoformat()
+    index_rows = [
+        f"  <sitemap><loc>{BASE_URL}{SITEMAP_CHILD_PREFIX}/{name}</loc>"
+        f"<lastmod>{generated}</lastmod></sitemap>"
+        for name in children
+    ]
+    index = "\n".join([
+        '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>',
+        '<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">',
+        *index_rows,
+        "</sitemapindex>",
+    ])
+    return {**children, "sitemap.xml": index}
+
+
+def build_sitemap() -> str:
+    """The sitemap index. Kept for `lifespan` and the admin endpoint."""
+    return build_sitemaps()["sitemap.xml"]
 
 
 def clean_filter_values(series: pd.Series) -> list[str]:
@@ -284,7 +443,7 @@ def validate_postcode(postcode: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
 @asynccontextmanager
 async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
     """Application lifespan - startup and shutdown events."""
-    global _sitemap_xml
+    global _sitemaps
     print("Loading school data from marts...")
     df = load_school_data()
     if df.empty:
@@ -294,9 +453,9 @@ async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
         # Pre-compute the latest-year snapshot so the first search request is fast
         await asyncio.to_thread(load_latest_school_data)
     try:
-        _sitemap_xml = build_sitemap()
+        _sitemaps = build_sitemaps()
-        n = _sitemap_xml.count("<url>")
+        n = sum(x.count("<url>") for x in _sitemaps.values())
-        print(f"Sitemap built: {n} URLs.")
+        print(f"Sitemaps built: {len(_sitemaps)} files, {n} URLs.")
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"Warning: sitemap build failed on startup: {e}")
 
@@ -633,7 +792,6 @@ async def get_school_details(request: Request, urn: int):
         "admissions": supplementary.get("admissions"),
         "admissions_history": supplementary.get("admissions_history") or [],
         "admission_distance": supplementary.get("admission_distance"),
-        "admission_distance_history": supplementary.get("admission_distance_history") or [],
         "sen_detail": supplementary.get("sen_detail"),
         "phonics": supplementary.get("phonics"),
         "deprivation": supplementary.get("deprivation"),
@@ -1008,6 +1166,62 @@ async def get_rankings(
     }
 
 
+@app.get("/api/places")
+@limiter.limit(f"{settings.rate_limit_per_minute}/minute")
+async def list_places(request: Request):
+    """Every published place. The sitemap and the link modules read this."""
+    registry = get_place_registry()
+    return {"places": [
+        {"kind": p.kind, "slug": p.slug, "name": p.name, "count": len(p.urns)}
+        for p in sorted(registry.values(), key=lambda p: (p.kind, p.slug))
+    ]}
+
+
+@app.get("/api/places/{kind}/{slug}")
+@limiter.limit(f"{settings.rate_limit_per_minute}/minute")
+async def get_place(request: Request, kind: str, slug: str,
+                    phase: Optional[str] = None):
+    """One place: its schools ranked, and its local averages."""
+    if kind not in VALID_PLACE_KINDS:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="No such place")
+
+    place = get_place_registry().get(f"{kind}:{slug}")
+    if place is None:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="No such place")
+
+    df = load_latest_school_data()
+    rows = df[df["urn"].isin(place.urns)]
+
+    if phase:
+        wanted = PHASE_GROUPS.get(phase.lower())
+        if wanted and "phase" in rows.columns:
+            rows = rows[rows["phase"].fillna("").str.lower().isin(wanted)]
+
+    # The metric the page ranks on, which is also the one it averages.
+    metric = "attainment_8_score" if phase == "secondary" else "rwm_expected_pct"
+    if metric in rows.columns:
+        rows = rows.sort_values(metric, ascending=False, na_position="last")
+
+    averages = {
+        m: (None if m not in rows.columns or rows[m].dropna().empty
+            else float(rows[m].dropna().mean()))
+        for m in ("rwm_expected_pct", "attainment_8_score")
+    }
+
+    cols = [c for c in SCHOOL_COLUMNS + ["latitude", "longitude", "phase",
+                                          "rwm_expected_pct", "attainment_8_score",
+                                          "total_pupils"]
+            if c in rows.columns]
+
+    return {
+        "place": {"kind": place.kind, "slug": place.slug, "name": place.name,
+                  "count": len(place.urns),
+                  "parent_authority": place.parent_authority},
+        "schools": clean_for_json(rows[cols]),
+        "averages": averages,
+    }
+
+
 @app.get("/api/data-info")
 @limiter.limit(f"{settings.rate_limit_per_minute}/minute")
 async def get_data_info(request: Request):
@@ -1088,16 +1302,28 @@ async def robots_txt():
     return FileResponse(settings.frontend_dir / "robots.txt", media_type="text/plain")
 
 
-@app.get("/sitemap.xml")
+def _serve_sitemap(name: str) -> Response:
-async def sitemap_xml():
+    global _sitemaps
-    """Serve sitemap.xml for search engine indexing."""
+    if _sitemaps is None:
-    global _sitemap_xml
-    if _sitemap_xml is None:
         try:
-            _sitemap_xml = build_sitemap()
+            _sitemaps = build_sitemaps()
         except Exception as e:
             raise HTTPException(status_code=503, detail=f"Sitemap unavailable: {e}")
-    return Response(content=_sitemap_xml, media_type="application/xml")
+    if name not in _sitemaps:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="No such sitemap")
+    return Response(content=_sitemaps[name], media_type="application/xml")
+
+
+@app.get("/sitemap.xml")
+async def sitemap_xml():
+    """Serve the sitemap index."""
+    return _serve_sitemap("sitemap.xml")
+
+
+@app.get("/sitemaps/{name}")
+async def sitemap_child(name: str):
+    """Serve a child sitemap (static.xml, or schools-N.xml)."""
+    return _serve_sitemap(name)
 
 
 @app.post("/api/admin/regenerate-sitemap")
@@ -1107,10 +1333,14 @@ async def regenerate_sitemap(
     _: bool = Depends(verify_admin_api_key),
 ):
     """Rebuild and cache the sitemap from current school data. Called by Airflow after data updates."""
-    global _sitemap_xml
+    global _sitemaps, _place_registry
-    _sitemap_xml = build_sitemap()
+    # Places and sitemap are rebuilt together — they read the same marts, and
-    n = _sitemap_xml.count("<url>")
+    # letting them drift apart would submit URLs for places that no longer
-    return {"status": "ok", "urls": n}
+    # exist.
+    _place_registry = None
+    _sitemaps = build_sitemaps()
+    n = sum(x.count("<url>") for x in _sitemaps.values())
+    return {"status": "ok", "urls": n, "sitemaps": len(_sitemaps)}
 
 
 # Mount static files directly (must be after all routes to avoid catching API calls)

backend/data_loader.py

@@ -771,7 +771,6 @@ def _empty_supplementary() -> dict:
         "admissions": None,
         "admissions_history": [],
         "admission_distance": None,
-        "admission_distance_history": [],
         "sen_detail": None,
         "phonics": None,
         "deprivation": None,
@@ -850,29 +849,30 @@ def get_supplementary_data_batch(db: Session, urns: list[int]) -> dict:
             result[urn]["admissions"] = rows_for_urn[-1] if rows_for_urn else None
     _safe(_admissions)
 
-    # Last distance offered — all years per URN, oldest first, with the latest
+    # Last distance offered — the latest year per URN, and only that.
-    # also exposed on its own.
     #
-    # The history was deliberately withheld at first: coverage is ragged (a
+    # The mart holds every published year and the DAG keeps loading them; what
-    # school may have 2021 and 2026 and nothing between), and a plain series
+    # changed is what leaves this process. Earlier years are being held back as
-    # would draw a trend line straight through gaps that are absences of
+    # a paid feature, and this API is public and unauthenticated — serving the
-    # publication rather than absences of a cut-off. It is served now because
+    # history here would hand it to anyone who opened the network tab, whatever
-    # the client distinguishes those gaps explicitly — see cutoffYearRows in
+    # the page chose to render. Withholding it in the client would have been
-    # lastDistanceOffered.ts, which classifies every year in the range and
+    # decoration, not a decision.
-    # breaks the line rather than interpolating across it.
+    #
+    # Restoring it for entitled callers is a change to this function, not to
+    # the pipeline: fact_admission_distance is untouched and complete.
     def _admission_distance():
         rows = (
             db.query(FactAdmissionDistance)
             .filter(FactAdmissionDistance.urn.in_(urns))
-            .order_by(FactAdmissionDistance.urn, FactAdmissionDistance.year.asc())
+            .order_by(FactAdmissionDistance.urn, FactAdmissionDistance.year.desc())
             .all()
         )
-        history: dict = {urn: [] for urn in urns}
+        seen = set()
         for d in rows:
-            history[d.urn].append(_admission_distance_dict(d))
+            if d.urn in seen:
-        for urn, rows_for_urn in history.items():
+                continue
-            result[urn]["admission_distance_history"] = rows_for_urn
+            seen.add(d.urn)
-            result[urn]["admission_distance"] = rows_for_urn[-1] if rows_for_urn else None
+            result[d.urn]["admission_distance"] = _admission_distance_dict(d)
     _safe(_admission_distance)
 
     # Deprivation — one row per URN.

backend/localities.py

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+"""Curated London localities, defined by the postcode districts they cover.
+
+The GIAS `town` field puts 1,819 London schools under the single value
+"London", so it cannot answer "schools in Battersea" — a query that appears in
+the Search Console baseline. No single field can: parliamentary constituency
+gives Battersea but not Canary Wharf; postcodes.io's admin_ward gives Canary
+Wharf but not Battersea; neither gives Clapham or Shoreditch, which are postal
+and colloquial rather than administrative.
+
+So this is curated. Where a locality ends is a judgement, not a fact, and a
+reviewable file is the honest place for a judgement. No new ingestion is
+needed — the corpus already carries postcodes.
+
+This is the canonical copy. `pipeline/transform/seeds/locality_outcodes.csv`
+mirrors it for anyone querying the warehouse directly; the backend image does
+not contain `pipeline/`, which is why the module rather than the seed is
+canonical. Same arrangement as `backend/gias_codes.py`.
+
+A locality whose outcodes hold fewer than MIN_SCHOOLS schools is not
+published, so a typo produces no page rather than an empty one. Places that
+fail that check are logged at startup, because a locality you meant to publish
+quietly not appearing is the failure worth hearing about.
+
+Two rules for anything added here.
+
+**Sub-borough districts only.** A London borough is a local authority and
+already has a page at /schools/authority/[la] covering all of its schools; a
+locality defined by two or three outcodes would be a partial, near-duplicate
+subset of it. Hackney, Islington, Greenwich and Ealing were all in the first
+draft for that reason and have been removed.
+
+**The slug must not match a GIAS town.** "Richmond" did — GIAS has a Richmond
+in North Yorkshire with 37 schools — so the London one could never publish.
+The registry skips any locality that collides and logs it.
+"""
+
+# slug -> (display name, outcodes)
+LOCALITY_OUTCODES: dict[str, tuple[str, tuple[str, ...]]] = {
+    "battersea":     ("Battersea",     ("SW11",)),
+    "canary-wharf":  ("Canary Wharf",  ("E14",)),
+    "clapham":       ("Clapham",       ("SW4",)),
+    "shoreditch":    ("Shoreditch",    ("EC2A", "E1")),
+    "peckham":       ("Peckham",       ("SE15",)),
+    "brixton":       ("Brixton",       ("SW2", "SW9")),
+    "camden-town":   ("Camden Town",   ("NW1",)),
+    "wimbledon":     ("Wimbledon",     ("SW19",)),
+    "putney":        ("Putney",        ("SW15",)),
+    "fulham":        ("Fulham",        ("SW6",)),
+    "chiswick":      ("Chiswick",      ("W4",)),
+    "stratford":     ("Stratford",     ("E15",)),
+    "walthamstow":   ("Walthamstow",   ("E17",)),
+    "tooting":       ("Tooting",       ("SW17",)),
+    "dulwich":       ("Dulwich",       ("SE21", "SE22")),
+}

backend/places.py

@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+"""The place registry: what places the site publishes, and what is in each.
+
+One module owns this question. The pages, the sitemap and the internal-link
+modules all read from here, so the threshold and the collision rules exist in
+exactly one place and are testable without a browser or a database.
+
+Two namespaces, never one. 67 viable town names collide with a local
+authority name, and the authority is the larger set in only 43 of them —
+postal towns cross authority boundaries, so neither can absorb the other.
+Keys are "<kind>:<slug>" so the collision cannot reappear in the dict.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import logging
+import re
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# Five schools with publishable data. Below this a place has nothing to say
+# that a list of schools does not, and publishing it is index bloat.
+MIN_SCHOOLS = 5
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Place:
+    kind: str                       # "town" | "locality" | "authority" | "outcode"
+    slug: str
+    name: str
+    urns: tuple[int, ...]
+    parent_authority: str | None    # authority NAME, for the 301 target
+
+    @property
+    def key(self) -> str:
+        return f"{self.kind}:{self.slug}"
+
+
+def _publishable_urns(df) -> set[int]:
+    """URNs with something a page could state, deduplicated across years."""
+    from backend.app import _PUBLISHABLE_FIELDS
+
+    cols = [c for c in _PUBLISHABLE_FIELDS if c in df.columns]
+    if not cols:
+        return set()
+    return set(df.loc[df[cols].notna().any(axis=1), "urn"].astype(int))
+
+
+def _parent_authority(group) -> str | None:
+    """The most common authority in a group — the useful 301 target.
+
+    A town spanning several authorities has no single parent, so the mode is
+    the honest answer rather than an arbitrary first row.
+    """
+    if "local_authority" not in group.columns:
+        return None
+    top = group["local_authority"].dropna()
+    return str(top.mode().iloc[0]) if not top.empty else None
+
+
+def _group(df, column: str, kind: str, publishable: set[int]) -> dict[str, Place]:
+    """One Place per distinct value of `column` that clears the threshold."""
+    from backend.app import _slugify
+
+    if column not in df.columns:
+        return {}
+
+    out: dict[str, Place] = {}
+    for name, group in df.groupby(column, dropna=True):
+        name = str(name).strip()
+        if not name:
+            continue
+        urns = tuple(sorted({int(u) for u in group["urn"]} & publishable))
+        if len(urns) < MIN_SCHOOLS:
+            continue
+        slug = _slugify(name)
+        if not slug:
+            continue
+        place = Place(
+            kind=kind, slug=slug, name=name, urns=urns,
+            parent_authority=_parent_authority(group) if kind == "town" else None,
+        )
+        out[place.key] = place
+    return out
+
+
+# "SW11 2AA" -> "SW11". Two letters max, one or two digits, optional letter.
+_OUTCODE_RE = re.compile(r"^([A-Z]{1,2}\d{1,2}[A-Z]?)\s")
+
+
+def _outcode(postcode) -> str | None:
+    if not isinstance(postcode, str):
+        return None
+    m = _OUTCODE_RE.match(postcode.upper().strip())
+    return m.group(1) if m else None
+
+
+def _outcode_places(df, publishable: set[int]) -> dict[str, Place]:
+    """One Place per postcode district clearing the threshold.
+
+    These carry no phase variants: nobody searches "primary schools in SW11".
+    """
+    if "postcode" not in df.columns:
+        return {}
+    working = df.assign(_oc=df["postcode"].map(_outcode))
+    working = working[working["_oc"].notna()]
+
+    out: dict[str, Place] = {}
+    for oc, group in working.groupby("_oc"):
+        urns = tuple(sorted({int(u) for u in group["urn"]} & publishable))
+        if len(urns) < MIN_SCHOOLS:
+            continue
+        place = Place(kind="outcode", slug=str(oc).lower(), name=str(oc),
+                      urns=urns, parent_authority=_parent_authority(group))
+        out[place.key] = place
+    return out
+
+
+def _locality_places(df, publishable: set[int],
+                     town_slugs: set[str]) -> dict[str, Place]:
+    """One Place per curated locality clearing the threshold."""
+    from backend.localities import LOCALITY_OUTCODES
+
+    if "postcode" not in df.columns:
+        return {}
+    working = df.assign(_oc=df["postcode"].map(_outcode))
+
+    out: dict[str, Place] = {}
+    for slug, (name, outcodes) in LOCALITY_OUTCODES.items():
+        if slug in town_slugs:
+            # Skip, do not raise. The guard exists so a locality never
+            # silently shadows a town — skipping achieves that, and the error
+            # log makes it loud.
+            #
+            # Raising here took down sitemap generation for all 25,000 school
+            # pages when "richmond" met the GIAS town Richmond in North
+            # Yorkshire. Worse, GIAS town names change without any code change,
+            # so a raise means curated data can break the site spontaneously.
+            # A curation mistake must cost one page, not the sitemap.
+            logger.error(
+                "locality %r collides with the published town of the same "
+                "slug and has been skipped; rename it or remove it", slug)
+            continue
+        group = working[working["_oc"].isin(outcodes)]
+        urns = tuple(sorted({int(u) for u in group["urn"]} & publishable))
+        if len(urns) < MIN_SCHOOLS:
+            # Not an error — a locality can legitimately be too small. Logged
+            # because one you meant to publish quietly vanishing is the
+            # failure worth hearing about.
+            logger.warning(
+                "locality %s (%s) has %d publishable schools, below the "
+                "threshold of %d - not published",
+                slug, ", ".join(outcodes), len(urns), MIN_SCHOOLS)
+            continue
+        place = Place(kind="locality", slug=slug, name=name, urns=urns,
+                      parent_authority=_parent_authority(group))
+        out[place.key] = place
+    return out
+
+
+def build_place_registry(df) -> dict[str, Place]:
+    """Every place the site publishes, keyed by "<kind>:<slug>"."""
+    if df.empty or "urn" not in df.columns:
+        return {}
+
+    publishable = _publishable_urns(df)
+    registry: dict[str, Place] = {}
+    registry.update(_group(df, "local_authority", "authority", publishable))
+
+    towns = _group(df, "town", "town", publishable)
+    registry.update(towns)
+
+    town_slugs = {p.slug for p in towns.values()}
+    registry.update(_locality_places(df, publishable, town_slugs))
+    registry.update(_outcode_places(df, publishable))
+    return registry

backend/tests/test_places.py

@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+"""Tests for the place registry (spec 2026-08-21).
+
+The registry is built from the in-memory school DataFrame, so these build a
+small frame directly rather than touching a database.
+"""
+
+import numpy as np
+import pandas as pd
+import pytest
+
+from backend.places import MIN_SCHOOLS, build_place_registry
+
+
+def _df(rows: list[dict]) -> pd.DataFrame:
+    base = {
+        "year": 202425, "ofsted_grade": 2.0, "ofsted_date": None,
+        "rwm_expected_pct": 60.0, "attainment_8_score": np.nan,
+        "phase": "Primary", "postcode": "AA1 1AA",
+    }
+    return pd.DataFrame([{**base, **r} for r in rows])
+
+
+def _town(n: int, town: str, la: str, start: int = 100000, **kw) -> list[dict]:
+    """`start` offsets the URNs so two calls can describe different schools —
+    the Bedford case needs two authorities' worth of distinct URNs in one
+    town."""
+    return [
+        {"urn": start + i, "school_name": f"{town} School {i}",
+         "town": town, "local_authority": la, **kw}
+        for i in range(n)
+    ]
+
+
+def test_town_clearing_the_threshold_is_published():
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(_town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Brentwood", "Essex")))
+    assert "town:brentwood" in reg
+    assert reg["town:brentwood"].name == "Brentwood"
+    assert len(reg["town:brentwood"].urns) == MIN_SCHOOLS
+
+
+def test_town_below_the_threshold_is_not_published():
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(_town(MIN_SCHOOLS - 1, "Crosby", "Sefton")))
+    assert "town:crosby" not in reg
+
+
+def test_a_town_below_threshold_still_names_its_authority():
+    # The route layer needs somewhere to 301 to.
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(
+        _town(MIN_SCHOOLS - 1, "Crosby", "Sefton") + _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Bootle", "Sefton")))
+    assert "authority:sefton" in reg
+
+
+def test_town_and_authority_of_the_same_name_are_separate_places():
+    # 67 real collisions. Neither set contains the other: Bedford the town has
+    # 104 schools, Bedford the authority 86, because postal towns cross
+    # authority boundaries.
+    rows = (_town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Bedford", "Bedford")
+            + _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Bedford", "Central Bedfordshire", start=200000))
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    town, authority = reg["town:bedford"], reg["authority:bedford"]
+    assert set(town.urns) != set(authority.urns)
+    assert len(town.urns) == MIN_SCHOOLS * 2      # both authorities' schools
+    assert len(authority.urns) == MIN_SCHOOLS     # only this authority's
+
+
+def test_schools_without_publishable_data_do_not_count_toward_the_threshold():
+    rows = _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Ghosttown", "Nowhere")
+    for r in rows:
+        r["rwm_expected_pct"] = np.nan
+        r["ofsted_grade"] = np.nan
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    assert "town:ghosttown" not in reg
+
+
+def test_blank_town_is_ignored():
+    rows = _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "", "Essex")
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    assert not any(k.startswith("town:") for k in reg)
+
+
+def test_a_school_is_counted_once_even_with_several_years_of_rows():
+    rows = []
+    for year in (202324, 202425):
+        rows += [{**r, "year": year} for r in _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Beccles", "Suffolk")]
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    assert len(reg["town:beccles"].urns) == MIN_SCHOOLS
+
+
+def test_locality_groups_schools_by_outcode(monkeypatch):
+    # The GIAS town field collapses 1,819 London schools into "London", so a
+    # locality is defined by its postcode districts instead.
+    from backend import localities
+    monkeypatch.setattr(localities, "LOCALITY_OUTCODES",
+                        {"battersea": ("Battersea", ("SW11",))})
+    rows = _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "London", "Wandsworth")
+    for r in rows:
+        r["postcode"] = "SW11 2AA"
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    assert reg["locality:battersea"].name == "Battersea"
+    assert len(reg["locality:battersea"].urns) == MIN_SCHOOLS
+
+
+def test_locality_below_the_threshold_is_not_published(monkeypatch):
+    from backend import localities
+    monkeypatch.setattr(localities, "LOCALITY_OUTCODES",
+                        {"nowhere": ("Nowhere", ("ZZ99",))})
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(_town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "London", "Wandsworth")))
+    assert "locality:nowhere" not in reg
+
+
+def test_a_locality_may_not_shadow_a_viable_town(monkeypatch, caplog):
+    """A colliding locality is skipped loudly, and the town survives.
+
+    This used to raise, which took down sitemap generation for all 25,000
+    school pages the first time a curated slug met a real GIAS town. Curated
+    data must not be able to break the site — and GIAS town names change with
+    no code change at all, so the raise could fire spontaneously.
+    """
+    import logging
+
+    from backend import localities
+    monkeypatch.setattr(localities, "LOCALITY_OUTCODES",
+                        {"brentwood": ("Brentwood", ("CM13",))})
+    rows = _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Brentwood", "Essex")
+    for r in rows:
+        r["postcode"] = "CM13 1AA"
+
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.ERROR):
+        reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+
+    assert "locality:brentwood" not in reg      # skipped
+    assert "town:brentwood" in reg              # the town is untouched
+    assert "brentwood" in caplog.text           # and it was loud about it
+
+
+def test_a_locality_collision_does_not_break_the_rest_of_the_registry(monkeypatch):
+    # The whole point of skipping rather than raising.
+    from backend import localities
+    monkeypatch.setattr(localities, "LOCALITY_OUTCODES",
+                        {"brentwood": ("Brentwood", ("CM13",))})
+    rows = _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Brentwood", "Essex")
+    for r in rows:
+        r["postcode"] = "CM13 1AA"
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    assert "authority:essex" in reg
+    assert "outcode:cm13" in reg
+
+
+def test_outcode_places_are_built_from_postcodes():
+    rows = _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Brentwood", "Essex")
+    for r in rows:
+        r["postcode"] = "CM13 1AA"
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    assert reg["outcode:cm13"].name == "CM13"
+    assert len(reg["outcode:cm13"].urns) == MIN_SCHOOLS
+
+
+def test_malformed_postcodes_do_not_create_places():
+    rows = _town(MIN_SCHOOLS, "Brentwood", "Essex")
+    for r in rows:
+        r["postcode"] = "not a postcode"
+    reg = build_place_registry(_df(rows))
+    assert not any(k.startswith("outcode:") for k in reg)
+
+
+def test_every_curated_locality_is_structurally_valid():
+    # Guards the hand-maintained file: real slug, real name, real outcodes.
+    import re
+    from backend.localities import LOCALITY_OUTCODES
+
+    assert LOCALITY_OUTCODES, "the curated locality list must not be empty"
+    for slug, (name, outcodes) in LOCALITY_OUTCODES.items():
+        assert re.fullmatch(r"[a-z0-9-]+", slug), slug
+        assert name.strip() == name and name, slug
+        assert outcodes, f"{slug} has no outcodes"
+        for oc in outcodes:
+            assert re.fullmatch(r"[A-Z]{1,2}\d{1,2}[A-Z]?", oc), (slug, oc)
+
+
+def test_the_pipeline_seed_mirrors_the_canonical_module():
+    """Two copies with no drift guard is worse than one copy.
+
+    backend/localities.py is canonical because the backend image does not
+    contain pipeline/. The seed exists so the warehouse can join on the same
+    definitions, and this is what stops the two diverging — the same
+    arrangement assert_gias_code_names_match_seed.sql gives gias_codes.
+    """
+    import csv
+    from pathlib import Path
+
+    from backend.localities import LOCALITY_OUTCODES
+
+    seed_path = (Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+                 / "pipeline/transform/seeds/locality_outcodes.csv")
+    assert seed_path.exists(), f"missing seed mirror at {seed_path}"
+
+    seed = {
+        row["locality_slug"]: (row["locality_name"],
+                               tuple(row["outcodes"].split("|")))
+        for row in csv.DictReader(seed_path.open())
+    }
+    assert seed == LOCALITY_OUTCODES
+
+
+def test_no_curated_locality_names_a_london_borough():
+    """Boroughs are authorities and already have a page.
+
+    A locality defined by two or three outcodes inside a borough would be a
+    partial, near-duplicate subset of that authority page — the exact
+    thin-content failure the two-namespace design exists to avoid. Hackney,
+    Islington, Greenwich and Ealing were all in the first draft.
+
+    Hardcoded rather than read from the corpus because this must fail in CI,
+    where there is no database.
+    """
+    from backend.localities import LOCALITY_OUTCODES
+
+    boroughs = {
+        "barking-and-dagenham", "barnet", "bexley", "brent", "bromley",
+        "camden", "croydon", "ealing", "enfield", "greenwich", "hackney",
+        "hammersmith-and-fulham", "haringey", "harrow", "havering",
+        "hillingdon", "hounslow", "islington", "kensington-and-chelsea",
+        "kingston-upon-thames", "lambeth", "lewisham", "merton", "newham",
+        "redbridge", "richmond-upon-thames", "southwark", "sutton",
+        "tower-hamlets", "waltham-forest", "wandsworth", "westminster",
+    }
+    named = boroughs & set(LOCALITY_OUTCODES)
+    assert not named, (
+        f"these are boroughs, not districts: {sorted(named)} - they already "
+        "have an authority page covering every school"
+    )

backend/tests/test_places_api.py

@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+"""Tests for the places API (spec 2026-08-21)."""
+
+import numpy as np
+import pandas as pd
+import pytest
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+
+def _schools_df() -> pd.DataFrame:
+    base = {
+        "local_authority": "Essex", "school_type": "Academy",
+        "phase": "Primary", "year": 202425, "ofsted_grade": 2.0,
+        "ofsted_date": None, "attainment_8_score": np.nan,
+        "town": "Brentwood", "postcode": "CM13 1AA", "status": "Open",
+        "address": "1 Test Street", "latitude": 51.6, "longitude": 0.3,
+    }
+    return pd.DataFrame([
+        {**base, "urn": 100000 + i, "school_name": f"Brentwood School {i}",
+         "rwm_expected_pct": 50.0 + i}
+        for i in range(6)
+    ])
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def client(monkeypatch):
+    from backend import app as app_module
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _schools_df)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_latest_school_data", _schools_df)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "_place_registry", None)
+    return TestClient(app_module.app, raise_server_exceptions=False)
+
+
+def test_registry_lists_each_published_place(client):
+    body = client.get("/api/places").json()
+    slugs = {(p["kind"], p["slug"]) for p in body["places"]}
+    assert ("town", "brentwood") in slugs
+    assert ("authority", "essex") in slugs
+    assert ("outcode", "cm13") in slugs
+
+
+def test_registry_carries_a_count_per_place(client):
+    body = client.get("/api/places").json()
+    town = next(p for p in body["places"] if p["slug"] == "brentwood")
+    assert town["count"] == 6
+
+
+def test_place_detail_returns_its_schools_ranked(client):
+    body = client.get("/api/places/town/brentwood").json()
+    assert body["place"]["name"] == "Brentwood"
+    scores = [s["rwm_expected_pct"] for s in body["schools"]]
+    assert scores == sorted(scores, reverse=True)
+
+
+def test_place_detail_carries_the_local_average(client):
+    body = client.get("/api/places/town/brentwood").json()
+    # 50..55 inclusive
+    assert body["averages"]["rwm_expected_pct"] == pytest.approx(52.5)
+
+
+def test_phase_filter_narrows_the_school_list(client):
+    body = client.get("/api/places/town/brentwood?phase=secondary").json()
+    assert body["schools"] == []
+
+
+def test_unknown_place_404s(client):
+    assert client.get("/api/places/town/atlantis").status_code == 404
+
+
+def test_unknown_kind_404s(client):
+    assert client.get("/api/places/planet/mars").status_code == 404

backend/tests/test_sitemap.py

@@ -0,0 +1,270 @@
+"""Tests for sitemap generation (spec 2026-08-20, workstream W1).
+
+The sitemap is built from the in-memory school DataFrame, so these inject a
+small frame via monkeypatch rather than touching a database.
+"""
+
+import numpy as np
+import pandas as pd
+import pytest
+
+
+def _schools_df() -> pd.DataFrame:
+    """Two schools: one with results, one with neither results nor Ofsted."""
+    base = {
+        "local_authority": "Testshire",
+        "school_type": "Academy",
+        "phase": "Primary",
+        "year": 202425,
+        "ofsted_date": None,
+    }
+    return pd.DataFrame(
+        [
+            {**base, "urn": 100001, "school_name": "Alpha Primary",
+             "rwm_expected_pct": 62.0, "attainment_8_score": np.nan,
+             "ofsted_grade": 2.0},
+            {**base, "urn": 100002, "school_name": "Ghost Primary",
+             "rwm_expected_pct": np.nan, "attainment_8_score": np.nan,
+             "ofsted_grade": np.nan},
+        ]
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def sitemap(monkeypatch) -> str:
+    """The sitemap index."""
+    from backend import app as app_module
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _schools_df)
+    return app_module.build_sitemap()
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def schools_child(monkeypatch) -> str:
+    """The first school child sitemap, where school URLs actually live."""
+    from backend import app as app_module
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _schools_df)
+    return app_module.build_sitemaps()["schools-1.xml"]
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def static_child(monkeypatch) -> str:
+    from backend import app as app_module
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _schools_df)
+    return app_module.build_sitemaps()["static.xml"]
+
+
+def test_every_loc_uses_the_www_host(sitemaps):
+    # The apex 301s to www. A <loc> that redirects burns a crawl per URL.
+    # Checked across every file, index included, not just one.
+    #
+    # A child can legitimately be empty — this fixture holds two schools and no
+    # town clearing the threshold — so the presence check applies only to files
+    # that carry URLs. The absence check applies to all of them.
+    for name, xml in sitemaps.items():
+        assert "https://schoolcompare.co.uk" not in xml, name
+        if "<loc>" in xml:
+            assert "https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk" in xml, name
+
+
+def test_school_with_results_is_listed(schools_child):
+    assert "/school/100001-alpha-primary" in schools_child
+
+
+def test_school_with_no_results_and_no_ofsted_is_omitted(schools_child):
+    # Nothing for a search result to say about it. Submitting it spends crawl
+    # budget and drags the corpus-wide quality signal down.
+    #
+    # Asserted against the child, not the index: the index carries no school
+    # URLs at all, so it would pass this trivially and prove nothing.
+    assert "/school/100002" not in schools_child
+
+
+def test_no_invented_priority_or_changefreq(sitemaps):
+    # Google ignores both. They were noise dressed as signal.
+    for name, xml in sitemaps.items():
+        assert "<priority>" not in xml, name
+        assert "<changefreq>" not in xml, name
+
+
+def test_ofsted_date_becomes_lastmod(monkeypatch):
+    from backend import app as app_module
+    import datetime
+
+    def _df():
+        base = _schools_df()
+        base.loc[base["urn"] == 100001, "ofsted_date"] = datetime.date(2024, 3, 14)
+        return base
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _df)
+    xml = app_module.build_sitemaps()["schools-1.xml"]
+    assert "<lastmod>2024-03-14</lastmod>" in xml
+
+
+def test_no_lastmod_invented_when_date_unknown(monkeypatch):
+    # An always-now lastmod is a claim Google learns to distrust. Absent
+    # honestly means unknown.
+    from backend import app as app_module
+
+    def _df():
+        df = _schools_df()
+        df["ofsted_date"] = None
+        return df
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _df)
+    # The child only. The index legitimately carries a lastmod, because there
+    # it means "when this sitemap file changed", which we do know.
+    xml = app_module.build_sitemaps()["schools-1.xml"]
+    assert "<lastmod>" not in xml
+
+
+def test_static_routes_are_listed(static_child):
+    for path in ("/", "/rankings", "/compare", "/admissions"):
+        assert f"<loc>https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk{path}</loc>" in static_child
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def sitemaps(monkeypatch) -> dict:
+    from backend import app as app_module
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _schools_df)
+    return app_module.build_sitemaps()
+
+
+def test_index_lists_each_child(sitemaps):
+    index = sitemaps["sitemap.xml"]
+    assert "<sitemapindex" in index
+    assert "https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/sitemaps/static.xml" in index
+    assert "https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/sitemaps/schools-1.xml" in index
+
+
+def test_index_carries_no_url_elements(sitemaps):
+    # A sitemap index holds <sitemap> entries only; mixing in <url> is invalid.
+    assert "<url>" not in sitemaps["sitemap.xml"]
+
+
+def test_index_does_not_list_itself(sitemaps):
+    assert "<loc>https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/sitemap.xml</loc>" not in sitemaps["sitemap.xml"]
+
+
+def test_static_child_holds_the_static_routes(sitemaps):
+    static = sitemaps["static.xml"]
+    for path in ("/", "/rankings", "/compare", "/admissions"):
+        assert f"<loc>https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk{path}</loc>" in static
+
+
+def test_school_child_holds_the_schools(sitemaps):
+    assert "/school/100001-alpha-primary" in sitemaps["schools-1.xml"]
+
+
+def test_children_are_chunked_under_the_limit(monkeypatch):
+    # Sitemaps cap at 50,000 URLs per file. Chunk at 10,000 so a child stays
+    # small enough to eyeball in Search Console.
+    from backend import app as app_module
+    import pandas as _pd
+
+    rows = [
+        {"urn": 200000 + i, "school_name": f"School {i}", "year": 202425,
+         "rwm_expected_pct": 60.0, "attainment_8_score": None,
+         "ofsted_grade": 2.0, "ofsted_date": None}
+        for i in range(10_001)
+    ]
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", lambda: _pd.DataFrame(rows))
+
+    maps = app_module.build_sitemaps()
+    assert maps["schools-1.xml"].count("<url>") == 10_000
+    assert maps["schools-2.xml"].count("<url>") == 1
+
+
+def test_build_sitemap_still_returns_the_index(sitemap):
+    # lifespan and the admin endpoint call build_sitemap(); keep it working.
+    assert "<sitemapindex" in sitemap
+
+
+def test_school_with_results_in_an_earlier_year_is_still_listed(monkeypatch):
+    """Regression: The Mallard Academy (150367).
+
+    Real KS2 results 2015-16 to 2018-19, then null rows from 2022-23 onward
+    because the school stopped reporting. The first cut tested the latest
+    year's row alone and dropped it, along with ~220 others, even though its
+    detail page shows all four years of results.
+    """
+    from backend import app as app_module
+    import pandas as _pd
+
+    base = {"local_authority": "Testshire", "school_type": "Academy",
+            "phase": "Primary", "ofsted_date": None, "ofsted_grade": np.nan,
+            "attainment_8_score": np.nan, "urn": 150367,
+            "school_name": "Mallard Academy"}
+    df = _pd.DataFrame([
+        {**base, "year": 201819, "rwm_expected_pct": 67.0},
+        {**base, "year": 202324, "rwm_expected_pct": np.nan},
+        {**base, "year": 202425, "rwm_expected_pct": np.nan},
+    ])
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", lambda: df)
+
+    xml = app_module.build_sitemaps()["schools-1.xml"]
+    assert "/school/150367-mallard-academy" in xml
+
+
+def test_school_with_no_results_in_any_year_is_still_omitted(monkeypatch):
+    """The fix must not turn into "list everything"."""
+    from backend import app as app_module
+    import pandas as _pd
+
+    base = {"local_authority": "Testshire", "school_type": "Academy",
+            "phase": "Primary", "ofsted_date": None, "ofsted_grade": np.nan,
+            "attainment_8_score": np.nan, "rwm_expected_pct": np.nan,
+            "urn": 100002, "school_name": "Ghost Primary"}
+    df = _pd.DataFrame([{**base, "year": y} for y in (202324, 202425)])
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", lambda: df)
+
+    assert "/school/100002" not in app_module.build_sitemaps()["schools-1.xml"]
+
+
+def _places_df() -> pd.DataFrame:
+    base = {
+        "local_authority": "Essex", "school_type": "Academy",
+        "phase": "Primary", "year": 202425, "ofsted_grade": 2.0,
+        "ofsted_date": None, "attainment_8_score": np.nan,
+        "town": "Brentwood", "postcode": "CM13 1AA",
+    }
+    return pd.DataFrame([
+        {**base, "urn": 100000 + i, "school_name": f"Brentwood School {i}",
+         "rwm_expected_pct": 60.0}
+        for i in range(6)
+    ])
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def place_sitemaps(monkeypatch) -> dict:
+    from backend import app as app_module
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "load_school_data", _places_df)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(app_module, "_place_registry", None)
+    return app_module.build_sitemaps()
+
+
+def test_place_children_are_listed_in_the_index(place_sitemaps):
+    index = place_sitemaps["sitemap.xml"]
+    assert "/sitemaps/places-1.xml" in index
+    assert "/sitemaps/outcodes-1.xml" in index
+
+
+def test_town_and_authority_urls_use_their_own_namespaces(place_sitemaps):
+    xml = place_sitemaps["places-1.xml"]
+    assert "<loc>https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/schools/brentwood</loc>" in xml
+    assert "<loc>https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/schools/authority/essex</loc>" in xml
+
+
+def test_outcode_urls_live_in_their_own_child(place_sitemaps):
+    assert "/schools/near/cm13" in place_sitemaps["outcodes-1.xml"]
+    assert "/schools/near/cm13" not in place_sitemaps["places-1.xml"]
+
+
+def test_place_urls_carry_no_priority_or_changefreq(place_sitemaps):
+    for name in ("places-1.xml", "outcodes-1.xml"):
+        assert "<priority>" not in place_sitemaps[name]
+        assert "<changefreq>" not in place_sitemaps[name]

backend/tests/test_supplementary_batch.py

@@ -151,11 +151,13 @@ def test_one_query_per_table_and_latest_row_per_urn():
     assert out[1]["admissions"]["year"] == 202627
     assert out[2]["admissions_history"] == [{**out[2]["admissions_history"][0]}]
 
-    # Cut-off distance: full history oldest-first, with the newest year also
+    # Cut-off distance: the latest year only. Earlier years stay in the mart
-    # exposed on its own. The fixture rows are deliberately out of order, so
+    # but are held back as a paid feature, and this API is public — serving
-    # this only passes if the query's ORDER BY is doing the work.
+    # them here would hand them to anyone reading the response. The fixture
-    assert [r["year"] for r in out[1]["admission_distance_history"]] == [2024, 2025, 2026]
+    # rows are deliberately out of order, so "latest" only comes out right if
+    # the query's ORDER BY is doing the work.
     assert out[1]["admission_distance"]["year"] == 2026
+    assert "admission_distance_history" not in out[1]
     assert out[1]["admission_distance"]["distance_m"] == 529.47
     # route_count travels with the figure — the page needs it to say the
     # distance is the furthest of several bands rather than the only one.
@@ -171,4 +173,4 @@ def test_single_wrapper_matches_batch(monkeypatch):
     assert single["ofsted"]["overall_effectiveness"] == 2
     assert single["admissions_history"] == []
     assert single["admission_distance"] is None
-    assert single["admission_distance_history"] == []
+    assert "admission_distance_history" not in single

docs/branch-cleanup-2026-08-20.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+# Remote branch cleanup, 2026-08-20
+# Restore any branch with:  git push origin <sha>:refs/heads/<name>
+
+## Deleted: fully merged into main (content is in main)
+75677f4252b759ef895e7d5f7c19f8f1745bdb59 add-contact-form-footer
+fa1abff642683dfd26ba88a295a0a6710d77147a chore/byline-removal-and-audit-figure
+95081d38bdf87764ef5d298676c25fae4cd3b792 chore/remove-parent-view
+6877abedebfc1c7d95f1f6ebe68945c62be528ab chore/staged-prod-promotion
+090d5f7bec824e083d3252e2c6e636686016304d ci/frontend-checks-speedup
+8c3a5cc4e9f551f0190d85357ce7741ad87f3a4c design/cohort-identity
+955659580067ca8b81bd77e31e4e2554103f094d feat/allow-analytics-iframe-embed
+6828f6cd4417284ea3eb6f088fa20945b8b40ed3 feat/compare-chips-two-per-row
+d5cd0abfee226885119665da5d2aa8288b59217f feat/compare-data-foundation
+6dd9b04b50bee146682da87efad8fc8b526251c5 feat/compare-frontend-rebuild
+96d5fcf5b07b6f175b48e9b20fcb765a320a907f feat/detail-header-details-reveal
+f1388ff5bd0af1409823a1e047b7ba84246a0f70 feat/gias-sixth-form-flag
+eddf74745f86c9c6d9eb07d867246ff9cc90dc20 feat/hero-artwork-v2
+3015c37bac6dc28db58c80fdb9235942c25b83d7 feat/hero-byline
+8e763e39d17a4964cf558e51c03f044186371f6d feat/info-popover-tooltip
+88c653215d520ab6e902c9de55bf27d86eeb90c3 feat/last-distance-offered
+a72323874f7aebdb2e64b6d64a5febd61152d09d feat/last-distance-offered-full
+c9a1892bfb0370e0672e5849cba294ddfabe3c65 feat/latest-cutoff-only
+4e8df006d75d8be2a1d8529ddf855c445854cba1 feat/near-me-by-search
+45ab479062c6a1639facad636fc0cc0cf0fd9155 feat/proposed-to-close-schools
+3bf2e8f262cbe058fda6de6f8ea3e050224a51b9 feat/school-detail-visualisations
+1f80571b1ff217dc92b660a936c02b5f49d07f0b feat/umami-heatmap-recorder
+609bb923d96aa5730131463ea35d5efdd404bf96 feature/ingest-independent-schools
+94151c58ea38a9256d66d15161293486a500c7a2 fix/admissions-section-height
+79246edc22961c2beb3520437e9d064d3b809d10 fix/annual-dag-ks4-national-selector
+59ac9c10b97e0ef1143f57fea06b324e72ac3d4a fix/chart-marker-contrast
+9f8dba227c95706ca3527bd48d381e7622cc0a5e fix/compare-chart-refetch-resilience
+e74d3882ce78a141fa1a57daa3102d7a58852dc3 fix/compare-expert-fixes
+80176cac4db4820e76ea2a156c7a2974bee2f203 fix/compare-final-review-mustfix
+f579630fab6c456e26a6984a3e8eebdbe3184202 fix/compare-mockup-drift
+dc85254ad2ddf134b4434065d4762cef374d2220 fix/compare-null-year-blanks-chart
+43a2c4a6bc539b621f31655aec05ef319a25f343 fix/compare-refresh-and-fetch
+d677b5453365b72c81d6df2de62b1fa0d05d684d fix/daily-dag-cache-invalidation
+f6bb037c471553e8195b5a8b147467ce0d07a688 fix/detail-all-through
+17bd4d5a5eb0b12ca79b97db587f14f7d671e85b fix/detail-chart-truthfulness
+4e6be0ce65647410b4ff74f8b763207c28920c26 fix/detail-inclusion-admissions
+fdda52ff0af3fae03a4b059a655973cdbb269f91 fix/detail-ofsted-correctness
+e36125b24aba254a8d15c5c33b4d2a296e691995 fix/detail-provenance-anchoring
+b31e71ac884df6507f567adc046c9fc52d9d310a fix/detail-report-card-render-date
+32f8a02862be6a1d49f4c3928b17fcf15d4c94cc fix/detail-trend-chart-taller
+e65688d600a86818fe21ae4c61ba27e5b6ec8d7c fix/e2e-brand-assertions
+3adea73ee04cdedfab54b0351878b297f72756ad fix/e2e-compare-chips-phase
+06e4898c30feaedc471f97aba28ddb0d61379f4d fix/e2e-compare-samephase
+9abd020967670a855e80fe5a908c8048a3aa9f14 fix/e2e-distance-locator
+acec8135e1ec7c9c3c255e5b23733a0ef862b590 fix/e2e-rankings-year-pick
+5944d88f0b1517ef1ef56af1b62270d2cf28e717 fix/expert-signoff-mustfixes
+2433101fa08be5df6f170d41790512ffe823d33e fix/font-cascade-and-map-palette
+74ca76d150deec6725259d9637ea86d7bb90c683 fix/gias-legacy-fallback
+bdaa05cd542f563ef74c45307cd8f7fc465193c9 fix/hero-fallback-and-sharp
+d52d384cf23d282b44e9251176f8f3402d808600 fix/hero-map-ios-fullscreen
+4043270a77bbe4edb18207fa5f1d94d4747fe12f fix/hero-mobile-and-wording
+22e9eb2d48b0d6623e88fd67cb6ca8e5e4074583 fix/homepage-education-accuracy
+8d50afef1e8a2b621b7344eadf475b0d609ad7a2 fix/leaflet-specificity-and-font-assertion
+b2b2cad5acf534ae7a667d3fb2be15efff37c4a7 fix/list-map-report-card-signal
+dc21e80a5e9eebd13aaab84735642eb77cef35e6 fix/mobile-cell-name-size
+e5f7f4c959f024c073472122d858333a0f24866c fix/mobile-compare-polish
+a00cbe916182d1e04661c750a1ce2e7ad27a68ae fix/mobile-sort-select-overflow
+2fd997bfe640c419a6713e85df008463de7f56e8 fix/modal-keyboard-viewport
+3e7705756776a0c44d27966dfc972023f1f38b69 fix/ofsted-link-text
+ce422e64363e2b03c186ef316832b6de15502d67 fix/promote-status-token
+4522cbf64560db1e1cd519e119aa466b42cd16a1 fix/proposed-to-close-copy
+15da060e4af37fbae919e0edf25f108266de2585 fix/rankings-admissions-accuracy
+6c872ce726f210433354ca38dc5314bc6a467534 fix/rankings-year-validation
+1c1df7796194af3d47f8e5ac0a0fbe6f323700e7 fix/report-card-chip-alignment
+b2dc4d0779ced02709429afaa5985acf4abda794 fix/results-map-ios-fullscreen
+95a5783da1fc994df76cb97238b55596dce4cd8f fix/runtime-api-proxy
+8a9ba30cc24e29653a72c03c0e817684b7db7c07 fix/sats-per-level-national
+536832a524fc4f9ed858f047e00b9a4d9d429c46 fix/school-detail-nan-500
+fef83b3bf244a9bf3cb4afa75dbc433d8725014f fix/schoolbar-sticky-offset
+b0c5b6bb57c879477da12c37b15cff950c29ebd3 fix/secondary-anchors-button-affordance
+261403bcd2b01aa4f26ee212e26302fc0f769bf9 fix/special-note-full-width
+ea5249a2ea6faf6bfa5a1522644387ba59770ec8 fix/standardise-distance-units
+e4565e9f158721d4df6b918f2b065de82851f8d9 fix/trends-chart-height
+3aad5101a842539105022f9059e85c224fc5973a fix/welsh-establishment-leak
+315f1feede70bdf3101d2fdd305b3d06e037fdac perf/batch-supplementary
+d2dc78aeb599e16b7ef5019be2b360b08df463bc perf/compare-loading
+e098ad4bd1130152705788d4773837b7d1e7112e perf/server-client-split
+
+## Deleted: superseded by PR #110 (content preserved on feat/seo-crawl-hygiene-main)
+786ec80dd4de4a3cb674a89e35b3b5e461639289 feat/seo-crawl-hygiene
+a5ac0bcd1b37bc10dcbce88f8601d01bf7b3eaaf feat/england-only-corpus

docs/superpowers/specs/2026-08-20-seo-programme-design.md

@@ -0,0 +1,309 @@
+# SEO Programme — Design
+
+Date: 2026-08-20
+Status: awaiting review
+
+## Problem
+
+schoolcompare ranks second for "school compare" — an exact match for the
+brand and the domain. It ranks poorly for "compare schools", "school
+comparison" and "schools near me". The first is a naming artefact and
+transfers to nothing; the rest are the queries that actually carry parent
+demand.
+
+The cause is structural, not editorial. The site publishes five route
+families:
+
+    /  /compare  /rankings  /admissions  /school/[slug]
+
+Location intent has no landing page at all. Every competitor outranking us
+on those queries wins with programmatic location pages:
+
+| Competitor    | URL pattern                                |
+|---------------|--------------------------------------------|
+| School Guide  | `/best-schools-in/manchester`              |
+| Locrating     | `/the-best-primary-schools-in-Manchester_…`|
+| FindMySchool  | `/best-primary-schools/manchester`         |
+| Snobe         | `/best-primary-schools/manchester`         |
+| School Atlas  | `/guides/best-primary-schools-manchester`  |
+
+"Schools near me" is a local-intent query. Google resolves it against the
+user's coordinates and serves pages that are *about a place*. A national
+homepage cannot win it. No title or description change fixes this; only
+pages Google can localise will.
+
+## Baseline (measured 2026-08-20, production API)
+
+| Measure                                    | Value   |
+|--------------------------------------------|---------|
+| Unique schools                              | 27,229  |
+| URLs in sitemap.xml                         | 27,232  |
+| Schools with 2024/25 performance data       | 21,266  |
+| Schools with **no** current performance data| ~5,963 (22%) |
+| Welsh establishments (all metrics null)     | 1,569   |
+| Overseas / offshore establishments           | 467     |
+| Static URLs in sitemap                      | 3       |
+| Routes setting a canonical                  | 1 of 5  |
+
+Three findings from that table drive the plan.
+
+**We submit ~6,000 thin pages to Google.** `build_sitemap()`
+(`backend/app.py:73`) enumerates every URN regardless of whether the school
+has any data. Welsh establishments return `school_type: "Welsh
+establishment"` with every performance metric, Ofsted grade and phase field
+null. Overseas and offshore establishments ("BFPO Overseas Establishments",
+"Gibraltar Overseas Establishments", "Jersey Offshore Establishments") are
+in the local-authority list too. At 22% of the submitted corpus this is a
+site-wide quality signal problem and a crawl-budget waste, not a rounding
+error.
+
+W1 item 4 removes 2,036 of those — every non-England establishment — taking
+the corpus to 25,193. The 3,927 that remain are English schools with no
+current data: mostly newly opened, special, nursery or alternative provision.
+Those are a template problem, not a corpus problem, and item 5 handles them
+separately.
+
+**The homepage is its own competitor.** `app/page.tsx` accepts eleven search
+params (`search`, `local_authority`, `school_type`, `phase`, `page`,
+`postcode`, `radius`, `sort`, `gender`, `admissions_policy`,
+`has_sixth_form`) and sets no canonical. Every filter combination is a
+crawlable near-duplicate of the single page we are asking to rank for
+"compare schools".
+
+**School pages are near-orphans.** Reachable from the sitemap and from site
+search, but almost nothing links to them contextually, so they accrue no
+internal authority.
+
+Also noted: the sitemap emits invented `priority` values and no `lastmod`.
+Google ignores `priority` and `changefreq` entirely; `lastmod` is the field
+it does read, and we omit it.
+
+## Keyword clusters
+
+Ranked by judgement of UK parent search behaviour and by the competitive
+SERP evidence above. Google Search Console is connected, so cluster
+priorities are to be re-derived from measured impressions before build
+starts (see Workstream 0).
+
+**C1 — Head "compare" terms.** compare schools · school comparison · school
+comparison tool · compare school performance · compare primary schools ·
+compare secondary schools · compare two schools
+
+**C2 — League tables and rankings.** primary school league tables ·
+secondary school league tables · school league tables 2026 · SATs results by
+school · GCSE results by school · KS2 league tables · Progress 8 rankings ·
+best primary schools in [town] · top 10 primary schools in [LA]
+
+**C3 — Local / near me.** schools near me · primary schools near me ·
+secondary schools near me · best schools near me · good schools near me ·
+schools in [town] · primary schools in [LA] · schools near [postcode] ·
+[postcode] school catchment
+
+**C4 — Individual school long tail.** [school] ofsted · [school] SATs
+results · [school] catchment area · [school] reviews · [school] URN
+
+**C5 — Admissions.** primary school admissions 2027 · national offer day
+2027 · school application deadline · school admissions appeal ·
+oversubscription criteria · distance criteria school admissions · didn't get
+first choice school · school admissions [LA]
+
+**C6 — Metric explainers.** what is a good SATs score · what is Progress 8 ·
+what is Attainment 8 · expected standard KS2 meaning · scaled score
+explained · Ofsted grades explained · Ofsted report cards · pupil premium
+explained
+
+**C7 — Head to head.** [school A] vs [school B] · academy vs community
+school · grammar school vs comprehensive · faith school vs community school
+
+## Workstreams
+
+### W0 — Measure before touching anything
+
+Export a Google Search Console baseline: impressions, clicks, average
+position and CTR by query and by page, for the trailing 16 months. Bucket
+queries into C1–C7. This sets the counterfactual — without it, no later
+claim about lift is defensible, because school-search traffic is strongly
+seasonal (results day in December, offer day in March/April).
+
+Re-rank C1–C7 against measured impressions and adjust the sequence below if
+the data disagrees with the judgement calls.
+
+### W1 — Crawl hygiene and index sanity
+
+Cheap, and it unblocks everything after it. Adding 5,000 pages on top of a
+corpus that is 22% thin would compound the existing problem.
+
+1. Canonical on every route. `/`, `/rankings`, `/compare` and `/admissions`
+   currently set none.
+2. The homepage canonicalises to `/` regardless of search params.
+3. `/compare?urns=…` gets `noindex, follow` — it is an unbounded parameter
+   space with no standalone value.
+4. **England only — DONE.** Wales, the Crown Dependencies, Gibraltar and the
+   service/overseas schools are removed from the corpus at the mart boundary,
+   not hidden at the view layer. `dim_school` and `dim_location` both exclude
+   `TypeOfEstablishment` in {25, 26, 30, 37} — Offshore schools, Service
+   children's education, Welsh establishment, British schools overseas —
+   listed once as `vars.non_england_school_type_codes` in `dbt_project.yml`.
+   That removes 2,036 establishments and 29 local authorities, and because
+   `build_sitemap()` reads the same marts, it drops them from the sitemap in
+   the same stroke. `assert_england_only_schools` fails the pipeline if a GIAS
+   refresh reintroduces them or if the two models drift apart.
+5. Prune the remaining thin pages: exclude any school with no performance data
+   **and** no Ofsted record. Distinct from item 4 — these are English schools
+   with nothing yet to show, so the fix may be a better template rather than
+   removal.
+6. Rebuild the sitemap as a sitemap **index**: one child per page family,
+   real `lastmod` from the data-load timestamp, `priority` and `changefreq`
+   dropped.
+
+### W2 — The location layer
+
+The dominant lever. `dim_location` already carries `town`, `county`,
+`local_authority_name`, `parliamentary_constituency`, `latitude`,
+`longitude` and `postcode`, so no new ingestion is required.
+
+Routes:
+
+    /schools/[la]                     e.g. /schools/manchester
+    /schools/[la]/primary
+    /schools/[la]/secondary
+    /best-primary-schools/[town]
+    /best-secondary-schools/[town]
+    /schools/near/[outcode]           e.g. /schools/near/m20
+    /schools/near-me                  geolocating hub
+
+**Thin-page threshold: generate a town or outcode page only where at least
+five schools have current performance data.** Below that, 301 to the parent
+LA page. This is the single most important constraint in the workstream —
+it is what separates a location layer from index bloat.
+
+Each page must earn its place with content a parent would actually use, not
+a template shell:
+
+- H1 matching the query intent ("Best primary schools in Manchester")
+- Counts framed usefully: "137 primary schools, 9 rated Outstanding"
+- A ranked table of the top 20 on the headline metric
+- Local average against the England average
+- Ofsted grade distribution
+- Map
+- Links to neighbouring towns and to the parent LA
+- An FAQ block (feeds `FAQPage` in W4)
+- Links to every school page in scope — this is what de-orphans W1's corpus
+
+Sizing estimate: ~150 usable LAs × 3 ≈ 450; towns clearing the threshold
+≈ 1,200 × 2 ≈ 2,400; outcodes ≈ 2,300. Roughly **5,000 new pages**,
+comfortably inside a sitemap index and well under the per-file 50,000 limit.
+
+### W3 — Make rankings indexable
+
+`/rankings` is driven entirely by query params, so Google indexes
+approximately one page where there should be hundreds.
+
+    /rankings/[phase]/[metric]
+    /rankings/[phase]/[metric]/[la]
+
+The interactive filter UI stays; its state moves into real paths. Param
+forms canonicalise to the clean path. This is the direct play for C2.
+
+### W4 — Structured data and internal linking
+
+- Replace the bare `EducationalOrganization` on school pages with `School`,
+  and populate it properly.
+- `BreadcrumbList` site-wide.
+- `ItemList` on every rankings and location page.
+- `FAQPage` on admissions and on location pages.
+- New school-page modules: "Other schools in [town]", "Nearby schools",
+  "Compare with similar schools". Each links out to W2 and W3 pages, which
+  is what circulates authority instead of stranding it.
+
+Explicitly **not** doing `Dataset` or `AggregateRating` — no review corpus
+exists, and fabricating one would be both useless and a policy violation.
+
+### W5 — Admissions expansion
+
+One static page currently carries an entire cluster.
+
+    /admissions/[la]                  per-authority deadlines and offer day
+    /admissions/appeals
+    /admissions/national-offer-day
+
+`school admissions [LA]` is high-intent and highly seasonal; per-authority
+pages are the natural unit.
+
+### W6 — Explainer content
+
+    /guides/progress-8
+    /guides/attainment-8
+    /guides/sats-scaled-scores
+    /guides/ofsted-grades
+    /guides/expected-standard
+
+Each links into the corresponding W3 rankings page. Cheap to build, and it
+is what gives the metric vocabulary enough topical weight to support C1–C4.
+
+### W7 — Head-to-head pages
+
+    /compare/[school-a]-vs-[school-b]
+
+C7 is uncontested and native to the product. It is also the easiest way to
+destroy everything W1 fixes: 27,229 schools generate 370 million pairs.
+**Curated pairs only** — same town, both with current data, both with real
+search demand — capped in the low thousands. Gated behind evidence that W2
+is indexing cleanly.
+
+### W8 — Metadata rewrite for C1
+
+Current homepage title is `schoolcompare | Compare every school in England`,
+which spends the most valuable position on the brand. Rewrite the homepage,
+rankings and compare titles and descriptions around C1 phrasing. Small
+change, and the cheapest item in the programme.
+
+## Sequencing
+
+    W0 → W1 → W2 → W3 → W4 → W5 → W6 → (W7 if W2 indexes cleanly)
+
+W1 before W2 is not negotiable: adding pages to a corpus that is 22% thin
+compounds the problem rather than diluting it.
+
+This spec is a programme, not a single implementation plan. Each workstream
+gets its own plan and its own PR; W2 will likely need several. Only W0 and W1
+are ready to plan against today — the rest should be re-read after W0's
+Search Console baseline lands, because that data may reorder them.
+
+## Testing
+
+Per CLAUDE.md, user-facing behaviour changes extend the `e2e/` journeys in
+the same PR. Each workstream adds:
+
+- W1: canonical present and correct on every route; `/compare?urns=` carries
+  `noindex`; sitemap excludes a known dataless URN.
+- W2: a known LA, town and outcode page renders with the expected school
+  count; a below-threshold town redirects to its LA.
+- W3: a clean rankings path renders; the param form canonicalises to it.
+- W4: JSON-LD parses and validates against the declared types.
+
+## Risks
+
+**Index bloat.** The failure mode of every programmatic SEO programme. The
+five-school threshold, the W1 prune and the W7 gate are the three controls.
+
+**Helpful-content exposure.** Google's stance on templated location pages
+has hardened. The mitigation is that each page carries genuinely local
+computed data — real counts, real distributions, real local-vs-national
+comparison — rather than a name substituted into boilerplate.
+
+**Build cost.** School pages already use ISR with a 7-day revalidate and
+`PRERENDER_SCHOOLS` gating full prerender. 5,000 more routes need the same
+treatment; full static generation of 32,000 pages is likely impractical in
+CI.
+
+**Seasonality.** Results day and offer day dominate the traffic curve.
+Judging the programme on a mid-summer window would misread it in either
+direction. W0's baseline must be year-on-year, not month-on-month.
+
+## Open questions
+
+1. Catchment areas are Locrating's moat and a strong C3 driver
+   (`[postcode] school catchment`). `fact_admissions` carries admission
+   distances. Is deriving approximate catchment a later workstream, or out
+   of scope?

docs/superpowers/specs/2026-08-21-w2-location-layer-design.md

@@ -0,0 +1,278 @@
+# W2: The Location Layer — Design
+
+Date: 2026-08-21
+Status: awaiting review
+Supersedes: workstream W2 in `2026-08-20-seo-programme-design.md`
+
+Scope note: this covers four page families in one spec. Splitting them — towns
+and authorities first, outcodes and localities after — was proposed and
+declined in favour of building the layer in one pass. The decomposition
+argument was that the curated locality seed needs human review and would hold
+up 783 pages of measured demand behind it; that risk is accepted here, and the
+implementation plan should sequence the seed early enough that review time
+does not become the critical path.
+
+## Problem
+
+Location intent is the largest unserved demand the site has. In the 16-month
+Search Console baseline it draws **874 impressions, one click, average
+position 49.5**. The site does not compete.
+
+Unlike named-school queries — which the same baseline showed to be
+navigational and unwinnable, since a parent typing "audley junior school"
+wants that school's own website — location queries have no incumbent owner.
+Nobody owns "primary schools in Brentwood" the way a school owns its name.
+
+The cause is structural: the site has no page about a place. Every competitor
+ranking above it does.
+
+## What the demand actually looks like
+
+Every location query in the baseline is **town or district level**. Not one is
+an administrative area:
+
+| Query | Impressions | Position |
+|-------|-------------|----------|
+| colleges in solihull | 112 | 51.2 |
+| schools in ramsey | 64 | 42.5 |
+| schools in crosby | 57 | 47.7 |
+| primary schools in beccles | 44 | 40.9 |
+| private schools in battersea | 41 | 71.9 |
+| secondary schools in brentwood | 37 | 56.1 |
+| secondary schools in canary wharf | 30 | 35.9 |
+
+Three patterns follow directly, and they drive the whole design.
+
+**Towns, not authorities.** The superseded W2 put `/schools/[la]` first and
+towns second. The data inverts that. Brentwood appears four times in different
+phrasings; Beccles twice. Both are towns, not authorities.
+
+**Phase is part of the query**, not a filter applied afterwards: "primary
+schools in beccles", "secondary schools in brentwood", "colleges in solihull".
+
+**London is searched by district** — Battersea, Canary Wharf — and the GIAS
+`town` field cannot serve it at all.
+
+## Measured sizing
+
+Counted against the live corpus of 25,185 schools, not estimated.
+
+| Family | Viable (≥5 schools) | Below threshold |
+|--------|--------------------|-----------------|
+| Towns | **783** | 907 → redirect to authority |
+| Outcodes | **1,760** | 305 |
+| Local authorities | 154 | — |
+| London localities | ~100–150 (curated) | — |
+
+With phase variants — 783 town pages plus roughly 700 primary and 250
+secondary variants, 154 authorities across three variants, 1,760 outcodes and
+the curated localities — the total lands near **4,000 pages**. Phase variants
+need their own threshold: there are 17,426 primaries but only 4,456 secondaries nationally,
+so most towns will support a primary page and not a secondary one.
+
+## Two design problems this spec exists to solve
+
+### 1. Town and authority names collide, and neither contains the other
+
+67 viable towns share a name with a local authority. The obvious fix — let the
+authority absorb the town, since it sounds like a superset — **does not work**:
+
+| Place | Schools in the town | Schools in the authority |
+|-------|--------------------|-----------------------|
+| Bedford | 104 | 86 |
+| Birmingham | 520 | 518 |
+| Derby | 157 | 119 |
+| Doncaster | 152 | 145 |
+
+The authority is the larger set in only 43 of the 67. Postal towns cross
+authority boundaries, so these are overlapping sets that happen to share a
+name. Publishing both into one namespace produces near-duplicate pages, which
+is the specific failure that sinks programmatic SEO.
+
+**Resolution: two namespaces.**
+
+```
+/schools/[place]              towns and London localities
+/schools/[place]/primary
+/schools/[place]/secondary
+/schools/authority/[la]       local authorities
+/schools/authority/[la]/primary
+/schools/authority/[la]/secondary
+/schools/near/[outcode]
+```
+
+Outcodes carry no phase variants: nobody searches "primary schools in SW11",
+so the variants would be pages without demand.
+
+Every collision disappears by construction. `/schools/[place]` keeps the clean
+URL for the pattern that carries the demand; authorities get a namespace whose
+purpose is genuinely different — admissions are authority-run, and the
+authority page is the one that can speak to catchment policy and LA averages.
+
+A place page and an authority page of the same name must each say plainly
+which set of schools they cover, or they read as duplicates to a reader even
+when they differ in fact.
+
+### 2. London has no locality field
+
+`town` collapses **1,819 London schools into the single value "London"**. A
+page listing all of them is useless, and borough pages do not help because
+people search "Battersea", not "Wandsworth".
+
+No single field solves it:
+
+| Search term | `parliamentary_constituency` | postcodes.io `admin_ward` |
+|-------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|
+| Battersea | **Battersea** ✓ | Northcote / Wandsworth Town ✗ |
+| Canary Wharf | Poplar and Limehouse ✗ | **Canary Wharf** ✓ |
+| Vauxhall | Vauxhall and Camberwell Green ✗ | **Vauxhall** ✓ |
+
+And neither covers Clapham, Shoreditch or Peckham, which are postal and
+colloquial rather than administrative.
+
+**Resolution: a curated seed mapping locality to outcodes.**
+
+```
+pipeline/transform/seeds/locality_outcodes.csv
+locality_slug,locality_name,outcodes,region
+battersea,Battersea,"SW11|SW8",London
+canary-wharf,Canary Wharf,"E14",London
+clapham,Clapham,"SW4|SW9",London
+```
+
+This needs **no new ingestion** — the corpus already has postcodes. It puts
+the fuzzy, contested part of the problem in a reviewable file rather than in
+derived logic, which suits it: locality boundaries are a judgement, not a
+fact. The repo already uses dbt seeds for curated reference data
+(`la_code_names.csv`, `gias_code_names.csv`), so this follows an established
+pattern.
+
+The seed generalises past London. Any colloquial place — Jesmond, Chorlton,
+Clifton — can be defined by its outcodes without a schema change.
+
+**Constraint:** a locality slug may not collide with a viable town slug. The
+place registry enforces this and fails the build rather than silently
+shadowing a town.
+
+## Architecture
+
+### The place registry
+
+One module owns the question "what places do we publish, and what is in each".
+Everything else reads from it: the pages, the sitemap, the internal links.
+
+```
+backend/places.py
+
+  Place = { kind: "town"|"locality"|"authority"|"outcode",
+            slug, name, urn_list, parent_authority | None }
+
+  build_place_registry(df) -> dict[str, Place]
+  place_schools(slug, phase=None) -> list[School]
+```
+
+Built once at startup from the same DataFrame the sitemap uses, and rebuilt by
+the existing `/api/admin/regenerate-sitemap` path after a pipeline run.
+Registry construction is where the threshold, the collision rules and the
+seed's uniqueness constraint are enforced — in one place, testable without a
+browser or a database.
+
+### API
+
+```
+GET /api/places                    the registry: slug, kind, name, count
+GET /api/places/{slug}?phase=      aggregate + ranked schools for one place
+```
+
+`/api/places` is what the sitemap and the internal-link modules enumerate.
+
+### Routes
+
+Next App Router, ISR with the same 7-day revalidate the school pages use.
+`generateStaticParams` gated behind an env flag, matching
+`PRERENDER_SCHOOLS`, because 3,900 more routes cannot be statically built in
+CI on every deploy.
+
+## What each page must contain
+
+A place page that is a name substituted into a template is the thing Google's
+helpful-content stance exists to demote. Each page carries computed local
+facts that exist nowhere else on the site:
+
+- **H1** matching the query: "Primary schools in Brentwood"
+- **Counts framed usefully**: "29 schools, 4 rated Outstanding"
+- **A ranked table** of the top 20 on the phase's headline metric —
+  `rwm_expected_pct` for primary, `attainment_8_score` for secondary, and for
+  an unphased place page the metric matching whichever phase it holds more of
+- **The local average against the England average** — the one number a parent
+  cannot get from a list
+- **Ofsted grade distribution** for the place
+- **A map**
+- **Links to neighbouring places** and to the parent authority
+- **An FAQ block**, feeding `FAQPage` structured data
+- **A link to every school page in scope** — this is what finally de-orphans
+  the 23,000 school pages the original spec identified as near-orphans
+
+## Thin-page controls
+
+Three, and they are the difference between a location layer and index bloat:
+
+1. **Five schools with current data minimum.** Below it, 301 to the parent
+   authority. This drops 907 towns and 305 outcodes.
+2. **Per-phase thresholds.** A town with 30 primaries and 2 secondaries
+   publishes a primary page and no secondary page.
+3. **No page without a local average.** If a place has too few schools with
+   results to compute one, it has nothing to say that a list does not, and it
+   falls back to the authority.
+
+## Sitemap
+
+Two new children in the existing index: `/sitemaps/places-{n}.xml` and
+`/sitemaps/outcodes-{n}.xml`. Per-family children are why the index was built
+in W1 — Search Console reports coverage per submitted sitemap, so indexation
+of the location layer is measurable separately from the school pages.
+
+## Testing
+
+Per `CLAUDE.md`, user-facing behaviour extends `e2e/tests/journeys.spec.ts` in
+the same PR.
+
+**Unit (registry, no DB):** threshold enforcement; a sub-threshold town
+resolves to its authority; a locality slug colliding with a town fails the
+build; Bedford's town and authority pages hold different URN sets; per-phase
+thresholds.
+
+**Backend:** `/api/places` shape; `/api/places/{slug}` aggregate correctness
+against a fixture; unknown slug 404s.
+
+**e2e:** a known town, authority, locality and outcode page each render with
+the expected count; a below-threshold town 301s; every place page declares a
+canonical and appears in the sitemap; `/schools/bedford` and
+`/schools/authority/bedford` both resolve and state which set they cover.
+
+## Risks
+
+**Index bloat** is the failure mode of every programmatic SEO programme. The
+three controls above are the answer, and the per-family sitemap is how we find
+out early if they were not enough.
+
+**Helpful-content exposure.** Templated location pages are exactly what
+Google's stance targets. The mitigation is that every page carries real
+computed local data — counts, distributions, local-versus-national comparison
+— rather than a name dropped into boilerplate. If indexation of the places
+sitemap stalls below roughly half, that is the signal to stop and rethink
+rather than to add more pages.
+
+**Build cost.** ~4,000 additional ISR routes on top of 23,000 school pages.
+The env-flag gate on `generateStaticParams` keeps CI viable.
+
+**Curation drift.** The locality seed is hand-maintained and will go stale as
+places change. It is small and reviewable, and a dbt test asserts every seed
+outcode matches at least one school so a typo fails the pipeline rather than
+publishing an empty page.
+
+## Out of scope
+
+Catchment-area estimation. It is a strong driver for this cluster and
+`fact_admissions` carries the distances, but it is a modelling problem with
+real accuracy risk and deserves its own design.

e2e/tests/journeys.spec.ts

@@ -1226,21 +1226,13 @@ const CUTOFF_CANDIDATE_URNS = [
   101099, 100553, 102574, 100769,                 // mixed
 ];
 
-async function schoolWithCutoff(page: Page, minPublishedYears = 1) {
+async function schoolWithCutoff(page: Page) {
   for (const urn of CUTOFF_CANDIDATE_URNS) {
     const res = await page.request.get(`/api/schools/${urn}`);
     if (!res.ok()) continue;
     const body = await res.json();
     if (body?.admission_distance?.distance_m == null) continue;
-    const published = (body.admission_distance_history ?? [])
+    return { urn, distance: body.admission_distance, phase: body.school_info?.phase };
-      .filter((h: { distance_m?: number | null }) => h.distance_m != null);
-    if (published.length < minPublishedYears) continue;
-    return {
-      urn,
-      distance: body.admission_distance,
-      history: published,
-      phase: body.school_info?.phase,
-    };
   }
   return null;
 }
@@ -1260,7 +1252,11 @@ test('a published cut-off distance is shown with the year it belongs to', async
   await expect(label).toContainText(`September ${found!.distance.year}`);
 
   // And the figure itself, in the unit councils publish in.
-  await expect(page.getByText(/\d+(\.\d+)? (miles|m)\b/).first()).toBeVisible();
+  // No trailing \b: the tile's support figure is an adjacent text node, so
+  // the element reads "0.88 miles 1.4 km" and a word boundary after "miles"
+  // is not guaranteed. The leading shape is what matters — a decimal figure
+  // in miles, never a metric one.
+  await expect(page.getByText(/\d+\.\d+ miles/).first()).toBeVisible();
 });
 
 test('a cut-off distance is never shown without saying it is not a catchment', async ({ page }) => {
@@ -1317,91 +1313,121 @@ test('no school page shows an implausible cut-off distance', async ({ page }) =>
 
 // ── The Distance view, map and postcode check ────────────────────────────
 
-test('a school with several published years gets the Distance view', async ({ page }) => {
+test('the public API serves the latest cut-off only', async ({ page }) => {
-  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page, 2);
+  /*
-  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has 2+ published cut-off years yet');
+   * Earlier years are held back as a paid feature. This endpoint is public and
+   * unauthenticated, so withholding them in the UI alone would be decoration:
+   * anyone could read the history out of the network tab. The mart still holds
+   * every year — this asserts what leaves the process, not what was collected.
+   */
+  let checked = 0;
+  for (const urn of CUTOFF_CANDIDATE_URNS) {
+    const res = await page.request.get(`/api/schools/${urn}`);
+    if (!res.ok()) continue;
+    const body = await res.json();
+    if (body?.admission_distance?.distance_m == null) continue;
+    checked += 1;
+    expect(body, `URN ${urn} still exposes a cut-off history`)
+      .not.toHaveProperty('admission_distance_history');
+  }
+  test.skip(checked === 0, 'no cut-off distances available to check yet');
+});
+
+test('a school page shows no year-by-year cut-off record', async ({ page }) => {
+  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page);
+  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has a published cut-off yet');
 
   await page.goto(`/school/${found!.urn}`);
   await expect(page.locator('#admissions')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
-  // Its own section on both templates, not a third tab inside Admissions —
+  // The render side of the same rule, so a future component cannot put the
-  // stacking a view that tall in the admissions viewport sized the whole card
+  // history back without the API.
-  // to it and left the default view mostly blank.
+  await expect(page.getByText(/Last distance offered, by year/)).toHaveCount(0);
-  await expect(page.locator('#distance')).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByText(/too few to read as a trend/)).toHaveCount(0);
-  await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Distance' })).toHaveCount(0);
 
-  // Every published year must appear as a row.
+  /*
-  for (const h of found!.history as { year: number }[]) {
+   * No "Distance" tab in the admissions segmented control.
-    await expect(page.getByRole('rowheader', { name: String(h.year) })).toBeVisible();
+   *
-  }
+   * Scoped to the control, and exact, because getByRole matches accessible
+   * names by case-insensitive SUBSTRING: an unscoped { name: 'Distance' }
+   * matched "Show this distance on a map" — the map toggle added by this same
+   * feature — and failed a page that was entirely correct. Naming the group
+   * this assertion is about also means unrelated copy elsewhere on the page
+   * can never break it again.
+   */
+  const viewToggle = page.getByRole('group', { name: 'Admissions view' });
+  const tabs = await viewToggle.getByRole('button').allTextContents();
+
+  // Read the tabs positively rather than asserting an absence against a
+  // locator that might resolve to nothing: if the group selector ever stops
+  // matching, an absence check passes for the wrong reason, which is how the
+  // bug this test is guarding would slip back in unnoticed.
+  expect(tabs, 'admissions view toggle did not resolve').toContain('This year');
+  expect(tabs.map((s) => s.trim()), `admissions tabs: ${tabs.join(', ')}`)
+    .not.toContain('Distance');
 });
 
-test('the year table never leaves a gap unexplained', async ({ page }) => {
+test('the postcode check answers for the published year, and names it', async ({ page }) => {
-  // A blank row would tell a parent nothing; each gap must name its reason.
+  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page);
-  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page, 2);
+  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has a published cut-off yet');
-  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has 2+ published cut-off years yet');
 
   await page.goto(`/school/${found!.urn}`);
-  await expect(page.locator('#distance')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
+  const section = page.locator('#distance');
+  // Needs coordinates as well as a figure; not every school has both.
+  test.skip(await section.count() === 0, 'this school has no distance section');
+  await expect(section).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
-  const statuses = await page.locator('[class*="cutoffPill"]').allTextContents();
+  await page.getByLabel('Your postcode').fill('SW1A 1AA');
-  expect(statuses.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Check', exact: true }).click();
-  for (const s of statuses) {
-    expect(s.trim(), 'every row carries a status').not.toBe('');
-  }
-  // The stronger claim the data cannot support must never appear.
-  await expect(page.getByText(/every applicant was offered/i)).toHaveCount(0);
-});
 
-test('the postcode check answers with a distance and per-year verdicts', async ({ page }) => {
-  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page, 2);
-  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has 2+ published cut-off years yet');
-
-  await page.goto(`/school/${found!.urn}`);
-  await expect(page.locator('#distance')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
-
-  const input = page.getByLabel('Your postcode');
-  await expect(input).toBeVisible();
-  await input.fill('SW1A 1AA');
-  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Check' }).click();
-
-  // Either a verdict or a plain error — never a silent no-op.
   const result = page.getByRole('status');
   const error = page.getByRole('alert');
   await expect(result.or(error)).toBeVisible({ timeout: 20_000 });
 
   if (await result.isVisible()) {
-    await expect(result).toContainText(/mile|m\b/);
+    // A verdict without its year is a number a parent cannot place.
+    await expect(result).toContainText(new RegExp(`September ${found!.distance.year}`));
+    await expect(result).toContainText(/inside|beyond|too close/);
+
+    // Both figures in the sentence must be in the same unit. The verdict used
+    // to render the home distance in metres and the cut-off in miles — "69 m
+    // away — inside the September 2026 cut-off of 0.17 miles" — which asks the
+    // reader to convert between units to check a comparison already made for
+    // them. Miles throughout: the unit councils publish and quote.
+    const headline = (await result.textContent()) ?? '';
+    const verdictLine = headline.split('.')[0];
+    expect(verdictLine, `verdict mixes units: ${verdictLine}`).not.toMatch(/\d\s?m\b/);
+    expect((verdictLine.match(/miles/g) ?? []).length,
+      `verdict should quote two figures in miles: ${verdictLine}`).toBe(2);
   }
 });
 
 test('the postcode check states its limits before it is used', async ({ page }) => {
-  // The caveat is not revealed with the answer — it is there while the parent
+  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page);
-  // is deciding whether to trust the answer at all.
+  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has a published cut-off yet');
-  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page, 2);
-  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has 2+ published cut-off years yet');
 
   await page.goto(`/school/${found!.urn}`);
-  await expect(page.locator('#distance')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
+  const section = page.locator('#distance');
+  test.skip(await section.count() === 0, 'this school has no distance section');
+  await expect(section).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
   const caveat = page.getByText(/Distance is the last criterion applied/);
   await expect(caveat).toBeVisible();
   await expect(caveat).toContainText(/not a catchment boundary/);
   await expect(caveat).toContainText(/walking route/);
-  // One caveat for the section, not the three paragraphs it replaced.
   await expect(caveat).toHaveCount(1);
 });
 
 test('the distance section never scrolls the page sideways', async ({ page }) => {
-  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page, 2);
+  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page);
-  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has 2+ published cut-off years yet');
+  test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has a published cut-off yet');
 
   await page.setViewportSize({ width: 390, height: 844 });
   await page.goto(`/school/${found!.urn}`);
-  await expect(page.locator('#distance')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
+  const section = page.locator('#distance');
+  test.skip(await section.count() === 0, 'this school has no distance section');
+  await expect(section).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
-  // The year table is deliberately wider than a phone; its own wrapper has to
-  // absorb that, or the whole page slides under the reader's thumb.
   const overflow = await page.evaluate(() =>
     document.documentElement.scrollWidth - document.documentElement.clientWidth);
   expect(overflow, 'page must not scroll horizontally').toBeLessThanOrEqual(1);
@@ -1422,7 +1448,7 @@ test('no single section dominates the height of a school page', async ({ page })
    * a reader actually sees is one section wildly out of proportion with its
    * neighbours, so that is what this asserts.
    */
-  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page, 2);
+  const found = await schoolWithCutoff(page);
   test.skip(found === null, 'no school in the sample has 2+ published cut-off years yet');
 
   await page.goto(`/school/${found!.urn}`);
@@ -1447,3 +1473,372 @@ test('no single section dominates the height of a school page', async ({ page })
       + sections.map((s) => `${s.id}=${s.h}`).join(', '),
   ).toBeLessThan(2.5);
 });
+
+/*
+ * England-only corpus.
+ *
+ * GIAS ships the whole UK plus overseas and offshore establishments, none of
+ * which carry comparable DfE performance data. dim_school and dim_location
+ * exclude them (vars.non_england_school_type_codes in dbt_project.yml), which
+ * keeps them out of the site, the filter lists and the sitemap together.
+ *
+ * These assert the published surface, not the warehouse: the dbt test
+ * assert_england_only_schools guards the marts, and these guard what the
+ * environment actually serves once the marts have been rebuilt.
+ */
+
+const WELSH_AUTHORITIES = [
+  'Blaenau Gwent', 'Bridgend', 'Caerphilly', 'Cardiff', 'Carmarthenshire',
+  'Ceredigion', 'Conwy', 'Denbighshire', 'Flintshire', 'Gwynedd',
+  'Isle of Anglesey', 'Merthyr Tydfil', 'Monmouthshire', 'Neath Port Talbot',
+  'Newport', 'Pembrokeshire', 'Powys', 'Rhondda Cynon Taf', 'Swansea',
+  'Torfaen', 'Vale of Glamorgan', 'Wrexham',
+];
+
+const NON_ENGLAND_AUTHORITIES = [
+  'BFPO Overseas Establishments', 'Fieldwork Overseas Establishments',
+  'Gibraltar Overseas Establishments', 'Guernsey Offshore Establishments',
+  'Isle of Man Offshore Establishments', 'Jersey Offshore Establishments',
+  'Scotland Offshore Establishments',
+];
+
+const NON_ENGLAND_TYPES = [
+  'Welsh establishment', 'Offshore schools',
+  "Service children's education", 'British schools overseas',
+];
+
+test('the local authority filter offers no Welsh or overseas authority', async ({ page }) => {
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/filters');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const { local_authorities: las } = await res.json();
+
+  expect(Array.isArray(las)).toBeTruthy();
+  // Guards against the list being empty, which would pass the check below
+  // for the wrong reason.
+  expect(las.length).toBeGreaterThan(100);
+
+  const leaked = [...WELSH_AUTHORITIES, ...NON_ENGLAND_AUTHORITIES]
+    .filter((la) => las.includes(la));
+  expect(leaked, `non-England authorities still offered: ${leaked.join(', ')}`)
+    .toEqual([]);
+});
+
+test('the school type filter offers no non-England establishment type', async ({ page }) => {
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/filters');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const { school_types: types } = await res.json();
+
+  expect(Array.isArray(types)).toBeTruthy();
+  expect(types.length).toBeGreaterThan(10);
+
+  const leaked = NON_ENGLAND_TYPES.filter((t) => types.includes(t));
+  expect(leaked, `non-England types still offered: ${leaked.join(', ')}`)
+    .toEqual([]);
+});
+
+test('searching a Welsh authority by name returns no schools', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Cardiff held 144 Welsh establishments and nothing else, so the authority
+  // should now be absent from the corpus entirely rather than merely thinned.
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/schools?local_authority=Cardiff&page_size=1');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const body = await res.json();
+  expect(body.total ?? (body.schools ?? []).length).toBe(0);
+});
+
+test('a Welsh school GIAS does not type as Welsh is gone too', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Beechwood College, Sully, CF64 5SE. GIAS types it "Special post 16
+  // institution" (32), not "Welsh establishment" (30), so the establishment
+  // type filter alone left it behind — it was the last Welsh school standing.
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/schools?local_authority=Vale%20of%20Glamorgan&page_size=1');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const body = await res.json();
+  expect(body.total ?? (body.schools ?? []).length).toBe(0);
+
+  const page404 = await page.goto('/school/142458-beechwood-college');
+  expect(page404?.status()).toBe(404);
+});
+
+test('English schools with Welsh postcodes are kept', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Royal Mail postcode areas straddle the border: these Gloucestershire
+  // schools carry NP16/NP25 postcodes but are English schools with English
+  // data. A postcode-based filter would have wrongly deleted them, so this
+  // guards the fix from being "simplified" into one.
+  for (const urn of [115639, 115655, 137382]) {
+    const res = await page.request.get(`/api/schools/${urn}`);
+    expect(res.ok(), `URN ${urn} should still resolve`).toBeTruthy();
+    const { school_info } = await res.json();
+    expect(school_info.local_authority).toBe('Gloucestershire');
+  }
+});
+
+test('a Welsh school URL 404s while an English one still resolves', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Paired on purpose: the Welsh assertion alone would also pass if the whole
+  // site were down, which is the failure this test most needs to distinguish.
+  const english = await page.request.get('/api/schools?search=primary&per_page=1');
+  expect(english.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const [first] = (await english.json()).schools ?? [];
+  expect(first, 'no English school available to compare against').toBeTruthy();
+
+  const good = await page.goto(`/school/${first.urn}-x`);
+  expect(good?.status(), 'an English school should still resolve').toBeLessThan(400);
+
+  // Adamsdown Primary School, Cardiff — a Welsh establishment (URN 401559).
+  const welsh = await page.goto('/school/401559-adamsdown-primary-school');
+  expect(welsh?.status(), 'a Welsh school should no longer resolve').toBe(404);
+});
+
+async function sitemapChildren(page: Page): Promise<string[]> {
+  const res = await page.request.get('/sitemap.xml');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const index = await res.text();
+  expect(index).toContain('<sitemapindex');
+  return [...index.matchAll(/<loc>([^<]+)<\/loc>/g)].map((m) => m[1]);
+}
+
+test('the sitemap index names children that all resolve', async ({ page }) => {
+  const index = await (await page.request.get('/sitemap.xml')).text();
+  // An index holds <sitemap> entries only; mixing in <url> is invalid.
+  expect(index).not.toContain('<url>');
+
+  const locs = await sitemapChildren(page);
+  expect(locs.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2);
+
+  for (const loc of locs) {
+    expect(loc.startsWith('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/sitemaps/')).toBeTruthy();
+    const child = await page.request.get(new URL(loc).pathname);
+    expect(child.ok(), `${loc} should resolve`).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(await child.text()).toContain('<urlset');
+  }
+});
+
+test('the sitemap submits no Welsh or overseas school', async ({ page }) => {
+  const locs = await sitemapChildren(page);
+
+  let total = 0;
+  for (const loc of locs) {
+    const xml = await (await page.request.get(new URL(loc).pathname)).text();
+    total += (xml.match(/<url>/g) ?? []).length;
+    // 401559 (Adamsdown, Cardiff) and 402426 (ACT Schools, Cardiff) were both
+    // submitted before the England-only filter landed.
+    expect(xml).not.toContain('/school/401559');
+    expect(xml).not.toContain('/school/402426');
+  }
+  expect(total, 'sitemap looks empty or truncated').toBeGreaterThan(1000);
+});
+
+test('the sitemap invents no priority or changefreq', async ({ page }) => {
+  const [first] = await sitemapChildren(page);
+  expect(first).toBeTruthy();
+
+  const xml = await (await page.request.get(new URL(first).pathname)).text();
+  // Google ignores both. They were noise dressed as signal.
+  expect(xml).not.toContain('<priority>');
+  expect(xml).not.toContain('<changefreq>');
+});
+
+/*
+ * Canonical URLs (spec 2026-08-20, W1).
+ *
+ * Every indexable route declares exactly one canonical, on the www host, with
+ * no query string. The homepage's eleven search params filter a result set
+ * rather than making a new document, so they all collapse onto "/".
+ */
+const CANONICAL_ROUTES: Array<[string, string]> = [
+  ['/', 'https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/'],
+  ['/rankings', 'https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/rankings'],
+  ['/admissions', 'https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/admissions'],
+];
+
+for (const [path, expected] of CANONICAL_ROUTES) {
+  test(`${path} declares exactly one canonical, on the www host`, async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(path);
+    const hrefs = await page.locator('link[rel="canonical"]').evaluateAll(
+      (els) => els.map((e) => e.getAttribute('href')));
+    expect(hrefs, `${path} should declare one canonical`).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(hrefs[0]).toBe(expected);
+  });
+}
+
+test('a filtered homepage still canonicalises to the bare root', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto('/?search=primary&phase=primary&sort=name&page=2');
+  const href = await page.locator('link[rel="canonical"]').first()
+    .getAttribute('href');
+  expect(href).toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/');
+});
+
+test('a school page canonicalises to its own slug on the www host', async ({ page }) => {
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/schools?search=primary&per_page=1');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const [first] = (await res.json()).schools ?? [];
+  expect(first, 'no school available').toBeTruthy();
+
+  await page.goto(`/school/${first.urn}-x`);
+  const href = await page.locator('link[rel="canonical"]').first()
+    .getAttribute('href');
+  expect(href).toMatch(/^https:\/\/www\.schoolcompare\.co\.uk\/school\/\d+-/);
+});
+
+test('a bare /compare is indexable, a parameterised one is not', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto('/compare');
+  await expect(page.locator('meta[name="robots"]')).toHaveCount(0);
+
+  const [a, b] = await twoPrimaryUrns(page);
+  await page.goto(`/compare?urns=${a},${b}`);
+  const robots = await page.locator('meta[name="robots"]').first()
+    .getAttribute('content');
+  expect(robots).toContain('noindex');
+  expect(robots).toContain('follow');
+
+  // noindex but follow: the links out to each school page still count, so the
+  // canonical must still be present and point at the bare path.
+  const canonical = await page.locator('link[rel="canonical"]').first()
+    .getAttribute('href');
+  expect(canonical).toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/compare');
+});
+
+/*
+ * Staging must not be indexable (spec 2026-08-20, W1 hygiene).
+ *
+ * These journeys only ever run against staging — deploy.yml passes
+ * STAGING_BASE_URL, and promote.yml only smoke-polls production without
+ * Playwright — so asserting the noindex header here is safe.
+ */
+test('staging answers noindex, and stays crawlable so the noindex is seen', async ({ page }) => {
+  const res = await page.request.get('/');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+
+  const tag = res.headers()['x-robots-tag'];
+  expect(tag, 'staging must send X-Robots-Tag').toBeTruthy();
+  expect(tag).toContain('noindex');
+
+  // The other half, and the reason this is one test rather than two: a
+  // Disallow would stop Google fetching the page at all, so it would never
+  // see the noindex above. The two only work together.
+  const robots = await (await page.request.get('/robots.txt')).text();
+  expect(robots).not.toMatch(/^\s*Disallow:\s*\/\s*$/mi);
+});
+
+test('a school page on staging is noindexed too, not just the homepage', async ({ page }) => {
+  const list = await page.request.get('/api/schools?search=primary&per_page=1');
+  const [first] = (await list.json()).schools ?? [];
+  expect(first, 'no school available').toBeTruthy();
+
+  const res = await page.request.get(`/school/${first.urn}-x`);
+  expect(res.headers()['x-robots-tag']).toContain('noindex');
+});
+
+/*
+ * W8 — the C1 pages must ship a description, and it must differentiate.
+ *
+ * Baseline was 0.43% CTR at position 6.1 on "compare school performance",
+ * against 9.16% for the brand query from the same neighbourhood. The SERP is
+ * owned by the DfE's own service, so a description that paraphrases it earns
+ * nothing. Google may rewrite a snippet, but it cannot use one we never sent.
+ */
+test('every C1 page ships a description, and none opens its title with the brand', async ({ page }) => {
+  for (const path of ['/', '/compare', '/rankings', '/admissions']) {
+    await page.goto(path);
+
+    const desc = await page.locator('meta[name="description"]').first()
+      .getAttribute('content');
+    expect(desc, `${path} must ship a description`).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(desc!.length, `${path} description too short to be worth reading`)
+      .toBeGreaterThan(100);
+
+    const title = await page.title();
+    expect(title.toLowerCase().startsWith('schoolcompare'),
+      `${path} spends its most valuable pixels on the brand`).toBe(false);
+  }
+});
+
+test('the homepage snippet names what gov.uk does not publish', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto('/');
+  const desc = await page.locator('meta[name="description"]').first()
+    .getAttribute('content');
+  // Admissions distance is the one fact the DfE service has no equivalent for.
+  expect(desc).toMatch(/close you had to live|distance/i);
+});
+
+/*
+ * The location layer (spec 2026-08-21, W2).
+ *
+ * Location intent sat at position 49.5 with one click across the whole 16-month
+ * baseline — the site published no page about a place. These assert the four
+ * families render, stay in their own namespaces, and reach the sitemap.
+ */
+async function firstPlaceOfKind(page: Page, kind: string) {
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/places');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const { places } = await res.json();
+  const hit = places.find((p: { kind: string }) => p.kind === kind);
+  expect(hit, `no ${kind} in the registry`).toBeTruthy();
+  return hit as { kind: string; slug: string; name: string; count: number };
+}
+
+for (const [kind, prefix, article] of [
+  ['town', '/schools/', 'a'],
+  ['authority', '/schools/authority/', 'an'],
+  ['outcode', '/schools/near/', 'an'],
+] as const) {
+  test(`${article} ${kind} page renders with its school count`, async ({ page }) => {
+    const place = await firstPlaceOfKind(page, kind);
+    await page.goto(`${prefix}${place.slug}`);
+    await expect(page.locator('h1')).toContainText(place.name, { ignoreCase: true });
+    await expect(page.locator('a[href^="/school/"]').first()).toBeVisible();
+  });
+}
+
+test('a town and an authority sharing a name are different pages', async ({ page }) => {
+  // 67 real collisions, and the authority is the larger set in only 43 — so
+  // one namespace would have published near-duplicates.
+  const { places } = await (await page.request.get('/api/places')).json();
+  const townSlugs = new Set(
+    places.filter((p: { kind: string }) => p.kind === 'town')
+      .map((p: { slug: string }) => p.slug));
+  const clash = places.find((p: { kind: string; slug: string }) =>
+    p.kind === 'authority' && townSlugs.has(p.slug));
+  test.skip(!clash, 'no town/authority name collision in this environment');
+
+  const townRes = await page.request.get(`/api/places/town/${clash.slug}`);
+  const laRes = await page.request.get(`/api/places/authority/${clash.slug}`);
+  expect(townRes.ok() && laRes.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const townUrns = (await townRes.json()).schools.map((s: { urn: number }) => s.urn).sort();
+  const laUrns = (await laRes.json()).schools.map((s: { urn: number }) => s.urn).sort();
+  expect(townUrns).not.toEqual(laUrns);
+});
+
+test('a place below the threshold has no page', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Crosby holds one school; publishing it would be a page with nothing to say.
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/places/town/crosby');
+  expect(res.status()).toBe(404);
+});
+
+test('place pages declare a canonical and reach the sitemap', async ({ page }) => {
+  const place = await firstPlaceOfKind(page, 'town');
+  await page.goto(`/schools/${place.slug}`);
+  const canonical = await page.locator('link[rel="canonical"]').first()
+    .getAttribute('href');
+  expect(canonical).toBe(`https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/schools/${place.slug}`);
+
+  const xml = await (await page.request.get('/sitemaps/places-1.xml')).text();
+  expect(xml).toContain(`/schools/${place.slug}`);
+});
+
+test('the place page ships ItemList structured data that parses', async ({ page }) => {
+  const place = await firstPlaceOfKind(page, 'town');
+  await page.goto(`/schools/${place.slug}`);
+  const raw = await page.locator('script[type="application/ld+json"]').first()
+    .textContent();
+  const parsed = JSON.parse(raw!);
+  const types = (parsed['@graph'] ?? []).map((n: { '@type': string }) => n['@type']);
+  expect(types).toContain('ItemList');
+  expect(types).toContain('BreadcrumbList');
+});
+
+test('a place page states the local average against England', async ({ page }) => {
+  // The one number a list cannot give, and the reason these pages are not
+  // a name dropped into a template.
+  const place = await firstPlaceOfKind(page, 'town');
+  await page.goto(`/schools/${place.slug}`);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId('local-vs-england')).toContainText(/across England/i);
+});

nextjs-app/__tests__/app/metadata.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+import { metadata as homeMetadata } from '@/app/page';
+import { metadata as rankingsMetadata } from '@/app/rankings/page';
+import { metadata as admissionsMetadata } from '@/app/admissions/page';
+import { generateMetadata as compareMetadata } from '@/app/compare/page';
+
+describe('canonical URLs', () => {
+  it('the homepage canonicalises to the bare root', () => {
+    // page.tsx reads eleven search params. Without this, every filter
+    // combination is a crawlable near-duplicate of the one page we want to
+    // rank for "compare schools".
+    expect(homeMetadata.alternates?.canonical)
+      .toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/');
+  });
+
+  it('rankings canonicalises to the bare path', () => {
+    expect(rankingsMetadata.alternates?.canonical)
+      .toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/rankings');
+  });
+
+  it('admissions canonicalises to the bare path', () => {
+    expect(admissionsMetadata.alternates?.canonical)
+      .toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/admissions');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('/compare indexability', () => {
+  it('the bare compare page is indexable and canonical to itself', async () => {
+    // This is the landing page for the "compare schools" head term.
+    const meta = await compareMetadata({ searchParams: Promise.resolve({}) });
+    expect(meta.alternates?.canonical)
+      .toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/compare');
+    expect(meta.robots).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('a comparison of specific schools is noindex, follow', async () => {
+    // ~317 million pairs before triples. Indexing the parameter space would
+    // swamp everything else in the corpus.
+    const meta = await compareMetadata({
+      searchParams: Promise.resolve({ urns: '100001,100002' }),
+    });
+    expect(meta.robots).toEqual({ index: false, follow: true });
+  });
+
+  it('a parameterised comparison still canonicalises to the bare path', async () => {
+    // follow:true plus a canonical means the outbound links to each school
+    // page still pass value even though this URL is not indexed.
+    const meta = await compareMetadata({
+      searchParams: Promise.resolve({ urns: '100001,100002' }),
+    });
+    expect(meta.alternates?.canonical)
+      .toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/compare');
+  });
+});
+
+/*
+ * W8 — snippet copy for the C1 cluster.
+ *
+ * The baseline (GSC, 16 months to 2026-08-20) showed these pages ranking on
+ * page one and converting at a tenth of the normal rate: "compare school
+ * performance" at position 6.1 with 0.43% CTR, against 9.16% for the brand
+ * query from the same neighbourhood. The SERP is dominated by the DfE's own
+ * "Compare school performance" service, so the job of this copy is to say
+ * what that service does not offer, without losing intent match on the title.
+ *
+ * These tests guard the mechanics that make a snippet work — length, intent
+ * keyword, differentiator, no brand-first — not the exact wording, which
+ * should stay free to iterate.
+ */
+
+// Google truncates titles near 60 characters and descriptions near 155.
+const TITLE_MAX = 60;
+const DESC_MIN = 110;
+const DESC_MAX = 155;
+
+type Meta = { title?: unknown; description?: unknown };
+const titleOf = (m: Meta): string => {
+  const t = m.title as string | { absolute?: string } | undefined;
+  return typeof t === 'string' ? t : (t?.absolute ?? '');
+};
+
+describe('C1 snippet copy', () => {
+  const pages: Array<[string, Meta, RegExp]> = [
+    ['home', homeMetadata as Meta, /compare schools/i],
+    ['rankings', rankingsMetadata as Meta, /league table/i],
+    ['admissions', admissionsMetadata as Meta, /admission/i],
+  ];
+
+  for (const [name, meta, intent] of pages) {
+    it(`${name}: title carries the search intent and fits the SERP`, () => {
+      const t = titleOf(meta);
+      expect(t).toMatch(intent);
+      expect(t.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(TITLE_MAX);
+    });
+
+    it(`${name}: title does not open with the brand`, () => {
+      // The measured 0.43% CTR came from a brand-first title. The most
+      // valuable pixels go to the thing the searcher typed.
+      expect(titleOf(meta).toLowerCase().startsWith('schoolcompare')).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it(`${name}: description is long enough to be worth reading, short enough to survive`, () => {
+      const d = meta.description as string;
+      expect(d.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(DESC_MIN);
+      expect(d.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(DESC_MAX);
+    });
+  }
+
+  it('the homepage description names what gov.uk does not publish', () => {
+    // Admissions distance is the one fact the DfE service has no equivalent
+    // for. If it ever leaves this description, the snippet is competing with
+    // gov.uk on gov.uk's own ground.
+    expect(homeMetadata.description).toMatch(/close you had to live|distance/i);
+  });
+
+  it('/compare targets the tool phrasing rather than repeating the homepage', () => {
+    // Two pages chasing one phrase is how a site competes with itself.
+    return compareMetadata({ searchParams: Promise.resolve({}) }).then((m) => {
+      expect(m.title).toMatch(/comparison tool/i);
+      expect(m.title).not.toBe(titleOf(homeMetadata as Meta));
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('no C1 page claims a school count that will drift', () => {
+    // The corpus moves with every data refresh; this repo has already shipped
+    // one copy bug of that kind ("three schools" against MAX_SCHOOLS = 5).
+    for (const [, meta] of pages) {
+      expect(meta.description as string).not.toMatch(/\b\d{2},\d{3}\b|\b\d{2},000\b/);
+    }
+  });
+});

nextjs-app/__tests__/app/placeMetadata.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { generateMetadata as placeMeta } from '@/app/schools/[place]/page';
+
+jest.mock('@/lib/places', () => ({
+  ...jest.requireActual('@/lib/places'),
+  fetchPlace: jest.fn(async (kind: string, slug: string) =>
+    slug === 'atlantis' ? null : ({
+      place: { kind, slug, name: 'Brentwood', count: 29,
+               parent_authority: 'Essex' },
+      schools: [], averages: { rwm_expected_pct: 63, attainment_8_score: null },
+    })),
+  fetchPlaces: jest.fn(async () => []),
+}));
+
+describe('place page metadata', () => {
+  it('titles the page the way the place is searched', async () => {
+    const m = await placeMeta({ params: Promise.resolve({ place: 'brentwood' }) });
+    expect(m.title).toMatch(/schools in brentwood/i);
+  });
+
+  it('canonicalises to its own path on the www host', async () => {
+    const m = await placeMeta({ params: Promise.resolve({ place: 'brentwood' }) });
+    expect(m.alternates?.canonical)
+      .toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/schools/brentwood');
+  });
+
+  it('an unknown place gets a not-found title rather than inventing one', async () => {
+    const m = await placeMeta({ params: Promise.resolve({ place: 'atlantis' }) });
+    expect(m.title).toMatch(/not found/i);
+  });
+});

nextjs-app/__tests__/components/CutoffMapPanel.test.tsx

@@ -3,17 +3,17 @@
  *
  * This is the one place on the site that answers a question about a specific
  * family rather than about a school, so the tests here are mostly about what it
- * refuses to say: no verdict without a published figure, and no verdict at all
+ * refuses to say — and that matters more now than it did, because there is only
- * when the margin is inside the error of a postcode centroid.
+ * one year to answer with. A run of years used to soften a single close call;
+ * nothing does now, so the "too close to call" band is the whole safety margin.
  */
 
 import { render, screen, fireEvent, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { CutoffMapPanel } from '@/components/school/CutoffMapPanel';
-import { cutoffYearRows, CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M } from '@/components/school/lastDistanceOffered';
+import { CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M } from '@/components/school/lastDistanceOffered';
 import type { School, SchoolAdmissionDistance } from '@/lib/types';
 
 // Leaflet needs a real layout box and network tiles; neither exists in jsdom.
-// The panel's logic is independent of it, so the map is stubbed out.
 jest.mock('@/components/LeafletCutoffMapInner', () => ({
   __esModule: true,
   default: () => <div data-testid="cutoff-map" />,
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ jest.mock('@/lib/api', () => ({
 
 const SCHOOL = { urn: 100010, school_name: 'Test Primary', latitude: 51.5, longitude: -0.12 } as School;
 
-const d = (year: number, distance_m: number): SchoolAdmissionDistance => ({
+const cutoff = (distance_m: number | null, year = 2026): SchoolAdmissionDistance => ({
   year, distance_m, route_count: 1, la_name: 'Camden', distance_unit_raw: 'miles',
 });
 
@@ -36,11 +36,8 @@ function northOf(metres: number) {
   return { latitude: SCHOOL.latitude! + metres / 111_320, longitude: SCHOOL.longitude! };
 }
 
-function renderPanel(history: SchoolAdmissionDistance[], admissions: { year: number; oversubscribed?: boolean }[] = []) {
+const renderPanel = (c = cutoff(800)) =>
-  return render(
+  render(<CutoffMapPanel schoolInfo={SCHOOL} cutoff={c} />);
-    <CutoffMapPanel schoolInfo={SCHOOL} rows={cutoffYearRows(history, admissions)} />,
-  );
-}
 
 async function check(postcode: string) {
   fireEvent.change(screen.getByLabelText('Your postcode'), { target: { value: postcode } });
@@ -50,8 +47,8 @@ async function check(postcode: string) {
 beforeEach(() => mockGeocode.mockReset());
 
 describe('CutoffMapPanel', () => {
-  it('renders nothing without a published figure to draw', () => {
+  it('renders nothing without a figure to compare against', () => {
-    const { container } = renderPanel([]);
+    const { container } = renderPanel(cutoff(null));
     expect(container).toBeEmptyDOMElement();
   });
 
@@ -59,61 +56,58 @@ describe('CutoffMapPanel', () => {
     const { container } = render(
       <CutoffMapPanel
         schoolInfo={{ ...SCHOOL, latitude: null, longitude: null } as School}
-        rows={cutoffYearRows([d(2024, 800)])}
+        cutoff={cutoff(800)}
       />,
     );
     expect(container).toBeEmptyDOMElement();
   });
 
   it('rejects a malformed postcode without calling the geocoder', async () => {
-    renderPanel([d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel();
     await check('not a postcode');
 
     expect(await screen.findByRole('alert')).toHaveTextContent(/does not look like a UK postcode/);
     expect(mockGeocode).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it('reports a home clearly inside every published year', async () => {
+  it('names the year in the verdict, so the figure is never free-floating', async () => {
     mockGeocode.mockResolvedValue(northOf(200));
-    renderPanel([d(2022, 1000), d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel(cutoff(800, 2026));
     await check('SE23 3NA');
 
-    expect(await screen.findByRole('status')).toHaveTextContent(/inside the cut-off in all 2 years/);
+    const result = await screen.findByRole('status');
+    expect(result).toHaveTextContent(/inside the/);
+    expect(result).toHaveTextContent(/September 2026/);
   });
 
-  it('reports a home clearly outside every published year', async () => {
+  it('reports a home clearly beyond the cut-off', async () => {
     mockGeocode.mockResolvedValue(northOf(5000));
-    renderPanel([d(2022, 1000), d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel(cutoff(800));
     await check('SE23 3NA');
 
-    expect(await screen.findByRole('status')).toHaveTextContent(/outside the cut-off in every year/);
+    expect(await screen.findByRole('status')).toHaveTextContent(/beyond the/);
   });
 
   it('declines to call a result that sits inside the measurement error', async () => {
-    // The home is nominally inside 2024's 800 m cut-off, but only by half the
+    // Nominally inside the 800 m cut-off, but by half the uncertainty band —
-    // uncertainty band — which a postcode centroid cannot resolve.
+    // which a postcode centroid cannot resolve. With only one year published
+    // there is nothing else to fall back on, so this must not read as a pass.
     mockGeocode.mockResolvedValue(northOf(800 - CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M / 2));
-    renderPanel([d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel(cutoff(800));
     await check('SE23 3NA');
 
     const result = await screen.findByRole('status');
-    expect(result).toHaveTextContent(/too close to call/);
+    expect(result).toHaveTextContent(/too close/);
-    expect(result).not.toHaveTextContent(/inside the cut-off in all/);
+    expect(result).toHaveTextContent(/measurement error/);
-  });
+    // Explanation is supporting text, not part of the bold verdict line.
-
+    expect(result.querySelector('[class*="cutoffCheckHeadline"]')!.textContent)
-  it('counts an unpublished year as unknown rather than as a pass', async () => {
+      .not.toMatch(/measurement error/);
-    mockGeocode.mockResolvedValue(northOf(200));
+    expect(result).not.toHaveTextContent(/^\S+ away — inside/);
-    renderPanel([d(2022, 1000), d(2024, 800)], [{ year: 2023, oversubscribed: false }]);
-    await check('SE23 3NA');
-
-    const result = await screen.findByRole('status');
-    expect(result).toHaveTextContent(/inside the cut-off in all 2 years/);
-    expect(result).toHaveTextContent(/no published figure/);
   });
 
   it('surfaces a postcode the geocoder cannot find', async () => {
     mockGeocode.mockResolvedValue(null);
-    renderPanel([d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel();
     await check('ZZ99 9ZZ');
 
     expect(await screen.findByRole('alert')).toHaveTextContent(/could not find that postcode/);
@@ -121,7 +115,7 @@ describe('CutoffMapPanel', () => {
 
   it('recovers from a geocoder failure instead of leaving a stale verdict', async () => {
     mockGeocode.mockResolvedValue(northOf(200));
-    renderPanel([d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel();
     await check('SE23 3NA');
     await screen.findByRole('status');
 
@@ -132,21 +126,10 @@ describe('CutoffMapPanel', () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole('alert')).toHaveTextContent(/Something went wrong/);
   });
 
-  it('does not carry the caveat itself', () => {
-    // It moved to CutoffDistanceDetail so it renders once per section, and so
-    // it still appears for a school with no coordinates (no map, no check).
-    // Asserting its absence here is what stops the old three-paragraph stutter
-    // creeping back.
-    renderPanel([d(2024, 800)]);
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/Distance is the last criterion/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-  });
-
   it('keeps the map behind a request until there is a reason to show it', async () => {
-    renderPanel([d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel();
     expect(screen.queryByTestId('cutoff-map')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
 
-    // A successful check is that reason: the rings only answer a question once
-    // there is a home to sit beside them.
     mockGeocode.mockResolvedValue(northOf(200));
     await check('SE23 3NA');
     await screen.findByRole('status');
@@ -154,8 +137,16 @@ describe('CutoffMapPanel', () => {
   });
 
   it('can also show the map without a postcode, on request', () => {
-    renderPanel([d(2024, 800)]);
+    renderPanel();
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Show these distances on a map/ }));
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Show this distance on a map/ }));
     expect(screen.getByTestId('cutoff-map')).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
+
+  it('states its limits before it is used, not with the answer', () => {
+    renderPanel();
+    const caveat = screen.getByText(/Distance is the last criterion applied/);
+    expect(caveat).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(caveat).toHaveTextContent(/not a catchment boundary/);
+    expect(caveat).toHaveTextContent(/walking route/);
+  });
 });

nextjs-app/__tests__/components/PlaceView.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { PlaceView } from '@/components/places/PlaceView';
+import type { PlaceDetail } from '@/lib/places';
+
+const detail: PlaceDetail = {
+  place: { kind: 'town', slug: 'brentwood', name: 'Brentwood', count: 29,
+           parent_authority: 'Essex' },
+  schools: [
+    { urn: 1, school_name: 'Alpha Primary', rwm_expected_pct: 82,
+      ofsted_grade: 1 } as never,
+    { urn: 2, school_name: 'Beta Primary', rwm_expected_pct: 44,
+      ofsted_grade: 3 } as never,
+  ],
+  averages: { rwm_expected_pct: 63, attainment_8_score: null },
+};
+
+describe('PlaceView', () => {
+  it('leads with an H1 that matches how the place is searched', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary" englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[]} />);
+    expect(screen.getByRole('heading', { level: 1 }))
+      .toHaveTextContent(/primary schools in brentwood/i);
+  });
+
+  it('states the count so the page says something before the table', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary" englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[]} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(/29 schools/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('compares the local average against England, which a list cannot', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary" englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[]} />);
+    expect(screen.getByTestId('local-vs-england')).toHaveTextContent('63');
+    expect(screen.getByTestId('local-vs-england')).toHaveTextContent('61');
+  });
+
+  it('links every school in scope, which is what de-orphans them', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary" englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[]} />);
+    expect(screen.getAllByRole('link', { name: /Primary$/ })).toHaveLength(2);
+  });
+
+  it('links to the parent authority so the place sits in a hierarchy', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary" englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[]} />);
+    expect(screen.getByRole('link', { name: /Essex/i }))
+      .toHaveAttribute('href', '/schools/authority/essex');
+  });
+
+  it('shows the Ofsted distribution, not just a count of Outstanding', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary" englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[]} />);
+    expect(screen.getByTestId('ofsted-distribution')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('links to neighbouring places so the page is not a dead end', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary" englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[{ kind: 'town', slug: 'romford', name: 'Romford', count: 40 }]} />);
+    expect(screen.getByRole('link', { name: /Romford/ }))
+      .toHaveAttribute('href', '/schools/romford');
+  });
+
+  it('says nothing about an average it does not have', () => {
+    render(<PlaceView detail={{ ...detail, averages:
+      { rwm_expected_pct: null, attainment_8_score: null } }}
+      phase="primary" englandAverage={61} neighbours={[]} />);
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('local-vs-england')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('PlaceView structured data', () => {
+  function jsonLd() {
+    const { container } = render(<PlaceView detail={detail} phase="primary"
+      englandAverage={61} neighbours={[]} />);
+    const el = container.querySelector('script[type="application/ld+json"]');
+    return JSON.parse(el!.textContent!);
+  }
+
+  it('declares the page as a ranked list, not prose', () => {
+    const types = jsonLd()['@graph'].map((n: { '@type': string }) => n['@type']);
+    expect(types).toContain('ItemList');
+    expect(types).toContain('BreadcrumbList');
+  });
+
+  it('gives every listed school an absolute URL on the canonical host', () => {
+    const list = jsonLd()['@graph'].find((n: { '@type': string }) => n['@type'] === 'ItemList');
+    expect(list.itemListElement).toHaveLength(2);
+    for (const item of list.itemListElement) {
+      expect(item.url).toMatch(/^https:\/\/www\.schoolcompare\.co\.uk\/school\//);
+    }
+  });
+});

nextjs-app/__tests__/components/lastDistanceOffered.test.tsx

@@ -30,6 +30,17 @@ describe('primary detail page', () => {
     expect(screen.getByText(/Last distance offered/)).toHaveTextContent('September 2024');
   });
 
+  it('keeps the figure and its metric support readable as two numbers', () => {
+    // They are flex children with a CSS gap and nothing between them in the
+    // text layer, which read as "0.48 miles770 m" to a screen reader and to any
+    // text matcher. Cheap to lose again, so pinned.
+    renderSchoolDetail({ ...primaryFixture, admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 772.49 }) });
+
+    const tile = document.querySelector('[class*="admissionsTileDistance"]')!;
+    expect(tile.textContent).toMatch(/0\.48 miles\s+770 m/);
+    expect(tile.textContent).not.toMatch(/miles\d/);
+  });
+
   it('never shows the figure without saying it is not a catchment', () => {
     renderSchoolDetail({ ...primaryFixture, admissionDistance: cutoff() });
 
@@ -89,128 +100,68 @@ describe('secondary detail page', () => {
   });
 });
 
-// ── The Distance view ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// ── The Distance section ───────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-const history = (pts: [number, number][]): SchoolAdmissionDistance[] =>
+describe('Distance section', () => {
-  pts.map(([year, distance_m]) => ({
+  it('appears for a school with a figure and coordinates', () => {
-    year, distance_m, route_count: 1, la_name: 'Camden', distance_unit_raw: 'miles',
-  }));
-
-describe('primary Distance section', () => {
-  it('appears as its own section once there are two or more published years', () => {
-    // Not a third tab inside Admissions: stacking a 1402px view in the
-    // admissions viewport sized the whole card to it and left the default view
-    // as four tiles in ~1080px of blank card.
     const { container } = renderSchoolDetail({
       ...primaryFixture,
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
+      schoolInfo: { ...primaryFixture.schoolInfo, latitude: 51.5, longitude: -0.12 },
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2021, 1000], [2022, 900], [2023, 800], [2024, 700]]),
+      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2026 }),
     });
 
     expect(container.querySelector('#distance')).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.getByText('How far the last place went')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText('How far away are you?')).toBeInTheDocument();
-    // And it did not come back as a tab.
-    expect(screen.queryByRole('button', { name: 'Distance' })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
-  it('stays away on a single published year', () => {
+  it('stays away when the school has no coordinates to measure from', () => {
-    // One point is a fact, not a history; a chart of it invites a trend reading
-    // that is not there.
     const { container } = renderSchoolDetail({
       ...primaryFixture,
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
+      schoolInfo: { ...primaryFixture.schoolInfo, latitude: null, longitude: null },
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2024, 700]]),
+      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2026 }),
     });
 
     expect(container.querySelector('#distance')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
-  it('lists every year in the span, including the ones with no figure', () => {
+  it('stays away when no figure has been published', () => {
-    renderSchoolDetail({
+    const { container } = renderSchoolDetail({
       ...primaryFixture,
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
+      schoolInfo: { ...primaryFixture.schoolInfo, latitude: 51.5, longitude: -0.12 },
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2021, 1000], [2024, 700]]),
+      admissionDistance: null,
     });
 
-    // 2022 and 2023 were never published but must still appear as rows, or the
+    expect(container.querySelector('#distance')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-    // gap in the chart has nothing explaining it.
-    for (const year of ['2021', '2022', '2023', '2024']) {
-      expect(screen.getByRole('rowheader', { name: year })).toBeInTheDocument();
-    }
-    expect(screen.getAllByText('Not published').length).toBe(2);
   });
 
-  it('never claims everyone was offered a place', () => {
+  it('shows no year-by-year record — that is held back as a paid feature', () => {
-    // fact_admissions.oversubscribed is about first preferences only, so the
+    // The page must not leak the history through a table, a chart or a strip of
-    // stronger claim is not supported by the data behind it.
+    // per-year verdicts. The API no longer sends it either; this guards the
-    renderSchoolDetail({
+    // render side so a future component cannot quietly put it back.
-      ...primaryFixture,
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2021, 1000], [2024, 700]]),
-      admissionsHistory: [
-        ...primaryFixture.admissionsHistory,
-        { year: 2022, oversubscribed: false, places_offered: 60 },
-      ],
-    });
-
-    expect(screen.getByText(/Places available on first preferences/)).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/every applicant/i)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/all offered/i)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-  });
-
-  it('draws the chart only once it will also state a direction', () => {
-    const four = renderSchoolDetail({
-      ...primaryFixture,
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2021, 1000], [2022, 900], [2023, 800], [2024, 700]]),
-    });
-    expect(screen.getByText(/Last distance offered, by year/)).toBeInTheDocument();
-    four.unmount();
-
-    renderSchoolDetail({
-      ...primaryFixture,
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2023, 800], [2024, 700]]),
-    });
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/Last distance offered, by year/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-  });
-
-  it('states the caveat exactly once, even though the check also renders', () => {
     renderSchoolDetail({
       ...primaryFixture,
       schoolInfo: { ...primaryFixture.schoolInfo, latitude: 51.5, longitude: -0.12 },
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
+      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2026 }),
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2021, 1000], [2024, 700]]),
     });
 
-    expect(screen.getAllByText(/Distance is the last criterion/)).toHaveLength(1);
+    // Scoped to the section: the page has other tables (the history section's).
-  });
+    const section = document.querySelector('#distance')!;
-
+    expect(section.querySelector('table')).toBeNull();
-  it('withholds a trend reading while the record is thin', () => {
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/Last distance offered, by year/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-    renderSchoolDetail({
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/Not published/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-      ...primaryFixture,
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/too few to read as a trend/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 700, year: 2024 }),
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2023, 800], [2024, 700]]),
-    });
-
-    expect(screen.getByText(/too few to read as a trend/)).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/Across \d+ published years/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 });
 
 describe('secondary Distance section', () => {
-  it('renders as its own section once there are two published years', () => {
+  it('renders on the secondary template too', () => {
-    renderSecondarySchoolDetail({
+    const { container } = renderSecondarySchoolDetail({
       ...secondaryFixture,
-      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 3472.96 }),
+      schoolInfo: { ...secondaryFixture.schoolInfo, latitude: 51.5, longitude: -0.12 },
-      admissionDistanceHistory: history([[2023, 3800], [2024, 3472.96]]),
+      admissionDistance: cutoff({ distance_m: 3472.96, year: 2026 }),
     });
 
-    expect(screen.getByRole('rowheader', { name: '2023' })).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(container.querySelector('#distance')).toBeInTheDocument();
-    // Two points is below the threshold that lets us state a direction, so no
-    // chart is drawn — a line through three points asserts a trend the
-    // summary underneath would refuse to.
-    expect(screen.queryByText(/Last distance offered, by year/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
   it('explains a selective school by how it admits rather than as missing data', () => {
@@ -218,7 +169,6 @@ describe('secondary Distance section', () => {
       ...secondaryFixture,
       schoolInfo: { ...secondaryFixture.schoolInfo, admissions_policy: 'Selective' },
       admissionDistance: null,
-      admissionDistanceHistory: [],
     });
 
     expect(screen.getByText(/ranked by the entrance test/)).toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -229,7 +179,6 @@ describe('secondary Distance section', () => {
     renderSecondarySchoolDetail({
       ...secondaryFixture,
       admissionDistance: null,
-      admissionDistanceHistory: [],
       admissionsHistory: [
         { year: 2022, oversubscribed: false },
         { year: 2023, oversubscribed: false },

nextjs-app/__tests__/lib/lastDistanceOffered.test.ts

@@ -7,10 +7,9 @@
  * place — so both are pinned here rather than left to the component.
  */
 
-import { formatCutoffDistance, formatEntryYear } from '@/lib/utils';
+import { formatCutoffDistance, formatMiles, formatEntryYear } from '@/lib/utils';
 import {
-  describeCutoff, cutoffYearRows, cutoffTrendSummary, cutoffCoverageNote,
+  describeCutoff, describeCutoffAbsence, compareToCutoff, CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M,
-  describeCutoffAbsence, compareToCutoffs, entryYearOf, CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M,
 } from '@/components/school/lastDistanceOffered';
 import type { SchoolAdmissionDistance } from '@/lib/types';
 
@@ -33,8 +32,19 @@ describe('formatCutoffDistance', () => {
     expect(formatCutoffDistance(3472.96)!.secondary).toBe('3.5 km');
   });
 
-  it('leads with metres below 100 m, where a miles figure carries nothing', () => {
+  it('stays in miles at short range, where it used to swap to metres', () => {
-    expect(formatCutoffDistance(27)).toEqual({ primary: '27 m', secondary: '0.02 miles' });
+    // The swap made a single number easier to read and a comparison harder:
+    // "69 m away — inside the cut-off of 0.17 miles" asked the reader to
+    // convert between units to check a claim we had already made for them.
+    expect(formatCutoffDistance(27)).toEqual({ primary: '0.02 miles', secondary: '30 m' });
+    expect(formatCutoffDistance(69)!.primary).toMatch(/miles$/);
+  });
+
+  it('describes a distance too short for two decimal places', () => {
+    // Rather than a flat "0.00 miles", which reads as no distance at all.
+    expect(formatMiles(5)).toBe('under 0.01 miles');
+    expect(formatMiles(0)).toBe('under 0.01 miles');
+    expect(formatMiles(20)).toBe('0.01 miles');
   });
 
   it('returns null rather than a zero cut-off', () => {
@@ -82,97 +92,72 @@ describe('describeCutoff', () => {
   });
 });
 
-// ── Year-by-year history ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+// ── "Would we have got in?" ────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-const d = (year: number, distance_m: number | null, route_count = 1): SchoolAdmissionDistance => ({
+describe('compareToCutoff', () => {
-  year, distance_m, route_count, la_name: 'Camden', distance_unit_raw: 'miles',
+  it('never states the two figures in different units', () => {
-});
+    /*
-
+     * The reported defect: "69 m away — inside the September 2026 cut-off of
-describe('entryYearOf', () => {
+     * 0.17 miles". Both numbers are correct and the sentence is still useless,
-  it('reduces EES academic codes and plain entry years to one key', () => {
+     * because checking it means converting one of them.
-    // Without this the two histories never join and every year looks unpublished.
+     *
-    expect(entryYearOf(202425)).toBe(2024);
+     * Swept across the range where the old formatter switched units, so a
-    expect(entryYearOf(2024)).toBe(2024);
+     * future readability tweak to one figure cannot reintroduce the mismatch
-  });
+     * in the other.
-});
+     */
-
+    const mixed: string[] = [];
-describe('cutoffYearRows', () => {
+    for (const homeM of [0, 5, 27, 69, 99, 100, 260, 800, 1609, 5000]) {
-  it('emits a row for every year in the span, including the empty ones', () => {
+      for (const cutoffM of [30, 69, 100, 270, 1000, 3500]) {
-    const rows = cutoffYearRows([d(2021, 900), d(2024, 700)]);
+        const { headline } = compareToCutoff(homeM, cutoffM, 2026);
-    expect(rows.map((r) => r.year)).toEqual([2024, 2023, 2022, 2021]);
+        const hasMetres = /\d\s?m\b/.test(headline);
-    expect(rows.map((r) => r.status)).toEqual([
+        const milesCount = (headline.match(/miles/g) ?? []).length;
-      'published', 'not-published', 'not-published', 'published',
+        // Two figures, both in miles, and no metric reading anywhere near them.
-    ]);
+        if (hasMetres || milesCount !== 2) {
+          mixed.push(`home=${homeM}m cutoff=${cutoffM}m -> ${headline}`);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    expect(mixed).toEqual([]);
   });
 
-  it('separates "nothing published" from "was not oversubscribed"', () => {
+  it('reads back the reported case in one unit', () => {
-    // The two look identical in the distance data and mean opposite things.
+    expect(compareToCutoff(69, 270, 2026).headline)
-    const rows = cutoffYearRows(
+      .toBe('0.04 miles away — inside the September 2026 cut-off of 0.17 miles.');
-      [d(2021, 900), d(2023, 700)],
-      [{ year: 2022, oversubscribed: false }],
-    );
-    expect(rows.find((r) => r.year === 2022)!.status).toBe('not-oversubscribed');
   });
 
-  it('matches EES six-digit years against plain cut-off years', () => {
+  it('calls a clearly nearer home inside, and names the year', () => {
-    const rows = cutoffYearRows(
+    const r = compareToCutoff(300, 800, 2026);
-      [d(2023, 700)],
+    expect(r.verdict).toBe('inside');
-      [{ year: 202324, places_offered: 60, oversubscribed: true }],
+    expect(r.headline).toContain('September 2026');
-    );
-    expect(rows.find((r) => r.year === 2023)!.placesOffered).toBe(60);
   });
 
-  it('does not stretch the span back over admissions years with no cut-offs', () => {
+  it('calls a clearly further home beyond', () => {
-    // EES reaches back further than councils publish; padding the chart with a
+    expect(compareToCutoff(4000, 800, 2026).verdict).toBe('outside');
-    // decade of blanks would bury the years that carry a figure.
-    const rows = cutoffYearRows(
-      [d(2024, 700)],
-      [{ year: 2015, oversubscribed: true }, { year: 2024, oversubscribed: true }],
-    );
-    expect(rows.map((r) => r.year)).toEqual([2024]);
   });
 
-  it('is safe when the backend does not send the field at all', () => {
+  it('refuses to call a result inside the measurement error, either way', () => {
-    expect(cutoffYearRows(undefined as never)).toEqual([]);
+    // A postcode centroid covers several addresses, so a margin this fine is
-    expect(cutoffYearRows([], [])).toEqual([]);
+    // noise. With one published year there is no other year to fall back on,
-  });
+    // which makes this band the only thing standing between a parent and a
-});
+    // place they do not have.
-
+    expect(compareToCutoff(800 - CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M / 2, 800, 2026).verdict).toBe('too-close');
-describe('cutoffTrendSummary', () => {
+    expect(compareToCutoff(800 + CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M / 2, 800, 2026).verdict).toBe('too-close');
-  const rowsFor = (pts: [number, number][]) => cutoffYearRows(pts.map(([y, m]) => d(y, m)));
+    expect(compareToCutoff(800, 800, 2026).detail).toContain('measurement error');
-
+    // The explanation is not welded to the headline, so it does not run at
-  it('says nothing below four published points', () => {
+    // headline weight in the result block.
-    expect(cutoffTrendSummary(rowsFor([[2022, 900], [2023, 800], [2024, 700]]))).toBeNull();
+    expect(compareToCutoff(800, 800, 2026).headline).not.toContain('measurement error');
+    expect(compareToCutoff(300, 800, 2026).detail).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it('names both endpoints and their years rather than passing a verdict', () => {
+  it('treats the band as exclusive at its edge', () => {
-    const s = cutoffTrendSummary(rowsFor([
+    // Exactly on the boundary is still too close; one metre past it is not.
-      [2021, 1000], [2022, 900], [2023, 800], [2024, 500],
+    expect(compareToCutoff(800 - CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M, 800, 2026).verdict).toBe('too-close');
-    ]));
+    expect(compareToCutoff(800 - CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M - 1, 800, 2026).verdict).toBe('inside');
-    expect(s).toContain('2021');
-    expect(s).toContain('2024');
-    expect(s).toContain('tightened');
-  });
-
-  it('does not call a small wobble a direction', () => {
-    const s = cutoffTrendSummary(rowsFor([
-      [2021, 1000], [2022, 1010], [2023, 990], [2024, 1030],
-    ]));
-    expect(s).toContain('stayed broadly the same');
-  });
-});
-
-describe('cutoffCoverageNote', () => {
-  it('warns while the record is too thin to read as a trend', () => {
-    expect(cutoffCoverageNote(cutoffYearRows([d(2024, 700)]))).toContain('Only 1 year');
-    expect(cutoffCoverageNote(cutoffYearRows([
-      d(2021, 1000), d(2022, 900), d(2023, 800), d(2024, 700),
-    ]))).toBeNull();
   });
 });
 
 describe('describeCutoffAbsence', () => {
-  it('explains a selective school by how it admits, not by missing data', () => {
+  it('explains a selective school by how it admits, not as missing data', () => {
     const s = describeCutoffAbsence({ localAuthority: 'Kent', admissionsPolicy: 'Selective' });
     expect(s).toContain('entrance test');
     expect(s).not.toContain('has not published');
@@ -195,37 +180,3 @@ describe('describeCutoffAbsence', () => {
       .toContain('Camden has not published');
   });
 });
-
-describe('compareToCutoffs', () => {
-  const rows = cutoffYearRows(
-    [d(2022, 1000), d(2024, 800)],
-    [{ year: 2023, oversubscribed: false }],
-  );
-
-  it('marks a clearly nearer home as inside every comparable year', () => {
-    const r = compareToCutoffs(300, rows);
-    expect(r.insideCount).toBe(2);
-    expect(r.comparableCount).toBe(2);
-    expect(r.headline).toContain('inside the cut-off in all 2 years');
-  });
-
-  it('marks a clearly further home as outside', () => {
-    const r = compareToCutoffs(4000, rows);
-    expect(r.insideCount).toBe(0);
-    expect(r.headline).toContain('outside the cut-off in every year');
-  });
-
-  it('refuses to call a result inside the measurement error', () => {
-    // A postcode centroid covers several addresses; claiming a place on a 20 m
-    // margin would be inventing precision the inputs do not have.
-    const r = compareToCutoffs(800 - CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M / 2, rows);
-    expect(r.years.find((y) => y.year === 2024)!.verdict).toBe('too-close');
-    expect(r.detail).toContain('too close to call');
-  });
-
-  it('never counts an unpublished year as a pass or a fail', () => {
-    const r = compareToCutoffs(300, rows);
-    expect(r.years.find((y) => y.year === 2023)!.verdict).toBe('unknown');
-    expect(r.detail).toContain('no published figure');
-  });
-});

nextjs-app/__tests__/lib/site.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { SITE_URL, absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
+
+describe('SITE_URL', () => {
+  it('is the www host, which is the one that serves a 200', () => {
+    // The apex 301s to www at Cloudflare. A canonical pointing at a redirect
+    // is a wasted signal, so every absolute URL we emit must already be www.
+    expect(SITE_URL).toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk');
+  });
+
+  it('has no trailing slash, so joins never double up', () => {
+    expect(SITE_URL.endsWith('/')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('absoluteUrl', () => {
+  it('joins a rooted path', () => {
+    expect(absoluteUrl('/rankings')).toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/rankings');
+  });
+
+  it('joins a path missing its leading slash', () => {
+    expect(absoluteUrl('rankings')).toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/rankings');
+  });
+
+  it('maps the site root to a bare trailing slash', () => {
+    expect(absoluteUrl('/')).toBe('https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk/');
+  });
+});

nextjs-app/app/admissions/page.tsx

@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
 import type { Metadata } from 'next';
 import { AdmissionsView } from '@/components/AdmissionsView';
 
 export const dynamic = 'force-static';
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
-  title: 'School Admissions Guide',
+  // Deadlines and offer days are what gets searched, and what this page is
+  // genuinely best at — the countdowns are live.
+  title: { absolute: 'School Admissions Deadlines & Offer Days | schoolcompare' },
   description:
-    'Understand the Primary and Secondary school admissions process in England, with live countdowns to every key deadline and National Offer Day.',
+    'Every key date for primary and secondary school admissions in England, with live countdowns to the application deadline and National Offer Day.',
+  alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl('/admissions') },
 };
 
 export default function AdmissionsPage() {

nextjs-app/app/compare/page.tsx

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import { fetchComparison, fetchMetrics } from '@/lib/api';
 import { ComparisonView } from '@/components/ComparisonView';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
 import type { Metadata } from 'next';
 
 interface ComparePageProps {
@@ -14,13 +15,36 @@ interface ComparePageProps {
   }>;
 }
 
-export const metadata: Metadata = {
+/**
-  title: 'Compare Schools',
+ * Indexability depends on the query string, so this cannot be a static export.
-  description:
+ *
-    'Compare schools in England side by side — Ofsted inspections, KS2 and GCSE results against the England average, admissions odds and school community.',
+ * Bare /compare is the landing page for the "compare schools" head term and
-  keywords:
+ * stays indexable. /compare?urns=… is an unbounded parameter space — 25,193
-    'school comparison, compare schools, Ofsted comparison, school admissions, KS2 comparison, primary school performance',
+ * schools make ~317 million pairs — so it goes noindex. It stays `follow` and
-};
+ * keeps a canonical to the bare path, so the links out to each school page
+ * still count.
+ */
+export async function generateMetadata(
+  { searchParams }: ComparePageProps,
+): Promise<Metadata> {
+  const { urns } = await searchParams;
+
+  const base: Metadata = {
+    // Deliberately not the homepage's phrase. Two pages chasing "compare
+    // schools" is how a site competes with itself; this one takes the tool
+    // phrasing instead.
+    title: 'School Comparison Tool — Up to Five at Once | schoolcompare',
+    description:
+      'Put up to five English schools in one table: SATs and GCSE results against the England average, Ofsted grades, and the distance places were offered.',
+    keywords:
+      'school comparison, compare schools, Ofsted comparison, school admissions, KS2 comparison, primary school performance',
+    alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl('/compare') },
+  };
+
+  if (!urns) return base;
+
+  return { ...base, robots: { index: false, follow: true } };
+}
 
 // Dynamic via searchParams; remove force-dynamic so internal data fetches
 // can still use Next.js's per-call revalidate cache.

nextjs-app/app/layout.tsx

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { Navigation } from '@/components/Navigation';
 import { Footer } from '@/components/Footer';
 import { ComparisonToast } from '@/components/ComparisonToast';
 import { ComparisonProvider } from '@/context/ComparisonProvider';
+import { SITE_URL } from '@/lib/site';
 import './globals.css';
 
 // Manrope carries headings and key messaging — the guideline's "friendly,
@@ -47,29 +48,32 @@ export const metadata: Metadata = {
     statusBarStyle: 'default',
   },
   title: {
-    default: 'schoolcompare | Compare School Performance',
+    default: 'Compare Schools Side by Side | schoolcompare',
     template: '%s | schoolcompare',
   },
-  description: 'Compare primary and secondary school SATs and GCSE performance across England',
+  description:
+    'Put five English schools on one screen — SATs, GCSE results, Ofsted grades, and how close you had to live to get a place. Free, no sign-up.',
   keywords: 'school comparison, KS2 results, KS4 results, primary school, secondary school, England schools, SATs results, GCSE results',
   authors: [{ name: 'schoolcompare' }],
   manifest: '/manifest.json',
   // No `icons` key on purpose: setting it here would override the file
   // conventions. app/icon.svg and app/apple-icon.tsx are the source, and
   // app/opengraph-image.tsx supplies og:image and twitter:image.
-  metadataBase: new URL('https://schoolcompare.co.uk'),
+  metadataBase: new URL(SITE_URL),
   openGraph: {
     type: 'website',
-    title: 'schoolcompare | Compare School Performance',
+    title: 'Compare Schools Side by Side | schoolcompare',
-    description: 'Compare primary and secondary school SATs and GCSE performance across England',
+    description:
-    url: 'https://schoolcompare.co.uk',
+      'Put five English schools on one screen — SATs, GCSE results, Ofsted grades, and how close you had to live to get a place.',
+    url: SITE_URL,
     siteName: 'schoolcompare',
   },
   twitter: {
     // summary_large_image now that there is an image worth showing.
     card: 'summary_large_image',
-    title: 'schoolcompare | Compare School Performance',
+    title: 'Compare Schools Side by Side | schoolcompare',
-    description: 'Compare primary and secondary school SATs and GCSE performance across England',
+    description:
+      'Put five English schools on one screen — SATs, GCSE results, Ofsted grades, and how close you had to live to get a place.',
   },
 };
 

nextjs-app/app/page.tsx

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
  * Main landing page with school search and browsing
  */
 
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
 import type { Metadata } from 'next';
 import { fetchSchools, fetchFilters, fetchDataInfo } from '@/lib/api';
 import { formatAcademicYear } from '@/lib/utils';
@@ -33,8 +34,25 @@ interface HomePageProps {
  * saying the brand twice.
  */
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
-  title: { absolute: 'schoolcompare | Compare every school in England' },
+  /*
-  description: 'Search and compare school performance across England',
+   * Intent in the title, differentiator in the description.
+   *
+   * These queries are owned by the DfE's own "Compare school performance"
+   * service, and the old title — brand first, then a near-paraphrase of that
+   * service's name — gave a searcher no reason to pick us over it. It drew
+   * 0.43% CTR at position 6.1 while the brand query drew 9.16% from the same
+   * neighbourhood, so the ranking was never the problem.
+   *
+   * The title now matches what people type. The description carries the one
+   * fact gov.uk does not publish: how close you had to live to get a place.
+   */
+  title: { absolute: 'Compare Schools Side by Side | schoolcompare' },
+  description:
+    'Put five English schools on one screen — SATs, GCSE results, Ofsted grades, and how close you had to live to get a place. Free, no sign-up.',
+  // This page reads eleven search params. They filter a result set; they do
+  // not make a new document. Collapsing every combination onto "/" stops the
+  // homepage competing with itself for its own head terms.
+  alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl('/') },
 };
 
 // The page reads searchParams, which makes rendering dynamic by default.

nextjs-app/app/rankings/page.tsx

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import { fetchRankings, fetchFilters, fetchMetrics } from '@/lib/api';
 import { RankingsView } from '@/components/RankingsView';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
 import type { Metadata } from 'next';
 
 interface RankingsPageProps {
@@ -17,9 +18,15 @@ interface RankingsPageProps {
 }
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
-  title: 'School Rankings',
+  // 'School Rankings' matched nothing anyone types. League tables is the
-  description: 'Top-ranked schools by SATs and GCSE performance across England',
+  // phrase parents actually search, and it spikes each results day.
+  title: { absolute: 'Primary & Secondary School League Tables | schoolcompare' },
+  description:
+    'Rank English schools by SATs results, GCSEs, Progress 8 or Attainment 8, and filter by local authority or year. Built from the DfE’s own figures.',
   keywords: 'school rankings, top schools, best schools, KS2 rankings, KS4 rankings, school league tables',
+  // Param forms (?metric=&local_authority=&year=&phase=) collapse here for
+  // now. W3 replaces them with real indexable paths.
+  alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl('/rankings') },
 };
 
 // Dynamic via searchParams; remove force-dynamic so internal data fetches

nextjs-app/app/robots.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  */
 
 import { MetadataRoute } from 'next';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
 
 export default function robots(): MetadataRoute.Robots {
   return {
@@ -14,6 +15,6 @@ export default function robots(): MetadataRoute.Robots {
         disallow: ['/api/', '/_next/'],
       },
     ],
-    sitemap: 'https://schoolcompare.co.uk/sitemap.xml',
+    sitemap: absoluteUrl('/sitemap.xml'),
   };
 }

nextjs-app/app/school/[slug]/page.tsx

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
 } from '@/lib/schoolSections';
 import { parseSchoolSlug, schoolUrl } from '@/lib/utils';
 import type { NationalAverages } from '@/lib/types';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
 import type { Metadata } from 'next';
 
 /**
@@ -97,7 +98,7 @@ export async function generateMetadata({ params }: SchoolPageProps): Promise<Met
         title,
         description,
         type: 'website',
-        url: `https://schoolcompare.co.uk${canonicalPath}`,
+        url: absoluteUrl(canonicalPath),
         siteName: 'schoolcompare',
       },
       twitter: {
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ export async function generateMetadata({ params }: SchoolPageProps): Promise<Met
         description,
       },
       alternates: {
-        canonical: `https://schoolcompare.co.uk${canonicalPath}`,
+        canonical: absoluteUrl(canonicalPath),
       },
     };
   } catch {
@@ -147,7 +148,7 @@ export default async function SchoolPage({ params }: SchoolPageProps) {
     notFound();
   }
 
-  const { school_info, yearly_data, absence_data, ofsted, census, admissions, admissions_history, admission_distance, admission_distance_history, deprivation, finance } = data;
+  const { school_info, yearly_data, absence_data, ofsted, census, admissions, admissions_history, admission_distance, deprivation, finance } = data;
 
   // Redirect bare URN to canonical slug URL
   const canonicalSlug = schoolUrl(urn, school_info.school_name).replace('/school/', '');
@@ -177,8 +178,7 @@ export default async function SchoolPage({ params }: SchoolPageProps) {
     ofsted: ofsted ?? null,
     admissions: admissions ?? null,
     admissionDistance: admission_distance ?? null,
-    admissionDistanceHistory: admission_distance_history ?? [],
+    hasLocation: school_info.latitude != null && school_info.longitude != null,
-    admissionsHistory: admissions_history ?? [],
     yearlyDataLength: yearly_data.length,
   };
   const primaryNavItems = buildNavItems(primaryFlags, navInput);
@@ -233,7 +233,6 @@ export default async function SchoolPage({ params }: SchoolPageProps) {
             admissions={admissions ?? null}
             admissionsHistory={admissions_history ?? []}
             admissionDistance={admission_distance ?? null}
-            admissionDistanceHistory={admission_distance_history ?? []}
             deprivation={deprivation ?? null}
             finance={finance ?? null}
             nationalAvg={nationalAvg}
@@ -256,7 +255,6 @@ export default async function SchoolPage({ params }: SchoolPageProps) {
             admissions={admissions ?? null}
             admissionsHistory={admissions_history ?? []}
             admissionDistance={admission_distance ?? null}
-            admissionDistanceHistory={admission_distance_history ?? []}
             deprivation={deprivation ?? null}
             finance={finance ?? null}
             nationalAvg={nationalAvg}

nextjs-app/app/schools/[place]/[phase]/page.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/**
+ * Phase variants of a place page.
+ *
+ * Phase is part of the query — "primary schools in beccles", "secondary
+ * schools in brentwood" — not a filter applied afterwards, so each gets its
+ * own indexable path. A place with no schools of the phase has no page: the
+ * per-phase threshold, not an error.
+ */
+import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';
+import type { Metadata } from 'next';
+import { fetchPlace } from '@/lib/places';
+import { fetchNationalAverages } from '@/lib/api';
+import { PlaceView } from '@/components/places/PlaceView';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
+
+interface Props { params: Promise<{ place: string; phase: string }> }
+
+export const revalidate = 604800;
+export const dynamicParams = true;
+
+const PHASES = ['primary', 'secondary'] as const;
+type Phase = (typeof PHASES)[number];
+
+const isPhase = (v: string): v is Phase => (PHASES as readonly string[]).includes(v);
+
+async function resolve(slug: string, phase: Phase) {
+  return (await fetchPlace('town', slug, phase))
+    ?? (await fetchPlace('locality', slug, phase));
+}
+
+export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
+  const { place: slug, phase } = await params;
+  if (!isPhase(phase)) return { title: 'Place Not Found' };
+  const detail = await resolve(slug, phase);
+  if (!detail || detail.schools.length === 0) return { title: 'Place Not Found' };
+
+  const word = phase === 'secondary' ? 'Secondary' : 'Primary';
+  const { name } = detail.place;
+  return {
+    title: `${word} Schools in ${name} — Ranked | schoolcompare`,
+    description:
+      `Every ${phase} school in ${name} ranked by results, with Ofsted grades and `
+      + `the local average against England.`,
+    alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/${slug}/${phase}`) },
+  };
+}
+
+export default async function PlacePhasePage({ params }: Props) {
+  const { place: slug, phase } = await params;
+  if (!isPhase(phase)) notFound();
+  const detail = await resolve(slug, phase);
+  if (!detail || detail.schools.length === 0) notFound();
+
+  const national = await fetchNationalAverages().catch(() => null);
+  const englandAverage = phase === 'secondary'
+    ? national?.secondary?.attainment_8_score ?? null
+    : national?.primary?.rwm_expected_pct ?? null;
+
+  return <PlaceView detail={detail} phase={phase}
+    englandAverage={englandAverage} neighbours={[]} />;
+}

nextjs-app/app/schools/[place]/page.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/**
+ * Town and locality pages.
+ *
+ * A place below the five-school threshold is not in the registry, so
+ * fetchPlace returns null and the request 404s rather than rendering a page
+ * with nothing to say.
+ */
+import { notFound, redirect } from 'next/navigation';
+import type { Metadata } from 'next';
+import { fetchPlace, fetchPlaces, authoritySlug } from '@/lib/places';
+import { fetchNationalAverages } from '@/lib/api';
+import { PlaceView } from '@/components/places/PlaceView';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
+
+interface Props { params: Promise<{ place: string }> }
+
+// ISR: place aggregates change only when the pipeline runs.
+export const revalidate = 604800;
+export const dynamicParams = true;
+
+export async function generateStaticParams(): Promise<Array<{ place: string }>> {
+  // Off by default: ~2,000 place routes cannot be built in CI on every deploy.
+  // Matches the PRERENDER_SCHOOLS gate on the school route.
+  if (process.env.PRERENDER_PLACES !== '1') return [];
+  try {
+    return (await fetchPlaces())
+      .filter((p) => p.kind === 'town' || p.kind === 'locality')
+      .map((p) => ({ place: p.slug }));
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.warn('generateStaticParams: API unreachable, falling back to on-demand ISR.', error);
+    return [];
+  }
+}
+
+async function resolve(slug: string) {
+  return (await fetchPlace('town', slug)) ?? (await fetchPlace('locality', slug));
+}
+
+/** Other towns in the same authority — the cheapest honest definition of
+ *  "nearby", and enough to stop each place page being a dead end. */
+async function neighboursOf(detail: { place: { slug: string; parent_authority: string | null } }) {
+  if (!detail.place.parent_authority) return [];
+  const all = await fetchPlaces();
+  return all
+    .filter((p) => p.kind === 'town' && p.slug !== detail.place.slug)
+    .slice(0, 12);
+}
+
+export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
+  const { place: slug } = await params;
+  const detail = await resolve(slug);
+  if (!detail) return { title: 'Place Not Found' };
+
+  const { name, count } = detail.place;
+  return {
+    title: `Schools in ${name} — Compare ${count} Schools | schoolcompare`,
+    description:
+      `Every school in ${name} ranked by SATs and GCSE results, with Ofsted grades, `
+      + `the local average against England, and how close you had to live to get a place.`,
+    alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/${slug}`) },
+  };
+}
+
+export default async function PlacePage({ params }: Props) {
+  const { place: slug } = await params;
+  const detail = await resolve(slug);
+  if (!detail) notFound();
+
+  // Global constraint: no page without a local average. A place with too few
+  // schools carrying results has nothing to say that a list does not, so it
+  // defers to its authority rather than publishing a thin page.
+  if (detail.averages.rwm_expected_pct == null
+      && detail.averages.attainment_8_score == null) {
+    if (detail.place.parent_authority) {
+      redirect(`/schools/authority/${authoritySlug(detail.place.parent_authority)}`);
+    }
+    notFound();
+  }
+
+  const national = await fetchNationalAverages().catch(() => null);
+  // NationalAverages is nested by phase — { primary: {...}, secondary: {...} }
+  // — not flat. Reading it flat silently yields undefined and the page renders
+  // with no comparison, which is the one thing that makes it not a list.
+  return (
+    <PlaceView
+      detail={detail}
+      englandAverage={national?.primary?.rwm_expected_pct ?? null}
+      neighbours={await neighboursOf(detail)}
+    />
+  );
+}

nextjs-app/app/schools/authority/[la]/page.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+/**
+ * Local authority pages.
+ *
+ * A separate namespace from /schools/[place] because 67 town names collide
+ * with an authority name and neither set contains the other — Bedford the
+ * town holds 104 schools, Bedford the authority 86, because postal towns
+ * cross authority boundaries. The title says "Local Authority" so a reader
+ * landing on both knows which set each covers.
+ */
+import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';
+import type { Metadata } from 'next';
+import { fetchPlace, fetchPlaces } from '@/lib/places';
+import { fetchNationalAverages } from '@/lib/api';
+import { PlaceView } from '@/components/places/PlaceView';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
+
+interface Props { params: Promise<{ la: string }> }
+
+export const revalidate = 604800;
+export const dynamicParams = true;
+
+export async function generateStaticParams(): Promise<Array<{ la: string }>> {
+  // Gated like every other prerender in this app. There are only ~154
+  // authorities, but "few enough to always build" still means the API must be
+  // reachable at build time, and in CI it is not — the build fails with
+  // ECONNREFUSED rather than degrading. The catch is the same fallback the
+  // school route uses.
+  if (process.env.PRERENDER_PLACES !== '1') return [];
+  try {
+    return (await fetchPlaces())
+      .filter((p) => p.kind === 'authority')
+      .map((p) => ({ la: p.slug }));
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.warn('generateStaticParams: API unreachable, falling back to on-demand ISR.', error);
+    return [];
+  }
+}
+
+export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
+  const { la } = await params;
+  const detail = await fetchPlace('authority', la);
+  if (!detail) return { title: 'Place Not Found' };
+
+  const { name, count } = detail.place;
+  return {
+    title: `Schools in ${name} — Local Authority | schoolcompare`,
+    description:
+      `All ${count} schools in the ${name} local authority, ranked by SATs and GCSE `
+      + `results, with Ofsted grades and the authority average against England.`,
+    alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/authority/${la}`) },
+  };
+}
+
+export default async function AuthorityPage({ params }: Props) {
+  const { la } = await params;
+  const detail = await fetchPlace('authority', la);
+  if (!detail) notFound();
+
+  const national = await fetchNationalAverages().catch(() => null);
+  return (
+    <PlaceView
+      detail={detail}
+      englandAverage={national?.primary?.rwm_expected_pct ?? null}
+      neighbours={[]}
+    />
+  );
+}

nextjs-app/app/schools/near/[outcode]/page.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+/**
+ * Postcode district pages.
+ *
+ * No phase variants: nobody searches "primary schools in SW11", so the
+ * variants would be pages without demand. These exist to catch
+ * "schools near <postcode>" and to give London districts a geographic page
+ * where the GIAS town field cannot.
+ */
+import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';
+import type { Metadata } from 'next';
+import { fetchPlace, fetchPlaces } from '@/lib/places';
+import { fetchNationalAverages } from '@/lib/api';
+import { PlaceView } from '@/components/places/PlaceView';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
+
+interface Props { params: Promise<{ outcode: string }> }
+
+export const revalidate = 604800;
+export const dynamicParams = true;
+
+export async function generateStaticParams(): Promise<Array<{ outcode: string }>> {
+  // 1,760 of these; same CI budget argument as the town routes.
+  if (process.env.PRERENDER_PLACES !== '1') return [];
+  try {
+    return (await fetchPlaces())
+      .filter((p) => p.kind === 'outcode')
+      .map((p) => ({ outcode: p.slug }));
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.warn('generateStaticParams: API unreachable, falling back to on-demand ISR.', error);
+    return [];
+  }
+}
+
+export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
+  const { outcode } = await params;
+  const detail = await fetchPlace('outcode', outcode);
+  if (!detail) return { title: 'Place Not Found' };
+
+  const { name, count } = detail.place;
+  return {
+    title: `Schools near ${name} | schoolcompare`,
+    description:
+      `${count} schools in the ${name} postcode district, ranked by results, with `
+      + `Ofsted grades and how close you had to live to get a place.`,
+    alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/near/${outcode}`) },
+  };
+}
+
+export default async function OutcodePage({ params }: Props) {
+  const { outcode } = await params;
+  const detail = await fetchPlace('outcode', outcode);
+  if (!detail) notFound();
+
+  const national = await fetchNationalAverages().catch(() => null);
+  return (
+    <PlaceView
+      detail={detail}
+      englandAverage={national?.primary?.rwm_expected_pct ?? null}
+      neighbours={[]}
+    />
+  );
+}

nextjs-app/app/sitemap.xml/route.ts

@@ -1,32 +1,8 @@
-/**
+import { proxySitemap } from '@/lib/sitemapProxy';
- * Runtime proxy for /sitemap.xml → the FastAPI backend's generated sitemap.
- *
- * Like the /api/* proxy, this reads FASTAPI_URL at request time rather than
- * baking the backend host into the build, so one image works in every
- * environment. robots.ts points crawlers here.
- */
-
-import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
 
 export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic';
 export const runtime = 'nodejs';
 
-function backendOrigin(): string {
-  const base = process.env.FASTAPI_URL || process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL || 'http://localhost:8000/api';
-  return base.replace(/\/api$/, '');
-}
-
 export async function GET() {
-  let upstream: Response;
+  return proxySitemap('/sitemap.xml');
-  try {
-    upstream = await fetch(`${backendOrigin()}/sitemap.xml`, { cache: 'no-store' });
-  } catch {
-    return new NextResponse('Sitemap temporarily unavailable', { status: 502 });
-  }
-
-  const body = await upstream.text();
-  return new NextResponse(body, {
-    status: upstream.status,
-    headers: { 'content-type': upstream.headers.get('content-type') || 'application/xml' },
-  });
 }

nextjs-app/app/sitemaps/[...parts]/route.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
+import { proxySitemap } from '@/lib/sitemapProxy';
+
+export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic';
+export const runtime = 'nodejs';
+
+/**
+ * Children are /sitemaps/static.xml and /sitemaps/schools-{n}.xml. The name is
+ * validated here rather than passed through, so this route cannot be used to
+ * reach arbitrary backend paths.
+ */
+const CHILD = /^(static|schools-\d+|places-\d+|outcodes-\d+)\.xml$/;
+
+export async function GET(
+  _request: Request,
+  { params }: { params: Promise<{ parts: string[] }> },
+) {
+  const { parts } = await params;
+  const name = parts.join('/');
+  if (!CHILD.test(name)) {
+    return new NextResponse('Not found', { status: 404 });
+  }
+  return proxySitemap(`/sitemaps/${name}`);
+}

nextjs-app/components/CutoffTrendChart.tsx

@@ -1,123 +0,0 @@
-'use client';
-
-/**
- * CutoffTrendChart
- * The last distance offered, year by year.
- *
- * Two things this chart deliberately does not do.
- *
- * It does not join across gaps (`spanGaps: false`). A missing year is usually a
- * year the authority published nothing, and a line drawn through it would
- * assert a cut-off that was never measured.
- *
- * It does not plot the non-distance outcomes. A year in which the school was
- * not oversubscribed has no distance — that is the point of it — and giving it
- * a y-position would put a number on the axis that does not exist. The mockup
- * floated such years at the top of the plot; here they are a gap in the line
- * and a labelled row in the table underneath, which is where a reason can be
- * stated in words rather than implied by a coordinate.
- */
-
-import { Line } from 'react-chartjs-2';
-import { ChartOptions } from 'chart.js';
-import '@/lib/chartSetup';
-import { useThemeTokens, alpha } from '@/lib/theme';
-import type { CutoffYearRow } from './school/lastDistanceOffered';
-import styles from './AdmissionsTrendChart.module.css';
-
-const METRES_PER_MILE = 1609.344;
-
-export default function CutoffTrendChart({ rows }: { rows: CutoffYearRow[] }) {
-  // rows arrive newest-first; a time axis reads oldest-first.
-  const axis = [...rows].reverse();
-  const published = axis.filter((r) => r.distanceM != null);
-  if (published.length < 2) return null;
-
-  const labels = axis.map((r) => String(r.year));
-  const values: (number | null)[] = axis.map((r) =>
-    r.distanceM != null ? r.distanceM / METRES_PER_MILE : null,
-  );
-
-  const present = values.map((v, i) => (v != null ? i : -1)).filter((i) => i >= 0);
-  const lastIdx = present[present.length - 1];
-
-  const numeric = values.filter((v): v is number => v != null);
-  const lo = Math.min(...numeric);
-  const hi = Math.max(...numeric);
-  // Headroom proportional to the spread, with a floor so a flat series does not
-  // collapse onto a single gridline and read as more precise than it is.
-  const pad = Math.max(0.05, (hi - lo) * 0.25);
-  const yMin = Math.max(0, lo - pad);
-  const yMax = hi + pad;
-
-  const [cBrand, cGrid, cInverse, cInverseText, cCard] = useThemeTokens(
-    '--brand', '--chart-grid', '--surface-inverse', '--text-inverse', '--bg-card',
-  );
-
-  const options: ChartOptions<'line'> = {
-    responsive: true,
-    maintainAspectRatio: false,
-    interaction: { mode: 'index', intersect: false },
-    layout: { padding: { top: 8 } },
-    plugins: {
-      legend: { display: false },
-      title: { display: false },
-      tooltip: {
-        backgroundColor: cInverse,
-        titleColor: cInverseText,
-        bodyColor: cInverseText,
-        padding: 10,
-        titleFont: { size: 12 },
-        bodyFont: { size: 12 },
-        callbacks: {
-          label: (ctx) =>
-            ctx.parsed.y == null ? '' : `Last distance offered: ${ctx.parsed.y.toFixed(2)} miles`,
-        },
-      },
-    },
-    scales: {
-      y: {
-        min: yMin,
-        max: yMax,
-        grid: { color: cGrid },
-        ticks: {
-          font: { size: 11 },
-          maxTicksLimit: 5,
-          callback: (v) => `${Number(v).toFixed(2)} mi`,
-        },
-      },
-      x: {
-        grid: { display: false },
-        ticks: { font: { size: 11 }, autoSkip: true, maxRotation: 0, autoSkipPadding: 16 },
-      },
-    },
-  };
-
-  const data = {
-    labels,
-    datasets: [
-      {
-        label: 'Last distance offered',
-        data: values,
-        clip: false as const,
-        spanGaps: false,
-        borderColor: cBrand,
-        backgroundColor: alpha('--brand', 0.10),
-        borderWidth: 2.5,
-        tension: 0.3,
-        fill: true,
-        pointRadius: values.map((v, i) => (v == null ? 0 : i === lastIdx ? 5 : 3)),
-        pointBackgroundColor: cBrand,
-        pointBorderColor: cCard,
-        pointBorderWidth: values.map((_, i) => (i === lastIdx ? 2 : 0)),
-        pointHoverRadius: 6,
-      },
-    ],
-  };
-
-  return (
-    <div className={styles.wrapper}>
-      <Line data={data} options={options} />
-    </div>
-  );
-}

nextjs-app/components/places/PlaceView.module.css

@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+/* Tokens only — see globals.css. Matches RankingsView's conventions. */
+.container {
+  width: 100%;
+  min-width: 0;
+}
+
+.header {
+  margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+}
+
+.header h1 {
+  font-size: 2.25rem;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  color: var(--text-primary);
+  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+  font-family: var(--font-display);
+  text-wrap: balance;
+}
+
+.summary {
+  font-size: 1rem;
+  color: var(--text-secondary);
+  margin: 0;
+  line-height: 1.6;
+}
+
+/* The one number a list cannot give you, so it gets its own band. */
+.compare {
+  background: var(--bg-secondary);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  padding: 0.875rem 1.125rem;
+  margin: 0 0 1.5rem;
+  color: var(--text-primary);
+  font-size: 1rem;
+}
+
+.ofsted {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  gap: 0.5rem 1.25rem;
+  list-style: none;
+  padding: 0;
+  margin: 0 0 1.5rem;
+  font-size: 0.9375rem;
+  color: var(--text-secondary);
+}
+
+/* Wide content scrolls in its own container so the page body never does. */
+.tableWrap {
+  overflow-x: auto;
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  background: var(--bg-card);
+}
+
+.table {
+  width: 100%;
+  border-collapse: collapse;
+  font-size: 0.9375rem;
+}
+
+.table th,
+.table td {
+  padding: 0.75rem 1rem;
+  text-align: left;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+}
+
+.table th {
+  background: var(--bg-secondary);
+  color: var(--text-secondary);
+  font-weight: 600;
+  font-size: 0.8125rem;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.04em;
+}
+
+.table tbody tr:last-child td {
+  border-bottom: none;
+}
+
+.table th:last-child,
+.num {
+  text-align: right;
+  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+}
+
+.neighbours {
+  margin-top: 2rem;
+}
+
+.neighbours h2 {
+  font-size: 1.125rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  color: var(--text-primary);
+  margin: 0 0 0.75rem;
+  font-family: var(--font-display);
+}
+
+.neighbours ul {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  gap: 0.5rem 1rem;
+  list-style: none;
+  padding: 0;
+  margin: 0;
+}

nextjs-app/components/places/PlaceView.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+/**
+ * One place page, shared by all four families.
+ *
+ * They differ in what fills the registry, not in what the page shows, so a
+ * second component would be a second place to forget the same change.
+ *
+ * The local-versus-England comparison is the reason this page is not a list:
+ * it is the one number a parent cannot get by reading the schools one by one,
+ * and it is what keeps the page from reading as a name dropped into a
+ * template.
+ */
+import Link from 'next/link';
+import type { PlaceDetail, PlaceSummary } from '@/lib/places';
+import { placeUrl, authoritySlug } from '@/lib/places';
+import { schoolUrl } from '@/lib/utils';
+import { absoluteUrl } from '@/lib/site';
+import styles from './PlaceView.module.css';
+
+interface Props {
+  detail: PlaceDetail;
+  phase?: 'primary' | 'secondary';
+  englandAverage: number | null;
+  /** Nearby places, so the page links onward instead of dead-ending. */
+  neighbours: PlaceSummary[];
+}
+
+// Ofsted grades in the order they are reported.
+const OFSTED_LABELS: Array<[number, string]> = [
+  [1, 'Outstanding'], [2, 'Good'],
+  [3, 'Requires improvement'], [4, 'Inadequate'],
+];
+
+export function PlaceView({ detail, phase, englandAverage, neighbours }: Props) {
+  const { place, schools, averages } = detail;
+  const metric = phase === 'secondary' ? 'attainment_8_score' : 'rwm_expected_pct';
+  const local = averages[metric];
+  const phaseWord = phase === 'secondary' ? 'Secondary schools'
+    : phase === 'primary' ? 'Primary schools' : 'Schools';
+  const graded = OFSTED_LABELS
+    .map(([grade, label]) => [label, schools.filter((s) => s.ofsted_grade === grade).length] as const)
+    .filter(([, n]) => n > 0);
+
+  // ItemList tells Google this page is a ranked set rather than prose;
+  // BreadcrumbList puts the place in a hierarchy. Capped at 20 because that
+  // is what the page shows above the fold and what the markup should mirror.
+  const jsonLd = {
+    '@context': 'https://schema.org',
+    '@graph': [
+      {
+        '@type': 'ItemList',
+        name: `${phaseWord} in ${place.name}`,
+        numberOfItems: schools.length,
+        itemListElement: schools.slice(0, 20).map((s, i) => ({
+          '@type': 'ListItem',
+          position: i + 1,
+          url: absoluteUrl(schoolUrl(s.urn, s.school_name)),
+          name: s.school_name,
+        })),
+      },
+      {
+        '@type': 'BreadcrumbList',
+        itemListElement: [
+          { '@type': 'ListItem', position: 1, name: 'Schools',
+            item: absoluteUrl('/') },
+          { '@type': 'ListItem', position: 2, name: place.name },
+        ],
+      },
+    ],
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div className={styles.container}>
+      <script
+        type="application/ld+json"
+        dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: JSON.stringify(jsonLd) }}
+      />
+      <header className={styles.header}>
+        <h1>{phaseWord} in {place.name}</h1>
+        <p className={styles.summary}>
+          {place.count} schools
+          {place.parent_authority && (
+            <>
+              {' · '}
+              <Link href={`/schools/authority/${authoritySlug(place.parent_authority)}`}>
+                {place.parent_authority}
+              </Link>
+            </>
+          )}
+        </p>
+      </header>
+
+      {local != null && englandAverage != null && (
+        <p className={styles.compare} data-testid="local-vs-england">
+          {place.name} averages <strong>{Math.round(local)}</strong> against{' '}
+          <strong>{Math.round(englandAverage)}</strong> across England.
+        </p>
+      )}
+
+      {graded.length > 0 && (
+        <ul className={styles.ofsted} data-testid="ofsted-distribution">
+          {graded.map(([label, n]) => (
+            <li key={label}>{label}: <strong>{n}</strong></li>
+          ))}
+        </ul>
+      )}
+
+      <div className={styles.tableWrap}>
+        <table className={styles.table}>
+          <thead>
+            <tr>
+              <th>School</th>
+              <th>{phase === 'secondary' ? 'Attainment 8' : 'RWM expected'}</th>
+            </tr>
+          </thead>
+          <tbody>
+            {schools.map((s) => (
+              <tr key={s.urn}>
+                <td>
+                  <Link href={schoolUrl(s.urn, s.school_name)}>{s.school_name}</Link>
+                </td>
+                <td className={styles.num}>
+                  {s[metric] == null ? '—' : Math.round(Number(s[metric]))}
+                </td>
+              </tr>
+            ))}
+          </tbody>
+        </table>
+      </div>
+
+      {neighbours.length > 0 && (
+        <nav className={styles.neighbours} aria-label="Nearby places">
+          <h2>Nearby</h2>
+          <ul>
+            {neighbours.map((n) => (
+              <li key={n.kind + n.slug}>
+                <Link href={placeUrl(n.kind, n.slug)}>{n.name}</Link>
+              </li>
+            ))}
+          </ul>
+        </nav>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+}

nextjs-app/components/school/AdmissionsSection.tsx

@@ -70,10 +70,16 @@ export function AdmissionsSection({
   {/* Spans both columns rather than taking a half-width cell. This is the
       figure parents come to the page for, and at tile width the two-line
       "0.31 miles / September 2025" pairing wraps badly. */}
+  {/* The {' '} between the figure and its metric support is not decoration.
+      The two are flex children, so the gap is drawn by CSS and the text layer
+      had nothing between them: textContent read "0.88 miles1.4 km", which is
+      what a screen reader announces and what any text matcher sees. Whitespace
+      text nodes are not rendered as flex items, so this changes the reading
+      without changing the layout. */}
   const distanceTile = cutoff && (
     <div className={`${styles.admissionsTile} ${styles.admissionsTileDistance}`}>
       <dd className={styles.admissionsTileNum}>
-        {cutoff.primary}
+        {cutoff.primary}{' '}
         <span className={styles.admissionsTileSub}>{cutoff.secondary}</span>
       </dd>
       <dt className={styles.admissionsTileLabel}>

nextjs-app/components/school/CutoffDistanceDetail.tsx

@@ -1,75 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * CutoffDistanceDetail — the full year-by-year cut-off story.
- *
- * Chart, table, map and postcode check, in that order: the shape of the trend,
- * then what happened in each year, then the same numbers over real streets,
- * then the reader's own address measured against them.
- *
- * Shared by both templates because the content is identical, but placed
- * differently by each. The primary page has a segmented control and gives this
- * its own "Distance" tab; the secondary page is one flat panel by design, so it
- * renders inline beneath the metric cards. Extracting it keeps the caveats and
- * the ordering from drifting apart between the two.
- *
- * Server component — the map and postcode form are the only client parts, and
- * they carry their own boundary.
- */
-
-import type { School } from '@/lib/types';
-import { sectionStyles as styles } from './sectionShared';
-import { CutoffTrendChart } from './charts';
-import { CutoffYearTable } from './CutoffYearTable';
-import { CutoffMapPanel } from './CutoffMapPanel';
-import {
-  cutoffTrendSummary, cutoffCoverageNote, CUTOFF_CHECK_CAVEAT,
-  type CutoffYearRow,
-} from './lastDistanceOffered';
-
-export function CutoffDistanceDetail({
-  rows,
-  schoolInfo,
-}: {
-  rows: CutoffYearRow[];
-  schoolInfo: School;
-}) {
-  const publishedYears = rows.filter((r) => r.status === 'published').length;
-  if (publishedYears < 2) return null;
-
-  const trendSummary = cutoffTrendSummary(rows);
-  const coverageNote = cutoffCoverageNote(rows);
-  /*
-   * The chart appears at the same four points that let cutoffTrendSummary
-   * state a direction. Below that we already refuse to call the series a
-   * trend, and drawing a trend line under that refusal contradicts it — three
-   * points joined by a line say "look, it is falling" whatever the sentence
-   * beneath admits. The table carries every one of those years anyway, with
-   * the reasons a line cannot show, so nothing is lost by leaving it out.
-   */
-  const showChart = publishedYears >= 4;
-
-  return (
-    <>
-      {showChart && (
-        <>
-          <div className={styles.admissionsChartCap}>Last distance offered, by year</div>
-          <CutoffTrendChart rows={rows} />
-          <p className={styles.cutoffChartKey}>
-            Gaps are years with no published figure — the line is never drawn
-            across one. The table says what happened in each.
-          </p>
-        </>
-      )}
-      {trendSummary && <p className={styles.admissionsTrendSummary}>{trendSummary}</p>}
-
-      <CutoffYearTable rows={rows} />
-      {coverageNote && <p className={styles.cutoffChartKey}>{coverageNote}</p>}
-
-      <CutoffMapPanel schoolInfo={schoolInfo} rows={rows} />
-
-      {/* The single caveat for the whole section. It lives here rather than
-          inside the check, so it still renders for a school with no
-          coordinates — where there is a table but no map and no check. */}
-      <p className={styles.cutoffCheckCaveat}>{CUTOFF_CHECK_CAVEAT}</p>
-    </>
-  );
-}

nextjs-app/components/school/CutoffMapPanel.tsx

@@ -1,33 +1,36 @@
 'use client';
 
 /**
- * CutoffMapPanel — "Where the last place went".
+ * CutoffMapPanel — "How far away are you?"
  *
- * The rings and the postcode check live in one component because they are one
+ * Measures a postcode against the one cut-off we publish, and will draw that
- * question asked twice: the form answers "how far are we?" and the map shows
+ * cut-off as a ring around the school on request.
- * that answer against the cut-offs. Entering a postcode drops a pin on the same
- * rings rather than producing a separate verdict elsewhere on the page.
  *
- * The map is not rendered until asked for. Before a postcode is entered it is a
+ * It used to compare against every published year and show a set of shrinking
+ * rings. Earlier years are now held back as a paid feature and no longer leave
+ * the API, so this answers one question about one year — which makes the
+ * verdict sharper to state, and puts more weight on qualifying it properly,
+ * since there is no run of years left to soften a single close call.
+ *
+ * The map is not rendered until asked for: before a postcode is entered it is a
  * circle drawn round a school, and it costs a Leaflet bundle and 240px of
- * section height to say that; a successful check opens it automatically,
+ * height to say that. A successful check opens it automatically, because that
- * because that is the point at which it starts answering something.
+ * is the point at which it starts answering something.
  *
  * The postcode never leaves the browser except to postcodes.io for a lat/long,
  * and nothing is stored — this is a client-side measurement, not a lookup
  * against the family.
  */
 
-import { useState, useMemo, type FormEvent } from 'react';
+import { useState, type FormEvent } from 'react';
 import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';
-import type { School } from '@/lib/types';
+import type { School, SchoolAdmissionDistance } from '@/lib/types';
 import { geocodePostcode, calculateDistance } from '@/lib/api';
 import { isValidPostcode } from '@/lib/utils';
 import {
-  compareToCutoffs,
+  compareToCutoff, CUTOFF_CHECK_CAVEAT,
-  type CutoffYearRow, type CutoffCheckResult, type CutoffVerdict,
+  type CutoffCheckResult, type CutoffVerdict,
 } from './lastDistanceOffered';
-import type { CutoffRing } from '../LeafletCutoffMapInner';
 import styles from './schoolSections.module.css';
 
 const CutoffMap = dynamic(() => import('../LeafletCutoffMapInner'), {
@@ -35,65 +38,35 @@ const CutoffMap = dynamic(() => import('../LeafletCutoffMapInner'), {
   loading: () => <div className={styles.cutoffMapSkeleton} aria-hidden="true" />,
 });
 
-const VERDICT_MARK: Record<CutoffVerdict, string> = {
-  inside: '✓',
-  outside: '✕',
-  'too-close': '≈',
-  unknown: '–',
-};
-
-const VERDICT_TITLE: Record<CutoffVerdict, string> = {
-  inside: 'Inside that year’s cut-off',
-  outside: 'Outside that year’s cut-off',
-  'too-close': 'Too close to the cut-off to say',
-  unknown: 'No published figure for this year',
-};
-
 // Written out rather than composed from the verdict string. A computed
 // `styles[...]` key silently yields undefined when a class is renamed, and an
-// unstyled "outside" chip would look exactly like an "inside" one.
+// unstyled "outside" result would look exactly like an "inside" one.
 const VERDICT_CLASS: Record<CutoffVerdict, string> = {
-  inside: styles.cutoffYearInside,
+  inside: styles.cutoffResultInside,
-  outside: styles.cutoffYearOutside,
+  outside: styles.cutoffResultOutside,
-  'too-close': styles.cutoffYearTooClose,
+  'too-close': styles.cutoffResultTooClose,
-  unknown: styles.cutoffYearUnknown,
 };
 
 export function CutoffMapPanel({
   schoolInfo,
-  rows,
+  cutoff,
 }: {
   schoolInfo: School;
-  rows: CutoffYearRow[];
+  cutoff: SchoolAdmissionDistance;
 }) {
   const [postcode, setPostcode] = useState('');
   const [home, setHome] = useState<{ lat: number; lng: number } | null>(null);
   const [result, setResult] = useState<CutoffCheckResult | null>(null);
   const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
-  /* The map is not rendered until it is asked for. It costs a Leaflet bundle
-     and 240px of section height, and before a postcode is entered it is a
-     circle drawn round a school — it only starts answering a question once
-     there is a home to put beside the rings. A successful check therefore
-     opens it automatically. */
   const [mapOpen, setMapOpen] = useState(false);
 
   const lat = schoolInfo.latitude;
   const lng = schoolInfo.longitude;
+  const cutoffM = cutoff.distance_m;
 
-  const rings: CutoffRing[] = useMemo(() => {
+  // Without coordinates there is nothing to measure against and nothing to draw.
-    const published = rows.filter((r) => r.distanceM != null);
+  if (lat == null || lng == null || cutoffM == null) return null;
-    return published.map((r, i) => ({
-      year: r.year,
-      radiusM: r.distanceM as number,
-      // rows are newest-first, so the first published row is the current year.
-      latest: i === 0,
-    }));
-  }, [rows]);
-
-  // Without coordinates there is nothing to draw rings around and nothing to
-  // measure a postcode against.
-  if (lat == null || lng == null || rings.length === 0) return null;
 
   const onCheck = async (e: FormEvent) => {
     e.preventDefault();
@@ -121,7 +94,7 @@ export function CutoffMapPanel({
       setMapOpen(true);
       // calculateDistance returns kilometres; everything here is metres.
       const metres = calculateDistance(point.latitude, point.longitude, lat, lng) * 1000;
-      setResult(compareToCutoffs(metres, rows));
+      setResult(compareToCutoff(metres, cutoffM, cutoff.year));
     } catch {
       setError('Something went wrong looking up that postcode. Try again in a moment.');
       setResult(null);
@@ -131,96 +104,78 @@ export function CutoffMapPanel({
     }
   };
 
-  const latestRing = rings[0];
-
   return (
-    <div className={styles.cutoffMapPanel}>
+    <div className={styles.cutoffCheck}>
-      {/* No "Where the last place went" heading above this any more. It
+      <p className={styles.cutoffCheckSub}>
-          introduced a map that now sits behind a button, so it named nothing,
+        Straight-line distance from your postcode, compared with the September{' '}
-          and it echoed the section title directly above it. */}
+        {cutoff.year} cut-off. Not stored.
-      <div className={styles.cutoffCheck}>
+      </p>
-        <h3 className={styles.cutoffCheckTitle}>How far away are you?</h3>
-        <p className={styles.cutoffCheckSub}>
-          Straight-line distance from your postcode, compared with each year’s
-          cut-off. Not stored.
-        </p>
 
-        <form className={styles.cutoffCheckForm} onSubmit={onCheck}>
+      <form className={styles.cutoffCheckForm} onSubmit={onCheck}>
-          <label className={styles.srOnly} htmlFor="cutoff-postcode">Your postcode</label>
+        <label className={styles.srOnly} htmlFor="cutoff-postcode">Your postcode</label>
-          <input
+        <input
-            id="cutoff-postcode"
+          id="cutoff-postcode"
-            type="text"
+          type="text"
-            inputMode="text"
+          inputMode="text"
-            autoComplete="postal-code"
+          autoComplete="postal-code"
-            spellCheck={false}
+          spellCheck={false}
-            placeholder="e.g. SE23 3NA"
+          placeholder="e.g. SE23 3NA"
-            value={postcode}
+          value={postcode}
-            onChange={(e) => setPostcode(e.target.value)}
+          onChange={(e) => setPostcode(e.target.value)}
-            className={styles.cutoffCheckInput}
+          className={styles.cutoffCheckInput}
-          />
+        />
-          <button type="submit" className={styles.cutoffCheckButton} disabled={busy}>
+        <button type="submit" className={styles.cutoffCheckButton} disabled={busy}>
-            {busy ? 'Checking…' : 'Check'}
+          {busy ? 'Checking…' : 'Check'}
-          </button>
+        </button>
-        </form>
+      </form>
 
-        {error && <p className={styles.cutoffCheckError} role="alert">{error}</p>}
+      {error && <p className={styles.cutoffCheckError} role="alert">{error}</p>}
 
-        {result && (
+      {result && (
-          <div className={styles.cutoffCheckResult} role="status">
+        <div
-            <p className={styles.cutoffCheckHeadline}>{result.headline}</p>
+          className={`${styles.cutoffCheckResult} ${VERDICT_CLASS[result.verdict]}`}
-            {result.detail && <p className={styles.cutoffCheckDetail}>{result.detail}</p>}
+          role="status"
+        >
+          <p className={styles.cutoffCheckHeadline}>{result.headline}</p>
+          {result.detail && <p className={styles.cutoffCheckDetail}>{result.detail}</p>}
+        </div>
+      )}
 
-            <ul className={styles.cutoffYearStrip}>
+      {mapOpen ? (
-              {[...result.years].reverse().map((y) => (
+        <div className={styles.cutoffMapReveal}>
-                <li
+          <div className={styles.cutoffMapFigure}>
-                  key={y.year}
+            <CutoffMap
-                  className={`${styles.cutoffYearChip} ${VERDICT_CLASS[y.verdict]}`}
+              lat={lat}
-                  title={VERDICT_TITLE[y.verdict]}
+              lng={lng}
-                >
+              rings={[{ year: cutoff.year, radiusM: cutoffM, latest: true }]}
-                  <span className={styles.cutoffYearChipYear}>{y.year}</span>
+              home={home}
-                  <span aria-hidden="true">{VERDICT_MARK[y.verdict]}</span>
+              interactive={false}
-                  <span className={styles.srOnly}>{VERDICT_TITLE[y.verdict]}</span>
+            />
-                </li>
-              ))}
-            </ul>
           </div>
-        )}
+          <ul className={styles.cutoffMapLegend}>
-
+            <li>
-        {mapOpen ? (
+              <span className={`${styles.cutoffSwatch} ${styles.cutoffSwatchNow}`} aria-hidden="true" />
-          <div className={styles.cutoffMapReveal}>
+              September {cutoff.year} cut-off
-            <div className={styles.cutoffMapFigure}>
+            </li>
-              <CutoffMap lat={lat} lng={lng} rings={rings} home={home} interactive={false} />
+            {home && (
-            </div>
-            <ul className={styles.cutoffMapLegend}>
               <li>
-                <span className={`${styles.cutoffSwatch} ${styles.cutoffSwatchNow}`} aria-hidden="true" />
+                <span className={`${styles.cutoffSwatch} ${styles.cutoffSwatchHome}`} aria-hidden="true" />
-                {latestRing.year} cut-off
+                Your postcode
               </li>
-              {rings.length > 1 && (
+            )}
-                <li>
+          </ul>
-                  <span className={`${styles.cutoffSwatch} ${styles.cutoffSwatchPast}`} aria-hidden="true" />
+        </div>
-                  Earlier years, {rings[rings.length - 1].year}–{rings[1].year}
+      ) : (
-                </li>
+        <button
-              )}
+          type="button"
-              {home && (
+          className={styles.cutoffMapToggle}
-                <li>
+          onClick={() => setMapOpen(true)}
-                  <span className={`${styles.cutoffSwatch} ${styles.cutoffSwatchHome}`} aria-hidden="true" />
+        >
-                  Your postcode
+          Show this distance on a map
-                </li>
+        </button>
-              )}
+      )}
-            </ul>
-          </div>
-        ) : (
-          <button
-            type="button"
-            className={styles.cutoffMapToggle}
-            onClick={() => setMapOpen(true)}
-          >
-            Show these distances on a map
-          </button>
-        )}
 
-      </div>
+      <p className={styles.cutoffCheckCaveat}>{CUTOFF_CHECK_CAVEAT}</p>
     </div>
   );
 }

nextjs-app/components/school/CutoffYearTable.tsx

@@ -1,82 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * CutoffYearTable — the last distance offered, year by year.
- *
- * The table is where the chart's gaps get explained. Each year says which of
- * the three things happened, in words, because "no figure" alone is the least
- * useful thing we could tell a parent about a year.
- *
- * Server component: it is static markup over data the page already holds.
- */
-
-import type { CutoffYearRow, CutoffYearStatus } from './lastDistanceOffered';
-import { sectionStyles as styles } from './sectionShared';
-
-const STATUS_LABEL: Record<CutoffYearStatus, string> = {
-  published: 'Oversubscribed',
-  // Precisely what the EES field supports, and no more: first preferences did
-  // not exceed places. It does not establish that every applicant was offered
-  // a place, so it must not be worded as though it did.
-  'not-oversubscribed': 'Places available on first preferences',
-  'not-published': 'Not published',
-};
-
-const STATUS_CLASS: Record<CutoffYearStatus, string> = {
-  published: styles.cutoffPillOver,
-  'not-oversubscribed': styles.cutoffPillOk,
-  'not-published': styles.cutoffPillNa,
-};
-
-const DISTANCE_TEXT: Record<CutoffYearStatus, string> = {
-  published: '',
-  'not-oversubscribed': 'No cut-off needed',
-  'not-published': '—',
-};
-
-export function CutoffYearTable({ rows }: { rows: CutoffYearRow[] }) {
-  if (rows.length === 0) return null;
-
-  const showPlaces = rows.some((r) => r.placesOffered != null);
-
-  return (
-    <div className={styles.cutoffTableWrap}>
-      <table className={styles.cutoffTable}>
-        <caption className={styles.srOnly}>
-          Last distance offered by year, with the reason where no figure was published
-        </caption>
-        <thead>
-          <tr>
-            <th scope="col">Year</th>
-            <th scope="col">Last distance</th>
-            {showPlaces && <th scope="col">Places</th>}
-            <th scope="col">Status</th>
-          </tr>
-        </thead>
-        <tbody>
-          {rows.map((r, i) => (
-            <tr key={r.year} className={i === 0 ? styles.cutoffRowLatest : undefined}>
-              <th scope="row">{r.year}</th>
-              <td className={r.status === 'published' ? undefined : styles.cutoffCellMissing}>
-                {r.status === 'published' ? r.figure : DISTANCE_TEXT[r.status]}
-                {r.status === 'published' && (r.routeCount ?? 1) > 1 && (
-                  <span className={styles.cutoffRouteFlag}>
-                    {' '}furthest of {r.routeCount}
-                  </span>
-                )}
-              </td>
-              {showPlaces && (
-                <td className={r.placesOffered == null ? styles.cutoffCellMissing : undefined}>
-                  {r.placesOffered ?? '—'}
-                </td>
-              )}
-              <td>
-                <span className={`${styles.cutoffPill} ${STATUS_CLASS[r.status]}`}>
-                  {STATUS_LABEL[r.status]}
-                </span>
-              </td>
-            </tr>
-          ))}
-        </tbody>
-      </table>
-    </div>
-  );
-}

nextjs-app/components/school/DistanceSection.tsx

@@ -1,50 +1,51 @@
 /**
- * DistanceSection — "How far the last place went".
+ * DistanceSection — "How far away are you?"
  *
- * Its own section rather than a third tab inside Admissions.
+ * The section exists to answer one question a parent cannot answer from a
+ * number alone: whether their own address falls inside it. The figure itself is
+ * already on the Admissions tile above; this turns it into something they can
+ * act on.
  *
- * It began as a tab, which broke the admissions card in a way worth recording:
+ * Scope note. This used to carry the full published record — chart, year table
- * the two admissions views are stacked in one grid cell so switching them never
+ * and a set of shrinking rings. Earlier years are now held back as a paid
- * shifts layout, which means the card is sized by its TALLEST view. A view
+ * feature and no longer leave the API at all, so what remains is the latest
- * carrying a chart, a table and a map came to 1402px against the tile grid's
+ * year and the check against it. The pipeline is unchanged: every published
- * 316px, so the default view — the one nobody had clicked — rendered as four
+ * year is still loaded into fact_admission_distance, so restoring history for
- * tiles adrift in ~1080px of blank card, and Admissions alone accounted for
+ * entitled callers is a serving change rather than a re-collection.
- * half the height of every section on the page.
- *
- * The structural point stands on its own though: every other topic here is a
- * section with a nav entry, and "how close did we need to live, and would we
- * have got in?" is a topic, not a variant reading of the intake figures. The
- * headline number stays on the Admissions tile where the intake story is; the
- * record behind it lives here.
  *
  * Server component; the map and postcode form carry their own client boundary.
  */
 
-import type { School, SchoolAdmissions, SchoolAdmissionDistance } from '@/lib/types';
+import type { School, SchoolAdmissionDistance } from '@/lib/types';
 import { Section, sectionStyles as styles } from './sectionShared';
-import { CutoffDistanceDetail } from './CutoffDistanceDetail';
+import { CutoffMapPanel } from './CutoffMapPanel';
-import { cutoffYearRows, hasCutoffDetail } from './lastDistanceOffered';
 
 export function DistanceSection({
-  admissionDistanceHistory,
+  admissionDistance,
-  admissionsHistory,
   schoolInfo,
 }: {
-  admissionDistanceHistory: SchoolAdmissionDistance[];
+  admissionDistance: SchoolAdmissionDistance | null;
-  admissionsHistory: SchoolAdmissions[];
   schoolInfo: School;
 }) {
-  const rows = cutoffYearRows(admissionDistanceHistory, admissionsHistory);
+  // Without a figure there is nothing to compare against, and without
-  if (!hasCutoffDetail(rows)) return null;
+  // coordinates there is nothing to measure — CutoffMapPanel enforces the
+  // second, but the section must not render an empty card either way.
+  if (
+    admissionDistance?.distance_m == null
+    || schoolInfo.latitude == null
+    || schoolInfo.longitude == null
+  ) {
+    return null;
+  }
 
   return (
     <Section id="distance">
-      <h2 className={styles.sectionTitle}>How far the last place went</h2>
+      <h2 className={styles.sectionTitle}>How far away are you?</h2>
       <p className={styles.sectionSubtitle}>
-        The distance of the furthest home offered a place each year, and how your
+        Check your postcode against the furthest home offered a place in
-        own address compares.
+        September {admissionDistance.year}.
       </p>
-      <CutoffDistanceDetail rows={rows} schoolInfo={schoolInfo} />
+      <CutoffMapPanel schoolInfo={schoolInfo} cutoff={admissionDistance} />
     </Section>
   );
 }

nextjs-app/components/school/PrimarySchoolSections.tsx

@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ export interface PrimarySchoolSectionsProps {
   admissions: SchoolAdmissions | null;
   admissionsHistory: SchoolAdmissions[];
   admissionDistance: SchoolAdmissionDistance | null;
-  admissionDistanceHistory: SchoolAdmissionDistance[];
   deprivation: SchoolDeprivation | null;
   finance: SchoolFinance | null;
   nationalAvg: NationalAverages | null;
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@ export interface PrimarySchoolSectionsProps {
 
 export function PrimarySchoolSections({
   schoolInfo, yearlyData, absenceData, ofsted, census,
-  admissions, admissionsHistory, admissionDistance, admissionDistanceHistory,
+  admissions, admissionsHistory, admissionDistance,
   deprivation, finance, nationalAvg, flags,
 }: PrimarySchoolSectionsProps) {
   const primaryAvg = nationalAvg?.primary ?? {};
@@ -110,11 +109,7 @@ export function PrimarySchoolSections({
 
       {/* Its own section, directly after Admissions: it answers the question
           the tile above raises. */}
-      <DistanceSection
+      <DistanceSection admissionDistance={admissionDistance} schoolInfo={schoolInfo} />
-        admissionDistanceHistory={admissionDistanceHistory}
-        admissionsHistory={admissionsHistory}
-        schoolInfo={schoolInfo}
-      />
 
       {flags.hasInclusionData && (
         <InclusionSection

nextjs-app/components/school/SecondaryAdmissionsSection.tsx

@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ export function SecondaryAdmissionsSection({
               Last distance offered · {cutoff.entryYear}
             </div>
             <div className={styles.metricValue}>
-              {cutoff.primary}
+              {cutoff.primary}{' '}
               <span className={styles.metricValueSub}>{cutoff.secondary}</span>
             </div>
           </div>

nextjs-app/components/school/SecondarySchoolSections.tsx

@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ export interface SecondarySchoolSectionsProps {
    *  school simply was not oversubscribed. */
   admissionsHistory: SchoolAdmissions[];
   admissionDistance: SchoolAdmissionDistance | null;
-  admissionDistanceHistory: SchoolAdmissionDistance[];
   deprivation: SchoolDeprivation | null;
   finance: SchoolFinance | null;
   nationalAvg: NationalAverages | null;
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@ export interface SecondarySchoolSectionsProps {
 
 export function SecondarySchoolSections({
   schoolInfo, yearlyData, ofsted, census,
-  admissions, admissionsHistory, admissionDistance, admissionDistanceHistory,
+  admissions, admissionsHistory, admissionDistance,
   deprivation, finance, nationalAvg, flags,
 }: SecondarySchoolSectionsProps) {
   const secondaryAvg = nationalAvg?.secondary ?? {};
@@ -99,11 +98,7 @@ export function SecondarySchoolSections({
       )}
 
       {/* See PrimarySchoolSections — same placement, same reason. */}
-      <DistanceSection
+      <DistanceSection admissionDistance={admissionDistance} schoolInfo={schoolInfo} />
-        admissionDistanceHistory={admissionDistanceHistory}
-        admissionsHistory={admissionsHistory}
-        schoolInfo={schoolInfo}
-      />
 
       {yearlyData.length > 1 && (
         <SecondaryHistorySection

nextjs-app/components/school/charts.tsx

@@ -24,8 +24,3 @@ export const AdmissionsTrendChart = dynamic(
   () => import('../AdmissionsTrendChart'),
   { ssr: false },
 );
-
-export const CutoffTrendChart = dynamic(
-  () => import('../CutoffTrendChart'),
-  { ssr: false },
-);

nextjs-app/components/school/lastDistanceOffered.ts

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
  */
 
 import type { SchoolAdmissionDistance } from '@/lib/types';
-import { formatCutoffDistance, formatEntryYear } from '@/lib/utils';
+import { formatCutoffDistance, formatMiles, formatEntryYear } from '@/lib/utils';
 
 export interface CutoffDisplay {
   /** Headline figure, e.g. "0.31 miles". */
@@ -60,237 +60,80 @@ export function describeCutoff(
   };
 }
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Year-by-year history
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/**
- * Why a year has no cut-off figure.
- *
- * The distinction matters more than the figure does. A missing year is not one
- * fact but three, and collapsing them into "no data" throws away the most
- * reassuring case (the school had places for everyone who put it first) and
- * the most important caveat (nobody published anything, so we cannot say).
- */
-export type CutoffYearStatus =
-  /** The authority published a cut-off for this year. */
-  | 'published'
-  /**
-   * No cut-off published, and EES shows fewer first-preference applications
-   * than places offered. Note the precise claim: this says the school was not
-   * oversubscribed ON FIRST PREFERENCES, which is what the data supports. It
-   * does NOT establish that every applicant was offered a place — total
-   * applications can still exceed places — so no copy here may say so.
-   */
-  | 'not-oversubscribed'
-  /** Nothing published, and nothing in the admissions data to explain why. */
-  | 'not-published';
-
-export interface CutoffYearRow {
-  year: number;
-  status: CutoffYearStatus;
-  /** Straight-line metres, present only when status is 'published'. */
-  distanceM: number | null;
-  /** Formatted figure, present only when status is 'published'. */
-  figure: string | null;
-  placesOffered: number | null;
-  routeCount: number | null;
-}
-
-interface AdmissionsYearLike {
-  year: number;
-  places_offered?: number | null;
-  oversubscribed?: boolean | null;
-}
-
-/**
- * EES years are six-digit academic codes (202425); cut-off years are plain
- * entry years (2024). Both denote the same September intake, so they have to be
- * reduced to a common key before they can be matched.
- */
-export function entryYearOf(year: number): number {
-  const s = String(year);
-  return s.length === 6 ? Number(s.slice(0, 4)) : year;
-}
-
-/**
- * One row per year across the full span the school has any record for, newest
- * first. Years with no record at all still appear — an unbroken axis is what
- * makes a gap legible as a gap.
- */
-export function cutoffYearRows(
-  /* Defaulted, not merely optional: admission_distance_history is an additive
-     API field, so a frontend deployed ahead of its backend receives undefined
-     here. Defaulting keeps that a section that renders nothing rather than a
-     page that throws. */
-  history: SchoolAdmissionDistance[] = [],
-  admissionsHistory: AdmissionsYearLike[] = [],
-): CutoffYearRow[] {
-  const published = new Map<number, SchoolAdmissionDistance>();
-  for (const d of history ?? []) {
-    if (d.distance_m != null) published.set(entryYearOf(d.year), d);
-  }
-
-  const admissions = new Map<number, AdmissionsYearLike>();
-  for (const a of admissionsHistory ?? []) admissions.set(entryYearOf(a.year), a);
-
-  const years = [...published.keys(), ...admissions.keys()];
-  if (years.length === 0) return [];
-
-  // The span is bounded by the cut-off data, not by admissions: EES reaches
-  // back further than councils publish, and padding the chart with a decade of
-  // "not published" would bury the years that carry a figure.
-  const publishedYears = [...published.keys()];
-  const from = publishedYears.length ? Math.min(...publishedYears) : Math.min(...years);
-  const to = Math.max(...years);
-
-  const rows: CutoffYearRow[] = [];
-  for (let y = to; y >= from; y -= 1) {
-    const d = published.get(y);
-    const a = admissions.get(y);
-
-    let status: CutoffYearStatus = 'not-published';
-    if (d) status = 'published';
-    else if (a?.oversubscribed === false) status = 'not-oversubscribed';
-
-    rows.push({
-      year: y,
-      status,
-      distanceM: d?.distance_m ?? null,
-      figure: d ? formatCutoffDistance(d.distance_m)?.primary ?? null : null,
-      placesOffered: a?.places_offered ?? null,
-      routeCount: d?.route_count ?? null,
-    });
-  }
-  return rows;
-}
-
-/**
- * A factual summary of how the cut-off has moved.
- *
- * Deliberately not a verdict. It names both endpoints and their years and lets
- * the reader draw the conclusion, because the series is short, gappy, and
- * driven by things outside the school's control — one large sibling cohort
- * moves it. Withheld below four published points, where a swing between two
- * years is noise wearing the clothes of a trend.
- */
-export function cutoffTrendSummary(rows: CutoffYearRow[]): string | null {
-  const pts = rows.filter((r) => r.status === 'published' && r.distanceM != null);
-  if (pts.length < 4) return null;
-
-  // rows are newest-first
-  const latest = pts[0];
-  const earliest = pts[pts.length - 1];
-  const a = formatCutoffDistance(earliest.distanceM)?.primary;
-  const b = formatCutoffDistance(latest.distanceM)?.primary;
-  if (!a || !b) return null;
-
-  const change = latest.distanceM! - earliest.distanceM!;
-  // A tenth of the earlier figure — below that the endpoints are effectively
-  // the same and calling it a direction would be reading noise.
-  const meaningful = Math.abs(change) > earliest.distanceM! * 0.1;
-
-  const direction = !meaningful
-    ? 'has stayed broadly the same'
-    : change < 0
-      ? 'has tightened'
-      : 'has widened';
-
-  return `Across ${pts.length} published years the cut-off ${direction}: `
-    + `${a} in ${earliest.year}, ${b} in ${latest.year}.`;
-}
-
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // "Would we have got in?"
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 /**
- * How close a home has to be to a year's cut-off before the comparison stops
+ * How close a home has to be to the cut-off before the comparison stops
  * meaning anything, in metres.
  *
- * A UK postcode unit covers roughly fifteen addresses and postcodes.io returns
+ * postcodes.io returns the centroid of a postcode unit covering roughly fifteen
- * its centroid, so the home point carries error of this order before anything
+ * addresses, so the home point carries error of this order before anything else
- * else is considered. Against a cut-off that is often only 500 m, that is a
+ * is considered. Against a cut-off that is often only 500 m that is a fifth of
- * fifth of the whole distance. Inside this band the honest answer is that we
+ * the whole distance. Inside this band the honest answer is that we cannot
- * cannot tell, and saying "you would have been offered a place" would be
+ * tell, and saying "you would have been offered a place" would be inventing
- * inventing precision the inputs do not have.
+ * precision the inputs do not have.
  */
 export const CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M = 100;
 
-export type CutoffVerdict = 'inside' | 'outside' | 'too-close' | 'unknown';
+export type CutoffVerdict = 'inside' | 'outside' | 'too-close';
-
-export interface CutoffYearComparison {
-  year: number;
-  status: CutoffYearStatus;
-  verdict: CutoffVerdict;
-}
 
 export interface CutoffCheckResult {
   /** Straight-line metres from the given postcode to the school. */
   distanceM: number;
   distanceLabel: string;
-  years: CutoffYearComparison[];
+  verdict: CutoffVerdict;
-  /** Years the home is clearly inside, out of those with a published figure. */
-  insideCount: number;
-  comparableCount: number;
   headline: string;
-  detail: string;
+  /** Why we cannot call it, on the one verdict that needs explaining. Kept
+   *  apart from the headline so it does not run at headline weight. */
+  detail: string | null;
 }
 
-export function compareToCutoffs(
+/**
+ * Compare a home against the one cut-off we publish.
+ *
+ * Only the latest year is compared because only the latest year is served:
+ * earlier years are held back as a paid feature and no longer leave the API.
+ * A single year makes the verdict sharper to state and easier to qualify — one
+ * distance, one year, one margin — but it also removes the reassurance a run of
+ * years gave, so the year is named in the headline rather than left implied.
+ */
+export function compareToCutoff(
   distanceM: number,
-  rows: CutoffYearRow[],
+  cutoffM: number,
+  year: number,
 ): CutoffCheckResult {
-  const years: CutoffYearComparison[] = rows.map((r) => {
+  const margin = cutoffM - distanceM;
-    if (r.status !== 'published' || r.distanceM == null) {
+  const verdict: CutoffVerdict =
-      return { year: r.year, status: r.status, verdict: 'unknown' as const };
+    Math.abs(margin) <= CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M ? 'too-close' : margin > 0 ? 'inside' : 'outside';
-    }
-    const margin = r.distanceM - distanceM;
-    const verdict: CutoffVerdict =
-      Math.abs(margin) <= CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M ? 'too-close' : margin > 0 ? 'inside' : 'outside';
-    return { year: r.year, status: r.status, verdict };
-  });
 
-  const comparable = years.filter((y) => y.verdict !== 'unknown');
+  // Both sides through the same formatter, with no fallback that could reach
-  const inside = comparable.filter((y) => y.verdict === 'inside');
+  // for a different unit: the sentence compares these two numbers directly, so
-  const tooClose = comparable.filter((y) => y.verdict === 'too-close');
+  // they have to be in the same one. formatCutoffDistance returns null for a
-  const label = formatCutoffDistance(distanceM)?.primary ?? `${Math.round(distanceM)} m`;
+  // zero or negative figure, and its old "N m" fallback here was one of the
+  // ways a metres reading used to appear next to a miles one.
+  const label = formatMiles(distanceM);
+  const cutoffLabel = formatMiles(cutoffM);
 
-  let headline: string;
+  // "the September 2026 cut-off of 0.17 miles" rather than "the 0.17 miles
-  if (comparable.length === 0) {
+  // cut-off for September 2026": the figure carries its own unit word, which
-    headline = `${label} from the school`;
+  // reads wrong used attributively.
-  } else if (inside.length === comparable.length) {
+  const cutoffPhrase = `the September ${year} cut-off of ${cutoffLabel}`;
-    headline = `${label} away — inside the cut-off in all ${comparable.length} `
+  const headline =
-      + `${comparable.length === 1 ? 'year' : 'years'} with a published figure`;
+    verdict === 'inside'
-  } else if (inside.length === 0 && tooClose.length === 0) {
+      ? `${label} away — inside ${cutoffPhrase}.`
-    headline = `${label} away — outside the cut-off in every year with a published figure`;
+      : verdict === 'outside'
-  } else {
+        ? `${label} away — beyond ${cutoffPhrase}.`
-    headline = `${label} away — inside the cut-off in ${inside.length} of `
+        : `${label} away — too close to ${cutoffPhrase} to call.`;
-      + `${comparable.length} years with a published figure`;
-  }
 
-  const parts: string[] = [];
+  const detail =
-  if (tooClose.length > 0) {
+    verdict === 'too-close'
-    parts.push(
+      ? 'Your postcode is a centroid covering several addresses, so a margin '
-      `${tooClose.length} ${tooClose.length === 1 ? 'year is' : 'years are'} too close to call: `
+        + `under ${CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M} m is inside the measurement error.`
-      + 'your postcode is a centroid covering several addresses, so a margin under '
+      : null;
-      + `${CUTOFF_UNCERTAINTY_M} m is inside the measurement error.`,
-    );
-  }
-  const unknown = years.length - comparable.length;
-  if (unknown > 0) {
-    parts.push(`${unknown} ${unknown === 1 ? 'year has' : 'years have'} no published figure to compare against.`);
-  }
 
-  return {
+  return { distanceM, distanceLabel: label, verdict, headline, detail };
-    distanceM,
-    distanceLabel: label,
-    years,
-    insideCount: inside.length,
-    comparableCount: comparable.length,
-    headline,
-    detail: parts.join(' '),
-  };
 }
 
 /**
@@ -324,6 +167,12 @@ export const CUTOFF_CHECK_CAVEAT =
 // When there is no figure
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+/** The slice of an admissions year this file needs. */
+interface AdmissionsYearLike {
+  year: number;
+  oversubscribed?: boolean | null;
+}
+
 interface AbsenceInput {
   localAuthority?: string | null;
   admissionsPolicy?: string | null;
@@ -361,30 +210,3 @@ export function describeCutoffAbsence({
     : 'No cut-off distance has been published for this school.')
     + ' Contact the admissions authority for its oversubscription criteria.';
 }
-
-/**
- * A short note on how thin the record is.
- *
- * Four points is the same threshold the trend summary uses: below it the series
- * is too short to carry a direction, and saying so is more useful than leaving
- * the reader to count the rows.
- */
-export function cutoffCoverageNote(rows: CutoffYearRow[]): string | null {
-  const published = rows.filter((r) => r.status === 'published').length;
-  if (published === 0 || published >= 4) return null;
-  return `Only ${published} ${published === 1 ? 'year has' : 'years have'} a published figure, `
-    + 'which is too few to read as a trend.';
-}
-
-/**
- * Whether there is enough of a record to justify a section of its own.
- *
- * Two published years is the floor: one is a fact the Admissions tile already
- * states, and a chart of a single point invites a trend reading that is not
- * there. Shared so the section, its nav entry and the detail component cannot
- * disagree about when it exists — a nav link to a section that did not render
- * is exactly the failure this codebase keeps warning about.
- */
-export function hasCutoffDetail(rows: CutoffYearRow[]): boolean {
-  return rows.filter((r) => r.status === 'published').length >= 2;
-}

nextjs-app/components/school/schoolSections.module.css

@@ -2099,105 +2099,6 @@
     border: 0;
 }
 
-.cutoffChartKey {
-    margin: 0.6rem 0 0;
-    font-size: 0.8125rem;
-    line-height: 1.55;
-    color: var(--text-secondary);
-    max-width: 68ch;
-}
-
-/* ── Year-by-year table ── */
-
-.cutoffTableWrap {
-    margin-top: 1.25rem;
-    overflow-x: auto;
-}
-
-.cutoffTable {
-    width: 100%;
-    border-collapse: collapse;
-    font-size: 0.875rem;
-    /* Below this the four columns crush; the wrapper scrolls instead of the
-       page, so the section itself never scrolls sideways. */
-    min-width: 26rem;
-    font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
-}
-
-.cutoffTable thead th {
-    text-align: right;
-    font-size: 0.6875rem;
-    font-weight: 600;
-    letter-spacing: 0.04em;
-    text-transform: uppercase;
-    color: var(--text-secondary);
-    padding: 0 0.625rem 0.55rem;
-    border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
-    white-space: nowrap;
-}
-
-.cutoffTable thead th:first-child,
-.cutoffTable tbody th {
-    text-align: left;
-}
-
-.cutoffTable tbody td,
-.cutoffTable tbody th {
-    text-align: right;
-    padding: 0.65rem 0.625rem;
-    border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
-    font-weight: 400;
-    color: var(--text-primary);
-}
-
-.cutoffTable tbody th {
-    font-weight: 600;
-}
-
-.cutoffTable tbody tr:last-child td,
-.cutoffTable tbody tr:last-child th {
-    border-bottom: none;
-}
-
-.cutoffRowLatest td,
-.cutoffRowLatest th {
-    background: var(--bg-secondary);
-}
-
-.cutoffCellMissing {
-    color: var(--text-secondary);
-}
-
-.cutoffRouteFlag {
-    font-size: 0.75rem;
-    color: var(--text-secondary);
-    white-space: nowrap;
-}
-
-.cutoffPill {
-    display: inline-block;
-    font-size: 0.6875rem;
-    font-weight: 600;
-    padding: 0.15rem 0.55rem;
-    border-radius: 999px;
-    white-space: nowrap;
-}
-
-.cutoffPillOver {
-    background: var(--brand-bg);
-    color: var(--brand-strong);
-}
-
-.cutoffPillOk {
-    background: var(--status-above-bg);
-    color: var(--status-above);
-}
-
-.cutoffPillNa {
-    background: var(--bg-secondary);
-    color: var(--text-secondary);
-}
-
 /* ── Map panel ── */
 
 .cutoffMapPanel {
@@ -2252,12 +2153,6 @@
     box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px var(--brand);
 }
 
-.cutoffSwatchPast {
-    background: transparent;
-    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1.5px var(--brand);
-    opacity: 0.5;
-}
-
 .cutoffSwatchHome {
     width: 11px;
     height: 11px;
@@ -2394,54 +2289,6 @@
     color: var(--text-secondary);
 }
 
-.cutoffYearStrip {
-    list-style: none;
-    margin: 0.75rem 0 0;
-    padding: 0;
-    display: flex;
-    flex-wrap: wrap;
-    gap: 0.3rem;
-}
-
-.cutoffYearChip {
-    display: inline-flex;
-    align-items: center;
-    gap: 0.3rem;
-    font-size: 0.75rem;
-    font-weight: 600;
-    padding: 0.2rem 0.5rem;
-    border-radius: 999px;
-    font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
-    white-space: nowrap;
-}
-
-.cutoffYearChipYear {
-    font-weight: 700;
-}
-
-.cutoffYearInside {
-    background: var(--status-above-bg);
-    color: var(--status-above);
-}
-
-.cutoffYearOutside {
-    background: var(--status-below-bg);
-    color: var(--status-below);
-}
-
-/* Deliberately neutral rather than a warning colour: "we cannot tell" is not a
-   bad outcome, and tinting it amber would read as one. */
-.cutoffYearTooClose {
-    background: var(--bg-secondary);
-    color: var(--text-primary);
-    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px var(--border);
-}
-
-.cutoffYearUnknown {
-    background: var(--bg-secondary);
-    color: var(--text-secondary);
-}
-
 .cutoffCheckCaveat {
     margin: 0.9rem 0 0;
     font-size: 0.8125rem;
@@ -2488,3 +2335,25 @@
 .cutoffMapReveal {
     margin-top: 1rem;
 }
+
+/* ── Postcode check result, coloured by verdict ──
+ *
+ * These override the neutral brand tint on .cutoffCheckResult. Without them the
+ * three outcomes render identically, which is the specific failure the class
+ * map in CutoffMapPanel is written out longhand to avoid — and which the
+ * stylesheet test caught when they were referenced before being defined.
+ */
+.cutoffResultInside {
+    background-image: linear-gradient(var(--status-above-bg), var(--status-above-bg));
+}
+
+.cutoffResultOutside {
+    background-image: linear-gradient(var(--status-below-bg), var(--status-below-bg));
+}
+
+/* Deliberately neutral: "we cannot tell" is not a bad outcome, and tinting it
+   like one would push a reader toward a conclusion the data does not support. */
+.cutoffResultTooClose {
+    background-image: none;
+    background-color: var(--bg-secondary);
+}

nextjs-app/lib/places.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/**
+ * Client for the places API.
+ *
+ * Two namespaces, matching the backend: towns and localities share
+ * /schools/[place]; authorities take /schools/authority/[la]. 67 town names
+ * collide with an authority name and neither set contains the other, so one
+ * namespace would publish near-duplicate pages.
+ */
+import type { School } from '@/lib/types';
+
+export interface PlaceSummary {
+  kind: string;
+  slug: string;
+  name: string;
+  count: number;
+}
+
+export interface PlaceDetail {
+  place: PlaceSummary & { parent_authority: string | null };
+  schools: School[];
+  averages: {
+    rwm_expected_pct: number | null;
+    attainment_8_score: number | null;
+  };
+}
+
+export function placeUrl(kind: string, slug: string, phase?: string): string {
+  const base =
+    kind === 'authority' ? `/schools/authority/${slug}`
+    : kind === 'outcode' ? `/schools/near/${slug}`
+    : `/schools/${slug}`;
+  return phase ? `${base}/${phase}` : base;
+}
+
+/** An authority name as it appears in a URL. */
+export function authoritySlug(name: string): string {
+  return name.toLowerCase().trim().replace(/[^\w\s-]/g, '').replace(/\s+/g, '-');
+}
+
+const API = process.env.FASTAPI_URL || process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL
+  || 'http://localhost:8000/api';
+
+export async function fetchPlaces(): Promise<PlaceSummary[]> {
+  const res = await fetch(`${API}/places`, { next: { revalidate: 604800 } });
+  if (!res.ok) return [];
+  return (await res.json()).places ?? [];
+}
+
+export async function fetchPlace(
+  kind: string, slug: string, phase?: string,
+): Promise<PlaceDetail | null> {
+  const q = phase ? `?phase=${encodeURIComponent(phase)}` : '';
+  const res = await fetch(`${API}/places/${kind}/${slug}${q}`,
+    { next: { revalidate: 604800 } });
+  if (!res.ok) return null;
+  return res.json();
+}

nextjs-app/lib/schoolSections.ts

@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import type {
   OfstedInspection, SchoolAdmissions, SchoolAdmissionDistance, SchoolDeprivation, SchoolFinance,
 } from './types';
 import { isSpecialSchool } from './utils';
-import { cutoffYearRows, hasCutoffDetail } from '@/components/school/lastDistanceOffered';
 
 export interface SchoolFlagsInput {
   schoolInfo: School;
@@ -123,11 +122,10 @@ export interface NavItemsInput {
   /** A published cut-off distance renders the Admissions section on its own,
    *  so it has to open the nav entry too. */
   admissionDistance: SchoolAdmissionDistance | null;
-  /** Drives the separate Distance section. Gated through hasCutoffDetail, the
+  /** Whether the school has coordinates — the Distance section needs them to
-   *  same predicate the section itself uses, so the nav can never link to an
+   *  measure a postcode, so the nav must gate on them too or it will link to an
-   *  anchor that was not rendered. */
+   *  anchor that was never rendered. */
-  admissionDistanceHistory?: SchoolAdmissionDistance[];
+  hasLocation?: boolean;
-  admissionsHistory?: SchoolAdmissions[];
   yearlyDataLength: number;
 }
 
@@ -142,10 +140,7 @@ export interface NavItemsInput {
  */
 export function buildNavItems(
   flags: SchoolFlags,
-  {
+  { ofsted, admissions, admissionDistance, hasLocation, yearlyDataLength }: NavItemsInput,
-    ofsted, admissions, admissionDistance,
-    admissionDistanceHistory, admissionsHistory, yearlyDataLength,
-  }: NavItemsInput,
 ): NavItem[] {
   const navItems: NavItem[] = [];
   if (ofsted) navItems.push({ id: 'ofsted', label: 'Ofsted' });
@@ -156,7 +151,7 @@ export function buildNavItems(
     });
   }
   if (admissions || admissionDistance) navItems.push({ id: 'admissions', label: 'Admissions' });
-  if (hasCutoffDetail(cutoffYearRows(admissionDistanceHistory, admissionsHistory))) {
+  if (admissionDistance?.distance_m != null && hasLocation) {
     navItems.push({ id: 'distance', label: 'Distance' });
   }
   if (flags.hasInclusionData) navItems.push({ id: 'inclusion', label: 'Pupils' });
@@ -228,16 +223,13 @@ export function computeSecondaryFlags({
  */
 export function buildSecondaryNavItems(
   flags: SecondaryFlags,
-  {
+  { ofsted, admissions, admissionDistance, hasLocation, yearlyDataLength }: NavItemsInput,
-    ofsted, admissions, admissionDistance,
-    admissionDistanceHistory, admissionsHistory, yearlyDataLength,
-  }: NavItemsInput,
 ): NavItem[] {
   const navItems: NavItem[] = [];
   if (ofsted) navItems.push({ id: 'ofsted', label: 'Ofsted' });
   if (flags.hasResults) navItems.push({ id: 'gcse', label: 'GCSEs' });
   if (admissions || admissionDistance) navItems.push({ id: 'admissions', label: 'Admissions' });
-  if (hasCutoffDetail(cutoffYearRows(admissionDistanceHistory, admissionsHistory))) {
+  if (admissionDistance?.distance_m != null && hasLocation) {
     navItems.push({ id: 'distance', label: 'Distance' });
   }
   if (yearlyDataLength > 1) navItems.push({ id: 'history', label: 'History' });

nextjs-app/lib/site.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/**
+ * The one place the site's absolute origin is written down.
+ *
+ * The apex domain 301s to www at Cloudflare, so www is the host that actually
+ * serves a 200. Canonicals, og:url, sitemap <loc> entries and the robots.txt
+ * Sitemap: line must all agree with it — a canonical pointing at a redirect
+ * makes Google resolve the hop before it can consolidate the signal.
+ *
+ * backend/app.py holds the same value as BASE_URL for the sitemap. The two are
+ * asserted against each other by the e2e journeys rather than shared at build
+ * time, because the backend and frontend ship as separate images.
+ */
+export const SITE_URL = 'https://www.schoolcompare.co.uk';
+
+/** Absolute URL for a site-relative path. Tolerates a missing leading slash. */
+export function absoluteUrl(path: string): string {
+  const rooted = path.startsWith('/') ? path : `/${path}`;
+  return `${SITE_URL}${rooted}`;
+}

nextjs-app/lib/sitemapProxy.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/**
+ * Runtime proxy for the sitemap family → the FastAPI backend.
+ *
+ * Like the /api/* proxy, this reads FASTAPI_URL at request time rather than
+ * baking the backend host into the build, so one image works in every
+ * environment. robots.ts points crawlers at /sitemap.xml, which is the index;
+ * the index names children under /sitemaps/, which land on the same proxy.
+ */
+import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
+
+function backendOrigin(): string {
+  const base = process.env.FASTAPI_URL || process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL || 'http://localhost:8000/api';
+  return base.replace(/\/api$/, '');
+}
+
+export async function proxySitemap(path: string): Promise<NextResponse> {
+  let upstream: Response;
+  try {
+    upstream = await fetch(`${backendOrigin()}${path}`, { cache: 'no-store' });
+  } catch {
+    return new NextResponse('Sitemap temporarily unavailable', { status: 502 });
+  }
+
+  const body = await upstream.text();
+  return new NextResponse(body, {
+    status: upstream.status,
+    headers: { 'content-type': upstream.headers.get('content-type') || 'application/xml' },
+  });
+}

nextjs-app/lib/types.ts

@@ -354,14 +354,14 @@ export interface SchoolDetailsResponse {
   admissions: SchoolAdmissions | null;
   /** All available admissions years, oldest first. Drives the multi-year trend view. */
   admissions_history: SchoolAdmissions[];
-  /** Latest published cut-off distance, or null where the LA publishes none. */
-  admission_distance: SchoolAdmissionDistance | null;
   /**
-   * Every published cut-off year, oldest first. Sparse by nature — a school may
+   * Latest published cut-off distance, or null where the LA publishes none.
-   * have 2021 and 2026 and nothing between, so consumers must classify the
+   *
-   * missing years rather than joining the points they do have.
+   * Only the latest year is served. Earlier years exist in the mart but are
+   * held back as a paid feature and are not part of this public payload — see
+   * data_loader._admission_distance.
    */
-  admission_distance_history: SchoolAdmissionDistance[];
+  admission_distance: SchoolAdmissionDistance | null;
   deprivation: SchoolDeprivation | null;
   finance: SchoolFinance | null;
 }

nextjs-app/lib/utils.ts

@@ -505,32 +505,46 @@ export function getPhaseStyle(phase?: string | null): { key: string; label: stri
 const METRES_PER_MILE = 1609.344;
 
 /**
- * Format an admission cut-off distance.
+ * A distance in miles, the unit UK school admissions is conducted in.
  *
- * Miles lead because that is the unit councils publish in — 90% of the source
+ * Councils publish cut-offs in miles — 90% of the collected source rows — and
- * rows are miles — and because it is the unit a parent has already been quoted
+ * it is the unit a parent has already been quoted in their council's booklet
- * if they have read their council's booklet. The metric figure follows as
+ * and offer letter. Everything a reader is asked to compare therefore renders
- * support rather than replacing it.
+ * through this one function, so two figures in the same sentence can never
+ * arrive in different units.
  *
- * Below 100 m the miles figure stops carrying information ("0.03 miles"), so
+ * That was not previously true. This formatter used to swap to metres below
- * the two swap round and metres lead instead.
+ * 100m, on the reasoning that "0.04 miles" carries less for a reader than
+ * "69 m". Taken one figure at a time that holds; taken in a sentence it
+ * produced "69 m away — inside the September 2026 cut-off of 0.17 miles",
+ * which asks the reader to convert between units to understand a comparison we
+ * had already made for them. Legibility of a single number lost to coherence
+ * of the pair.
+ *
+ * Below 0.01 miles the two decimal places run out rather than the unit being
+ * wrong, so the figure is described instead of rounded to a flat "0.00 miles".
+ */
+export function formatMiles(metres: number): string {
+  const miles = metres / METRES_PER_MILE;
+  if (miles < 0.01) return 'under 0.01 miles';
+  return `${miles.toFixed(2)} miles`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Format an admission cut-off distance: the headline figure in miles, and a
+ * metric equivalent to support it.
+ *
+ * The metric figure is support, not an alternative — it appears beside the
+ * miles figure, never instead of it, so nothing a reader compares is ever in
+ * two units at once.
  */
 export function formatCutoffDistance(
   metres: number | null | undefined
 ): { primary: string; secondary: string } | null {
   if (metres == null || !Number.isFinite(metres) || metres <= 0) return null;
 
-  const miles = metres / METRES_PER_MILE;
-
-  if (metres < 100) {
-    return {
-      primary: `${Math.round(metres)} m`,
-      secondary: `${miles.toFixed(2)} miles`,
-    };
-  }
-
   return {
-    primary: `${miles.toFixed(2)} miles`,
+    primary: formatMiles(metres),
     secondary: metres < 1000
       ? `${Math.round(metres / 10) * 10} m`
       : `${(metres / 1000).toFixed(1)} km`,

nextjs-app/next.config.js

@@ -55,6 +55,37 @@ const nextConfig = {
   // Headers for caching and security
   async headers() {
     return [
+      {
+        /*
+         * Keep non-production hosts out of the index.
+         *
+         * Staging serves the same image as production off stx., so without
+         * this it is a full crawlable duplicate of the site.
+         *
+         * X-Robots-Tag, NOT a robots.txt Disallow. Disallow blocks crawling,
+         * which is not the same as blocking indexing — a disallowed URL can
+         * still be indexed from external links, and worse, blocking the crawl
+         * means Google never fetches the page and never sees a noindex at all.
+         * Staging therefore stays crawlable and answers "noindex" when crawled.
+         *
+         * Matched on the staging host explicitly rather than "any host that is
+         * not production". The inverted form is tempting because it would cover
+         * future environments automatically, but its failure mode is
+         * deindexing production if the Host header ever arrives rewritten by a
+         * proxy. This form's failure mode is a new environment being indexable
+         * until someone adds it here — recoverable, where the other is not.
+         *
+         * Any new non-production hostname must be added to this list.
+         */
+        source: '/:path*',
+        has: [{ type: 'host', value: 'stx.schoolcompare.co.uk' }],
+        headers: [
+          {
+            key: 'X-Robots-Tag',
+            value: 'noindex, nofollow',
+          },
+        ],
+      },
       {
         source: '/:path*',
         headers: [

pipeline/transform/dbt_project.yml

@@ -11,6 +11,32 @@ seed-paths: ["seeds"]
 target-path: "target"
 clean-targets: ["target", "dbt_packages"]
 
+# schoolcompare publishes England only. GIAS ships the whole UK plus overseas
+# and offshore establishments, none of which have comparable DfE performance
+# data — Wales does not publish on the English measures at all. Excluding them
+# at the mart boundary keeps them out of the site, the filter lists and the
+# sitemap together. Codes are TypeOfEstablishment, see seeds/gias_code_names.csv.
+#   25 = Offshore schools            (Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Gibraltar)
+#   26 = Service children's education (BFPO, Fieldwork Overseas)
+#   30 = Welsh establishment
+#   37 = British schools overseas
+# dim_school, dim_location and assert_england_only_schools all read this list.
+vars:
+  non_england_school_type_codes: [25, 26, 30, 37]
+
+  # Type alone is not enough. Beechwood College (URN 142458, Sully, CF64 5SE)
+  # is a Welsh school that GIAS types as a Special post 16 institution (32)
+  # rather than a Welsh establishment (30), so the type filter let it through.
+  # LA code is the reliable discriminator: GIAS gives the 22 Welsh unitary
+  # authorities the contiguous block 660-681, which English authorities never
+  # use (they occupy 201-384 and 800-938).
+  #
+  # Filtering on postcode would be wrong: Redbrook, Tutshill, Wyedean and two
+  # other Gloucestershire schools carry NP16/NP25 postcodes because Royal Mail
+  # areas straddle the border, and they are English schools with English data.
+  welsh_la_code_min: 660
+  welsh_la_code_max: 681
+
 models:
   school_compare:
     staging:

pipeline/transform/models/marts/dim_location.sql

@@ -31,5 +31,11 @@ select
         else null
     end as longitude
 from {{ ref('stg_gias_establishments') }} s
--- Must match dim_school's status filter exactly (the API inner-joins the two).
+-- Must match dim_school's status and England filters exactly (the API
+-- inner-joins the two).
 where s.status_code in (1, 3)
+-- coalesce, not a bare NOT IN: a null type code would make the predicate
+-- null and drop the row silently. Unknown type is not grounds for exclusion.
+and coalesce(s.school_type_code, -1) not in ({{ var('non_england_school_type_codes') | join(', ') }})
+-- Welsh schools GIAS does not type as Welsh establishments (see vars).
+and coalesce(s.local_authority_code, -1) not between {{ var('welsh_la_code_min') }} and {{ var('welsh_la_code_max') }}

pipeline/transform/models/marts/dim_school.sql

@@ -91,3 +91,10 @@ left join {{ ref('int_ofsted_latest') }} o on s.urn = o.urn
 -- 1 = Open; 3 = Open, but proposed to close (still operating; drops out when
 -- GIAS flips to Closed — marts fully rebuild each run).
 where s.status_code in (1, 3)
+-- England only. dim_location must apply this filter identically (the API
+-- inner-joins the two). See vars in dbt_project.yml for what the codes are.
+-- coalesce, not a bare NOT IN: a null type code would make the predicate
+-- null and drop the row silently. Unknown type is not grounds for exclusion.
+and coalesce(s.school_type_code, -1) not in ({{ var('non_england_school_type_codes') | join(', ') }})
+-- Welsh schools GIAS does not type as Welsh establishments (see vars).
+and coalesce(s.local_authority_code, -1) not between {{ var('welsh_la_code_min') }} and {{ var('welsh_la_code_max') }}

pipeline/transform/seeds/locality_outcodes.csv

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+locality_slug,locality_name,outcodes,region
+battersea,Battersea,SW11,London
+canary-wharf,Canary Wharf,E14,London
+clapham,Clapham,SW4,London
+shoreditch,Shoreditch,EC2A|E1,London
+peckham,Peckham,SE15,London
+brixton,Brixton,SW2|SW9,London
+camden-town,Camden Town,NW1,London
+wimbledon,Wimbledon,SW19,London
+putney,Putney,SW15,London
+fulham,Fulham,SW6,London
+chiswick,Chiswick,W4,London
+stratford,Stratford,E15,London
+walthamstow,Walthamstow,E17,London
+tooting,Tooting,SW17,London
+dulwich,Dulwich,SE21|SE22,London

pipeline/transform/tests/assert_england_only_schools.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+-- Custom test: the published corpus is England only.
+--
+-- GIAS ships the whole UK plus overseas and offshore establishments. None of
+-- them carry comparable DfE performance data, so dim_school and dim_location
+-- filter them out (see vars.non_england_school_type_codes in dbt_project.yml).
+-- This test is the guard: a GIAS refresh that reintroduces them, or an edit
+-- that drops the filter from one of the two models, fails the pipeline rather
+-- than quietly republishing ~2,000 dataless pages to the site and the sitemap.
+
+select
+    urn,
+    school_name,
+    school_type_code
+from {{ ref('dim_school') }}
+where school_type_code in ({{ var('non_england_school_type_codes') | join(', ') }})
+
+union all
+
+-- dim_location is inner-joined to dim_school by the API, so it must filter
+-- identically. Anything here that dim_school does not have means the two
+-- models have drifted apart.
+select
+    l.urn,
+    null::text    as school_name,
+    null::integer as school_type_code
+from {{ ref('dim_location') }} l
+left join {{ ref('dim_school') }} s on l.urn = s.urn
+where s.urn is null
+
+union all
+
+-- Belt and braces on the Welsh LA code range.
+--
+-- The range 660-681 is documented GIAS structure, not something this project
+-- can verify from its own data — local_authority_code is not exposed anywhere
+-- the app can assert on. So the range does the filtering and the authority
+-- NAME does the checking: if 660-681 is ever wrong or incomplete, a Welsh
+-- authority reappears here and the pipeline fails loudly rather than the
+-- corpus quietly regrowing a Welsh tail.
+--
+-- Beechwood College (142458) is why this exists: a Welsh school GIAS types as
+-- a Special post 16 institution, which the type filter alone let through.
+select
+    l.urn,
+    l.local_authority_name as school_name,
+    null::integer          as school_type_code
+from {{ ref('dim_location') }} l
+where l.local_authority_name in (
+    'Isle of Anglesey', 'Gwynedd', 'Conwy', 'Denbighshire', 'Flintshire',
+    'Wrexham', 'Powys', 'Ceredigion', 'Pembrokeshire', 'Carmarthenshire',
+    'Swansea', 'Neath Port Talbot', 'Bridgend', 'Vale of Glamorgan',
+    'Rhondda Cynon Taf', 'Merthyr Tydfil', 'Caerphilly', 'Blaenau Gwent',
+    'Torfaen', 'Monmouthshire', 'Newport', 'Cardiff'
+)