Ofsted Ratings and Reports: New Ofsted Judgements Explained for Teachers & School Leaders

Since 10 November 2025, Ofsted inspections in state maintained schools and colleges in England have changed significantly. School inspections now operate under a new inspection framework, using colour-coded school report cards and a new 5-point grading scale: urgent improvement, needs attention, expected standard, strong standard and exceptional. The move marks one of the biggest reforms to the inspection system in a generation. 

The changes come after sustained concerns about mental health, workload and the pressure created by single word Ofsted judgements such as “Outstanding” and “Requires Improvement”. The debate intensified following calls from the National Association of Head Teachers and other education unions for an independent review of the inspection system and a new approach focused on rebuilding trust between schools and inspectors.

This guide is written for head teachers, senior school leaders and governors who need a clearer understanding of how the new framework works, how new-look report cards will appear, and how Ofsted inspection reports can be used to raise standards without burning out staff. Whether you’re in the inspection window and are preparing for inspection or you just want to work out how your school measures up to the new standards, understanding the new system matters. 

This article focuses on Ofsted inspections in England, school inspections in Education Scotland use a different framework, language and reporting format. 

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What’s changing in Ofsted inspections from 2025?

In a nutshell:

• No more single word judgements such as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate as overall grades.
• Schools evaluated on the following areas:
  • safeguarding
  • inclusion
  • curriculum and teaching
  • achievement
  • attendance and behaviour
  • personal development and well-being
  • early years in schools (where applicable)
  • sixth form in schools (where applicable)
  • leadership and governance
• A new 5-point scale is now used for each evaluation area:
  • Exceptional
  • Strong standard
  • Expected standard
  • Needs attention
  • Urgent improvement
• Safeguarding is now evaluated separately on a “met” or “not met” basis.
• New report cards replace the old front-page headline grade, giving parents and school leaders more detail about different aspects of provision.

From single-word judgements to report cards

For years, many school leaders argued that single word judgements failed to capture the complexity of modern schools. The pressure attached to those labels became a major concern across the education sector. Head teachers, teachers and unions repeatedly linked the old grading system to stress, workload and deteriorating mental health. The National Association of Head Teachers called for an independent review and pushed for a new approach that focused more on improvement and less on punitive labelling.

The renewed inspection framework now aims to give a more balanced summary of school performance while rebuilding trust between schools and inspectors.

The five Ofsted grades explained

Under the renewed framework Ofsted will inspect up to 9 evaluation areas, assigning one of the following grades to each areas:

Exceptional

‘Exceptional’ means provision significantly exceeds the expected standard and delivers brilliant education that other schools can learn from. Inspectors will only award this where all strong standard criteria are securely met alongside additional evidence of sector-leading quality.

Strong standard

‘Strong standard’ reflects securely good provision with clear evidence that leaders can sustain improvement and continue driving change. Schools at this level demonstrate consistency, ambition and effective leadership.

Expected standard

‘Expected standard’ is now the baseline judgement within the system. It means the school meets its legal duties, fulfils the expectations of the framework and provides a strong standard of education and care for pupils.

Needs attention

‘Needs attention’ indicates that aspects of provision are inconsistent or not yet at the expected standard. Leaders will need to assess weaknesses carefully and implement improvement plans, although immediate risk to pupils is limited.

Urgent improvement

‘Urgent improvement’ is the most serious judgement. It means children are not receiving a suitable standard of education or care and urgent improvement is needed immediately.

These grades are used to judge the following evaluation areas:

• safeguarding,
• inclusion,
• curriculum and teaching,
• achievement,
• attendance and behaviour,
• personal development and well-being,
• early years in schools (where applicable),
• sixth form in schools (where applicable), and
• leadership and governance.

These grades will not be used to give an overall judgment of a school.

Old grades vs new report card grades 

Although Ofsted have explicitly stated that ‘there is no read-across from the previous grading system’, the following is a rough translation:

Safeguarding is not graded using the above grades, but is graded as either ‘Met’ or ‘Not Met’.

What are the evaluation areas in the new inspection framework?

Under the new inspection framework, inspectors continue to evaluate several areas individually, assigning one of the above grades (with the exception of Safeguarding) to each of the areas. Let’s look at the updated evaluation areas, what inspectors will be looking at and how schools can evidence their work in these areas. The following information is a summary of the criteria set out in the ‘State-funded school inspection toolkit’ document, designed for use by inspectors:

Safeguarding

Inspectors will look at:

• Whether safeguarding systems are effective, consistent and understood by staff.
• How concerns are identified, recorded and escalated.
• Whether pupils feel safe in school and know who to speak to if they need support.

Leaders can evidence improvement through accurate safeguarding records, staff training records, pupil voice, governor monitoring and anonymised case studies showing effective intervention and safer outcomes for pupils. 

See pages 6-9 in the State-funded school inspection toolkit/span> for more detail of what inspectors will be looking for in order to decide whether Safeguarding is ‘Met’ or ‘Not Met’.

Inclusion

Inspectors will look at:

• Whether all pupils, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and disabilities, and those who are known to children’s social care can access ambitious learning.
• How effectively schools remove barriers to participation and achievement.
• Whether inclusion is embedded across behaviour systems, curriculum planning and pastoral support.

Leaders can evidence improvement through attendance, behaviour and achievement data for vulnerable groups, SEND provision reviews, participation data, adaptive teaching evidence and case studies demonstrating improved access and belonging. 

Pages 10-16 of the State-funded school inspection toolkit provide more detail about how inspectors will grade Inclusion.

Curriculum and teaching

Inspectors will look at:

• Whether the curriculum is ambitious, coherently sequenced and meets statutory requirements, while giving all pupils access to strong foundations in reading, writing, communication and mathematics.
• How effectively teaching is delivered, including teachers’ subject knowledge, use of assessment, retrieval practice, clear explanations and the way staff identify and close gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly.
• Whether leaders and teachers remove barriers to learning through evidence-informed teaching, effective curriculum adaptation and targeted support for pupils with additional needs.

Leaders can evidence improvement through curriculum reviews, assessment data, records of lesson visits and work scrutiny, reading and phonics outcomes, CPD programmes and examples of how teaching adaptations improve pupil achievement and inclusion.

Greater detail about how inspectors will assess this evaluation area can be found on pages 17-26 of the State-funded school inspection toolkit/span>.

Achievement

Inspectors will look at:

• Outcomes and progress across different pupil groups.
• Whether pupils are prepared well for their next stage of education and skills development.
• How effectively gaps in attainment are identified and addressed.

Leaders can evidence improvement through internal and external assessment information, progress measures, destination data, intervention evaluations and evidence of narrowing gaps between pupil groups. 

More can be found about what inspectors will be looking for in this evaluation area on pages 27-34 of the State-funded school inspection toolkit.

Attendance and behaviour

Inspectors will look at:

• Attendance patterns, including persistent absence, and how leaders use this data.
• Classroom routines, behaviour expectations and conduct around school, including bullying.
• Whether pupils are able to learn in calm, purposeful environments.

Leaders can evidence improvement through data showing reduced persistent absence, fewer behaviour incidents and suspensions, behaviour tracking, attendance analysis, pastoral intervention records and positive pupil feedback. 

The State-funded school inspection toolkit goes into greater detail about what inspectors will be looking for with regards to Attendance and Behaviour on pages 35-43.

Personal development and well-being

Inspectors will look at:

• Whether leaders provide a coherent personal development programme through the curriculum and wider school experiences.
• How effectively the school prepares pupils with the knowledge and skills needed for later life and future success.
• Whether the school promotes pupils’ character, wellbeing and spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development through strong care, support and enrichment opportunities.

Leaders can evidence improvement through enrichment participation rates, pupil surveys, careers and RSHE provision, leadership opportunities, and wellbeing support records.

Pages 44-52 of the State-funded school inspection toolkit provides more information on how schools will be graded in this evaluation area.

Early years in schools (where applicable)

Inspectors will look at:

• Whether the school meets EYFS statutory requirements and provides ambitious early education for all children, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• How effectively leaders design and deliver a well-sequenced early years curriculum that builds strong foundations for later learning.
• Whether staff support children’s communication, language, knowledge and development while identifying and supporting children who face barriers to learning or wellbeing.

Leaders can evidence improvement through phonics and communication outcomes, baseline and progress information, learning environment reviews, parent engagement evidence and Year 1 readiness. 

To learn more about how schools will be graded on their Early Years provision, see pages 53-62 of the State-funded school inspection toolkit.

Sixth form in schools (where applicable)

Inspectors will look at:

• Whether sixth form study programmes are ambitious, tailored to students’ needs and prepare them for higher education, employment or training.
• How effectively the school supports disadvantaged students, those with SEND and students facing barriers to learning or wellbeing.
• Whether students receive strong careers guidance, meaningful work-related learning and wider opportunities that develop employability, leadership and life skills.

Leaders can evidence improvement through retention and attendance data, academic progress measures, destination outcomes, enrichment participation and evidence of successful preparation for higher education or employment. 

More information about how this evaluation area will be inspected can be found on pages 63-71 of the State-funded school inspection toolkit.

Leadership and governance

Inspectors will look at:

• Whether leaders and governors have a reflective understanding and a clear strategic approach to improvement that helps all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, to thrive.
• How effectively leaders manage the school, develop staff expertise and remove barriers that affect teaching, learning and pupil outcomes.
• Whether leaders, governors and the wider school community work collaboratively while prioritising pupil outcomes, staff wellbeing and sustainable workload. 

Leaders can evidence improvement through self-evaluation, school improvement planning, governor challenge records, monitoring activities, staff development evidence and measurable impact against strategic priorities. 

Pages 72-80 of the State-funded school inspection toolkit gives leaders and governors a greater understanding of how this area will be evaluated.

What happens before, during and after an Ofsted inspection?

Before inspection

Before an Ofsted inspection takes place, there are lots of things the inspectors need to do. These are outlined in great detail in the ‘School inspection operating guide for inspectors’. They will begin by reviewing key information about the school, including previous inspection reports, performance data, safeguarding information, complaints, the school website, Parent View responses, and any relevant local or national information. This preparation helps inspectors understand the school’s context, strengths, priorities, and any areas they may want to explore further with leaders.

Schools are normally notified by telephone the day before the inspection, usually between 9.30am and 10am. During this call, inspectors will explain the type of inspection, arrange a longer planning meeting, discuss practical arrangements, and confirm key information about the school. Leaders may nominate a senior member of staff to work closely with inspectors throughout the inspection, and inspectors will also discuss any reasonable adjustments or adaptations required.

The planning call gives leaders the opportunity to explain the school’s context, priorities, challenges, and successes. Together, leaders and inspectors will agree the timetable for inspection activities, including learning walks, meetings with staff and governors, safeguarding checks, and discussions with pupils. Inspectors will maintain regular professional dialogue with leaders throughout the inspection, including reflection meetings where emerging evidence and next steps are discussed openly and transparently.

During inspection

Inspections now last for 2 days, with clear guidance set out for inspectors as to what should be done on each day. In short, you can expect the following:

• Day 1: Inspectors will review safeguarding and key documentation, carry out learning walks, lesson visits, case sampling, and meetings with leaders, staff and pupils, while holding reflection meetings to discuss emerging findings and plan priorities for Day 2.
• Day 2: Inspectors will continue evidence gathering and meetings before concluding with grading discussions and a final feedback meeting where provisional judgements, strengths, priorities for improvement, and next steps are shared with leaders and governors/trustees.

A different number of inspectors will attend an inspection based on the school’s size and type. For example, typically, more inspectors visit secondary schools for one inspection than primary schools.  

Although “deep dives” are no longer mentioned in the new framework, inspectors still sample subjects and speak to pupils to understand curriculum quality and the child’s experience in school. The structured deep dive questions used under previous frameworks have been replaced with more open, professional dialogue between inspectors and school leaders.

Inspectors will triangulate evidence through:

• Lesson visits
• Work scrutiny
• Conversations with pupils
• Discussions with teachers and governors
• Leadership meetings
• Safeguarding checks

There is now a stronger emphasis on inclusion, wellbeing, mental health and pupils’ voice throughout the process. Inspectors are also expected to act with professionalism, empathy and respect under Ofsted’s updated code of conduct.

After inspection

Following inspection, schools receive a draft inspection report for factual accuracy checking before publication.

Under the new system, leaders will need to interpret a spread of grades across multiple evaluation areas rather than relying on one overall judgement. This means communication with governors, staff and parents becomes more nuanced.

The published report cards are designed to provide more detail and a fuller summary of strengths and weaknesses across the school.

How to read your new Ofsted report card as a school leader

The first part of the report card gives a snapshot overview in the form of a pictogram. It shows how many of the evaluation areas have been judged as meeting each of the 5 grades. This is represented by coloured dots. For example, this school has been graded as Expected Standard in 4 of the evaluation areas. In this image, we also see that Safeguarding standards have been met.

The second part of the report card then goes on to break down the judgements for each of the evaluation areas, categorised by the 5 grades. For example, this school has been graded as being at ‘Strong standard’ for both Curriculum and teaching and Early years.

Next to each of the evaluation areas, there is a drop-down button which opens to give more details about the inspectors’ findings.

The report card also features further sections headed ‘What it’s like to be a pupil at this school’, ‘Next steps’, ‘About this inspection’, as well as a summary of school data.

When looking at report cards, school leaders should assess:

• Which areas are already at expected standard or above?
• Where does the school need improvement or urgent improvement?
• Do weaknesses align with known operational challenges?
• How does the report connect with your school improvement plan?
• Does the report support your staff wellbeing and mental health strategy?

The strongest schools will use report cards as operational tools rather than marketing documents.

Practical next steps for school leaders

Practical next steps might include:

• Prioritising CPD for curriculum and teaching
• Reviewing behaviour systems
• Strengthening SEND provision
• Improving attendance processes
• Reallocating leadership capacity
• Refining safeguarding systems
• Building staff wellbeing into improvement planning

Many schools also use external tutoring as part of their improvement plan, particularly to address gaps in maths attainment and support disadvantaged pupils. Inspectors will want to see how tutoring in school, including any maths tuition or work with external school tutor, aligns with your curriculum and improvement priorities.

For more on this, our guide to how Ofsted inspects tutoring sets out what inspectors look for. If your school uses AI maths tutoring with Third Space Learning, you can also share our information document for inspectors to give them context on the provision.

School leaders also carry responsibility for explaining report cards clearly to parents. The move away from single word judgements means communication now requires more context and transparency. For broader inspection preparation guidance, see our guide on essential insights for effective Ofsted inspections and our round-up of the 13 most common Ofsted questions and answers.

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