Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) inspects education and skills provisions for learners of all ages, including schools, childminders, training providers, and local authorities. These findings are shared publicly to support review and regulation.

Changes to Ofsted Judgements for Schools in England

Ofsted no longer issues one-word overall judgements like Outstanding, Good or Inadequate. Inspections are now reported through a Report Card that evaluates specific core areas on a new 5-point grading scale alongside separate safeguarding judgements. 

The 5-Point Grading Scale

Each core area of a school or provider's performance is graded using the following scale: 

• Exceptional: Performance is significantly above expected standards.
• Strong standard: Performance goes above and beyond what is typically expected.
• Expected standard: Performance meets the high statutory and professional bars Ofsted requires.
• Needs attention: Certain aspects require improvement to reach the expected standard.
• Urgent improvement: Performance is poor and requires immediate corrective action. 

Core Evaluation Areas

Providers are assessed and graded individually across several key aspects of education and care: 

• Achievement: How well pupils learn and make progress.
• Curriculum and teaching: The quality and scope of the education provided.
• Leadership and governance: How effectively leaders manage the institution.
• Inclusion: How well the school meets the needs of all children, including those with SEND.
• Attendance and behaviour: The climate for learning and student engagement.
• Personal development and wellbeing: The wider personal growth of the children.
• Early years / Post-16 provision: Assessed separately if the school provides them. 

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is no longer factored into a combined overall grade. Instead, it is evaluated and reported strictly as a binary outcome: 

• Met: The provider is meeting its safeguarding responsibilities.
• Not met: The provider is failing to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children.

To review the full inspection framework, methodologies, and specific toolkits, visit the official GOV.UK Ofsted Report Card Guidance.

You can find our most recent academy report at: 

• Ofsted (Nursery)
• Ofsted (School)