backend/app.py

@@ -1212,10 +1212,15 @@ async def get_place(request: Request, kind: str, slug: str,
         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.
+    # The metric the page shows, and 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")
+
+    # Alphabetical, not by score. A place page is read by someone looking for
+    # a school they can name, and scanning for it is what the order should
+    # serve. /rankings is where the league-table ordering lives, and it keeps
+    # sorting by metric.
+    if "school_name" in rows.columns:
+        rows = rows.sort_values("school_name", key=lambda c: c.str.lower())
 
     averages = {
         m: (None if m not in rows.columns or rows[m].dropna().empty

backend/tests/test_places_api.py

@@ -45,10 +45,30 @@ def test_registry_carries_a_count_per_place(client):
     assert town["count"] == 6
 
 
-def test_place_detail_returns_its_schools_ranked(client):
+def test_place_detail_returns_its_schools_alphabetically(client):
+    """A place page is read by someone looking for a school they can name.
+
+    Scanning for it is what the order should serve, so the list is A-Z.
+    /api/rankings is where the league-table ordering lives.
+    """
     body = client.get("/api/places/town/brentwood").json()
     assert body["place"]["name"] == "Brentwood"
-    scores = [s["rwm_expected_pct"] for s in body["schools"]]
+    names = [s["school_name"] for s in body["schools"]]
+    assert names == sorted(names, key=str.lower)
+
+
+def test_place_ordering_ignores_case(client):
+    body = client.get("/api/places/town/brentwood").json()
+    names = [s["school_name"] for s in body["schools"]]
+    # A capitalised name must not sort ahead of every lowercase one.
+    assert names == sorted(names, key=str.lower)
+
+
+def test_the_rankings_endpoint_still_ranks_by_metric(client):
+    # Alphabetical is a place-page decision, not a site-wide one.
+    body = client.get("/api/rankings?metric=rwm_expected_pct&phase=primary").json()
+    scores = [r["rwm_expected_pct"] for r in body.get("rankings", [])
+              if r.get("rwm_expected_pct") is not None]
     assert scores == sorted(scores, reverse=True)
 
 

e2e/tests/journeys.spec.ts

@@ -1951,3 +1951,31 @@ test('a place straddling a boundary names every authority it sits in', async ({
       .toBeVisible();
   }
 });
+
+test('a place page lists its schools alphabetically', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Someone on a place page is usually looking for a school they can name,
+  // so the order should serve scanning for it. /rankings is where the
+  // league-table ordering lives.
+  const { places } = await (await page.request.get('/api/places')).json();
+  const town = places.find((p: { kind: string; count: number }) =>
+    p.kind === 'town' && p.count >= 5);
+  expect(town).toBeTruthy();
+
+  await page.goto(`/schools/${town.slug}`);
+  const names = await page.locator('a[href^="/school/"]').allTextContents();
+  expect(names.length).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+
+  const sorted = [...names].sort((a, b) =>
+    a.toLowerCase().localeCompare(b.toLowerCase()));
+  expect(names).toEqual(sorted);
+});
+
+test('the rankings page still orders by score, not name', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Alphabetical is a place-page decision, not a site-wide one.
+  const res = await page.request.get('/api/rankings?metric=rwm_expected_pct&phase=primary');
+  expect(res.ok()).toBeTruthy();
+  const scores = ((await res.json()).rankings ?? [])
+    .map((r: { rwm_expected_pct: number | null }) => r.rwm_expected_pct)
+    .filter((v: number | null) => v != null);
+  expect(scores).toEqual([...scores].sort((a: number, b: number) => b - a));
+});

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

@@ -243,3 +243,36 @@ describe('PlaceView authorities', () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole('link', { name: 'Merton' })).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 });
+
+describe('PlaceView list ordering', () => {
+  const detail3: PlaceDetail = {
+    place: { kind: 'town', slug: 'brentwood', name: 'Brentwood', count: 2,
+             parent_authority: 'Essex', phases: ['primary'] },
+    schools: [
+      { urn: 1, school_name: 'Alpha Primary', phase: 'Primary',
+        rwm_expected_pct: 40, attainment_8_score: null } as never,
+      { urn: 2, school_name: 'Beta Primary', phase: 'Primary',
+        rwm_expected_pct: 90, attainment_8_score: null } as never,
+    ],
+    averages: { rwm_expected_pct: 65, attainment_8_score: null },
+  };
+
+  it('renders schools in the order the API sent them, not by score', () => {
+    // The API sorts alphabetically now; the component must not re-sort.
+    render(<PlaceView detail={detail3} englandAverage={61} neighbours={[]} />);
+    const links = screen.getAllByRole('link', { name: /Primary$/ });
+    expect(links.map((l) => l.textContent))
+      .toEqual(['Alpha Primary', 'Beta Primary']);
+  });
+
+  it('declares the list as ascending rather than implying a ranking', () => {
+    // An ItemList carrying `position` reads as a ranking unless it says
+    // otherwise, and the table is A-Z.
+    const { container } = render(<PlaceView detail={detail3} englandAverage={61}
+      neighbours={[]} />);
+    const ld = JSON.parse(
+      container.querySelector('script[type="application/ld+json"]')!.textContent!);
+    const list = ld['@graph'].find((n: { '@type': string }) => n['@type'] === 'ItemList');
+    expect(list.itemListOrder).toBe('https://schema.org/ItemListOrderAscending');
+  });
+});

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

@@ -37,10 +37,12 @@ export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
   const word = phase === 'secondary' ? 'Secondary' : 'Primary';
   const { name } = detail.place;
   return {
-    title: { absolute: `${word} Schools in ${name} — Ranked | schoolcompare` },
+    // Not "Ranked": the table is alphabetical, so the word would be a claim
+    // the page does not keep.
+    title: { absolute: `${word} Schools in ${name} | schoolcompare` },
     description:
-      `Every ${phase} school in ${name} ranked by results, with Ofsted grades and `
-      + `the local average against England.`,
+      `Every ${phase} school in ${name}, with results, Ofsted grades and the local `
+      + `average against England.`,
     alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/${slug}/${phase}`) },
   };
 }

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

@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
     // place title read '... | schoolcompare | schoolcompare'.
     title: { absolute: `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.`,
+      `Every school in ${name}, with SATs and GCSE results, Ofsted grades, the local `
+      + `average against England, and how close you had to live to get a place.`,
     alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/${slug}`) },
   };
 }

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

@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
   return {
     title: { absolute: `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.`,
+      `All ${count} schools in the ${name} local authority, with SATs and GCSE results, `
+      + `Ofsted grades and the authority average against England.`,
     alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/authority/${la}`) },
   };
 }

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

@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
   return {
     title: { absolute: `Schools near ${name} | schoolcompare` },
     description:
-      `${count} schools in the ${name} postcode district, ranked by results, with `
-      + `Ofsted grades and how close you had to live to get a place.`,
+      `${count} schools in the ${name} postcode district, with results, Ofsted grades `
+      + `and how close you had to live to get a place.`,
     alternates: { canonical: absoluteUrl(`/schools/near/${outcode}`) },
   };
 }

nextjs-app/components/places/PlaceView.tsx

@@ -142,6 +142,10 @@ export function PlaceView({ detail, phase, englandAverage, neighbours }: Props)
         '@type': 'ItemList',
         name: `${phaseWord} in ${place.name}`,
         numberOfItems: schools.length,
+        // Alphabetical, and said so. Without this an ItemList carrying
+        // `position` reads as a ranking, which would be a claim the page
+        // stopped making when the table became A-Z.
+        itemListOrder: 'https://schema.org/ItemListOrderAscending',
         itemListElement: schools.slice(0, 20).map((s, i) => ({
           '@type': 'ListItem',
           position: i + 1,