AbstractCriticisms of the concept of educational priority indices and reasons for the continued use of a school‐based policy are outlined with reference to the educational priority indices employed by the ILEA over the last decade. During 1981 a major review of the methods and measures used to construct the ILEA indices was undertaken. Details of criticisms of the data and methodology used in the past are provided. A new method of constructing the indices to take into account the relationships between different measures and educational outcome at the individual level was devised. The results of analyses of these relationships and an outline of the new method of constructing indices are presented. Advantages of adopting a ‘risk index’ method of weighting the educational priority measures to take into account the cumulative effects of social factors are disc