Understanding Ofsted’s New Report Cards

Ofsted has recently updated the way it reports the findings of school inspections. The new report cards are designed to give parents and carers a clearer, more detailed picture of how well a school is performing, what it does well, and where it is continuing to improve.

This page provides an overview of the new report cards and how to understand the information they include.

A New Approach to Grading

One of the key changes is that schools are no longer given a single overall judgement such as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

Instead, the report card shows separate, colour-coded grades across a range of important areas, including:

• Attendance and behaviour

• Achievement

• Personal development and well-being

• Inclusion, which reflects how well the needs of all pupils are met

Each area is graded using the following scale:

• Exceptional

• Strong standard

• Expected standard

• Needs attention

• Urgent improvement

Safeguarding is also reported separately and is identified as either ‘met’ or ‘not met’.

It is important to note that these new grades cannot be directly compared with previous Ofsted judgements, as they reflect a different approach to inspection and reporting.

What the Grades Mean

The ‘expected standard’ indicates that a school is meeting all the requirements expected of it. This represents a high standard and ensures that pupils receive the education and support they need.

A ‘strong standard’ highlights consistently high-quality provision that is making a clear and positive difference for pupils.

‘Exceptional’ is awarded where practice is among the very best seen nationally and may serve as an example for other schools.

‘Needs attention’ identifies areas where improvement is required to reach the expected standard. This is not a failure, but a prompt to address issues before they become more significant.

‘Urgent improvement’ indicates that more immediate action is required.

It is common for schools to receive a range of grades across different areas, reflecting strengths in some aspects and priorities for development in others.

Using Report Cards

Alongside the grades, report cards include detailed descriptions of inspectors’ findings. These help to explain the reasons behind each grade and provide insight into what it is like to be a pupil at the school.

The report also includes key contextual information, such as pupil numbers and age ranges. This data is drawn from sources published by the Department for Education and reflects the school at the time of inspection.

We hope that these report cards provide clear and helpful information for parents and carers, whether you are considering school options or seeking reassurance about your child’s education.

You can view Ofsted reports for any education provider via the Ofsted website. Following each inspection, the latest report card will be published, with previous reports also available for reference.