How we score schools.
The Nextwave School Tech Readiness Index (NTRI) scores each school out of 100 across six pillars. This page sets out the whole method, so anyone can check our work.
Rubric version 1.0 · effective 2025-01-01
The six pillars
Each pillar is worth a fixed number of points. The weights add up to 100.
Power & Infrastructure
Whether the school can keep technology running reliably and safely.
| Indicator | Weight |
|---|---|
| Grid reliability | 6 |
| Backup power (solar or generator) | 5 |
| Secure equipment room | 4 |
Devices & Labs
Whether there are enough working devices, and students can actually use them.
| Indicator | Weight |
|---|---|
| Devices per student | 8 |
| % of devices functional | 6 |
| Lab access & scheduling | 6 |
Connectivity
Whether the school is online, how fast, and who can use it.
| Indicator | Weight |
|---|---|
| On-site internet availability | 6 |
| Measured download speed | 5 |
| Staff & student access | 4 |
Curriculum & Teachers
Whether digital skills are taught, and whether teachers are ready to teach them.
| Indicator | Weight |
|---|---|
| ICT / coding on the timetable | 7 |
| Teacher digital skills | 7 |
| Dedicated trained ICT staff | 6 |
Student Capability
What students can actually do. Sampled and aggregated — never individual results.
| Indicator | Weight |
|---|---|
| Baseline digital-literacy test | 10 |
| Aptitude test | 10 |
Leadership & Sustainability
Whether the school can keep this going without Nextwave in the room.
| Indicator | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written ICT plan | 3 |
| Budget & maintenance plan | 4 |
| Child-safeguarding & data-protection policy | 3 |
The 0-4 scale
Every indicator is scored against written descriptors, then converted: points = (score ÷ 4) × weight.
- 0Absent. Not present at all.
- 1Nascent. Minimal, informal or barely functional.
- 2Partial. Present but inconsistent or incomplete.
- 3Established. Working well for most, with minor gaps.
- 4Strong. Fully in place, consistent and sustained.
Evidence & caps
Every indicator carries one evidence type. Weaker evidence is capped so scores stay honest.
- Observedmax 4/4
Seen first-hand by a Nextwave assessor during the school visit.
- Measuredmax 4/4
A reading taken on the day, for example a speed test or test result.
- Documentmax 4/4
Supported by a written record, for example a plan or a policy.
- Self-reportedmax 2/4
Provided by the school without independent verification. Capped at 2 of 4 points.
Tiers
A school's total out of 100 places it in one of five tiers.
Starting from the ground up.
Early foundations are forming.
Solid base, clear room to grow.
Strong capability, minor gaps.
A model for others to learn from.
The process
- Two assessors. Each school is scored independently by two Nextwave assessors during a visit.
- Reconciliation. Where the two scores differ by more than one point, the assessors reconcile with a written note before the assessment can be submitted.
- School review. Once submitted, the school's contact receives a secure link with a 14-day window to review and request corrections.
- Publish or withhold. Only an admin can publish or withhold a result, after the review window.
- Re-assessment. Schools are re-assessed annually so progress can be tracked fairly.
Data privacy
We publish only what is safe and fair. A school's name and results appear only with its consent. No student names, no individual results and no identifiable photos of minors are ever collected or published. Local-area and overall figures are shown only where at least five schools contribute, so no single school can be picked out of an average. See our Privacy Policy.
Independence and disclosure
Nextwave Infotech also offers paid services, including training programmes for schools and students. Assessments are carried out by assessors who are independent of sales and business development, and a school's NTRI score is never influenced by whether it buys any service. Every school is scored against the same published rubric, regardless of any commercial relationship with Nextwave.
Rubric version history
Initial published rubric. Six pillars, 100 points.
Rubrics are versioned. When the framework changes, previous assessments keep the version they were scored under — old scores are never rewritten.
Changelog
Clarified the headline metrics: "reliable power" and "working internet" now explicitly mean a score of 3 or higher on the corresponding indicator. Added an independence and disclosure statement.
v1.0 rubric published.
Questions
Why are schools graded?+
A grade turns a vague question — is a school ready for technology? — into something specific and comparable. It helps schools see their own gaps, helps partners target support, and tracks whether things are improving over time. It is a growth tool, not a verdict.
Can a school opt out?+
Yes. We only publish a school's name and results if the school has given consent. A school can decline at any point, and can ask to be removed from the public directory at any time.
How do corrections work?+
Every profile has a 'Report a correction' link. Send us what looks wrong and how you know. We check it against our records and the assessor notes, and update or explain the result. Corrections are logged.
Is student data published?+
Never. Student capability is measured through sampled tests and reported only as an aggregate score per school. No student names, no individual results and no identifiable photos of minors are ever stored or published.
How often is it updated?+
Each school is re-assessed annually. Where a school has been assessed more than once, its profile shows the change since the first assessment.