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Crane Index™ · Annual edition

UK Education AI Readability 2026

As of 1 October 2026, the median UK education site scored 48 out of 100 on the Crane Index™, the measure of how readably a site presents itself to AI engines. Across the 91 sites a machine could read, scores ran from 23 to 78, a 55-point gap between the strongest and the weakest.

What this measures. The score reads how readably a site presents itself to AI engines: entity markup, structured data and machine resolvability. It is not a measure of design, brand or quality. A site can look excellent to a person and still be hard for a machine to read, and a low score is a readability finding, never a judgement on the business.

48
Median / 100
55
Point gap (23 to 78)
91
Sites read of 123
5
Cleared 70+

The field in 2026

The field was led by Fettes College at 78, with Dukes Education next at 74. 5 sites cleared 70 out of 100, and 18 scored below 40.

At the foot of the field sat King's College School, Wimbledon at 23, Inspired Education at 33, Greenshaw Learning Trust at 34. Each is a site a machine struggled to read, not a business doing anything other than well at what it does.

The full 2026 ranking

Composite out of 100, with the three reads behind it: AI Search Readiness (retrieval), Agent Readiness (execution) and Brand Representation.

RankOrganisationCrane IndexSearchAgentBrand
1Fettes Collegefettes.com78749168
2Dukes Educationdukeseducation.com74698668
3Baltic Apprenticeshipsbalticapprenticeships.com71798946
4=Dudley College of Technologydudleycol.ac.uk70748946
4=Highgate Schoolhighgateschool.org.uk70747957
6=Malvern Collegemalverncollege.org.uk68777849
6=Wellington Collegewellingtoncollege.org.uk68799234
8=Cognita Schoolscognita.com66638946
8=Coleg Cambriacambria.ac.uk66788634
8=Twinkltwinkl.co.uk66646668
11=Bolton Collegeboltoncollege.ac.uk65847437
11=Nottingham Collegenottinghamcollege.ac.uk65817737
11=Oxford International Education Groupoxfordinternational.com65747646
11=Realise Trainingrealisetraining.com65698343
15=Kaplan UKkaplan.co.uk64728337
15=Radley Collegeradley.org.uk64758928
17HIT Traininghittraining.co.uk63758332
18=Explore Learningexplorelearning.co.uk62806343
18=Rugby Schoolrugbyschool.co.uk62786344
20=Babingtonbabington.co.uk61787034
20=Clifton Collegecliftoncollege.com61754564
20=Winchester Collegewinchestercollege.org61737634
23Girls' Day School Trustgdst.net59677437
24=Leeds City Collegeleedscitycollege.ac.uk58727923
24=Multiversemultiverse.io58646346
26=Eton Collegeetoncollege.com57568728
26=Paragon Skillsparagonskills.co.uk57747125
28=Pearson Collegeescapestudios.ac.uk56706334
28=Sevenoaks Schoolsevenoaksschool.org56649013
30Bridgend Collegebridgend.ac.uk55549020
31=Cheltenham Collegecheltenhamcollege.org54637623
31=Harris Federationharrisfederation.org.uk54606932
31=QAqa.com54706328
34=Haberdashers' Boys' Schoolhabselstree.org.uk/boys5362898
34=Oak National Academythenational.academy53667123
34=Oundle Schooloundleschool.org.uk53618910
37=Bradfield Collegebradfieldcollege.org.uk5157898
37=Tonbridge Schooltonbridge-school.co.uk51548713
39=City & Guildscityandguilds.com50616821
39=Kids Planetkidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk5060828
39=Nord Anglia Educationnordangliaeducation.com50528910
39=OCRocr.org.uk50616523
43=Luminate Education Groupluminate.ac.uk49538310
43=Shrewsbury Schoolshrewsbury.org.uk49606323
45=Brighton Collegebrightoncollege.org.uk48616319
45=Capital City College Groupcapitalccg.ac.uk48527617
45=City College Norwichccn.ac.uk48616913
48=E-ACTe-act.org.uk4751838
48=Kumon UKkumon.co.uk47517120
50=Bedales Schoolbedales.org.uk46486328
50=Star Academiesstaracademies.org4653778
52=NCFEncfe.org.uk45516815
52=Whitgift Schoolwhitgift.co.uk45596313
54=Cheltenham Ladies' Collegecheltladiescollege.org44526813
54=Edinburgh Collegeedinburghcollege.ac.uk44506913
56=City of Glasgow Collegecityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk43406920
56=Firebrand Trainingfirebrand.training43475923
56=West College Scotlandwestcollegescotland.ac.uk43486913
59=Barnsley Collegebarnsley.ac.uk42516313
59=Corndelcorndel.com42536310
59=Learning Curve Grouplearningcurvegroup.co.uk42476810
62=AQAaqa.org.uk41496213
62=Busy Beesbusybeeschildcare.co.uk4147698
62=Eduqaseduqas.co.uk4146688
62=Nescot Apprenticeshipsestio.co.uk4151638
62=Outwood Grange Academies Trustoutwood.com41446316
62=Testes.com41426813
68=Belfast Metropolitan Collegebelfastmet.ac.uk40376913
68=Harrow Schoolharrowschool.org.uk40486210
68=Lifetime Traininglifetimetraining.co.uk40446510
68=Millfield Schoolmillfieldschool.com40476310
68=Seneca Learningsenecalearning.com/en-gb40476310
68=Study Groupstudygroup.com40466213
74=Ark Schoolsarkonline.org3941698
74=Gordonstoungordonstoun.org.uk39426213
74=Gower College Swanseagcs.ac.uk39356913
74=NCGncgrp.co.uk39515710
74=Uppingham Schooluppingham.co.uk39386316
79=EF Education First UKef.co.uk38416310
79=Pearsonpearson.com/en-us38386213
79=WJECwjec.co.uk3838688
82=David Ross Education Trustdret.co.uk3741638
82=Dulwich Collegedulwich.org.uk/senior-school37396310
82=Repton Schoolrepton.org.uk3741638
82=Stowe Schoolstowe.co.uk37365816
86=George Watson's Collegegwc.org.uk3638628
86=INTO University Partnershipsintostudy.com/en36375813
88United Learningunitedlearning.org.uk3540578
89Greenshaw Learning Trustgreenshawlearningtrust.co.uk3428658
90Inspired Educationinspirededu.com33385010
91King's College School, Wimbledonkcs.org.uk23213415

Download this edition: the full field as a spreadsheet (CSV), or the same run as JSON. Licensed CC BY 4.0, so it is yours to publish and build on with attribution. Every unreadable site carries empty score cells, never a zero.

This is the fixed 2026 edition, pinned to the scan measured 1 October 2026, so the figures on it do not change. The live field, re-run on the first of each month, is on the current Education benchmark. For how the score is built, see the methodology.

Licensed CC BY 4.0. Cite as: The Crane Index™, UK Education AI readability 2026, The Crane Consultancy, measured 1 October 2026. https://thecraneconsultancy.com/research/education-ai-readability-2026/

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