Ofsted Report Cards and Historic Ratings Explained

The important distinction

Older reports can contain one overall judgement: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate. State-funded school inspections stopped receiving a single overall effectiveness grade from September 2024.

From November 2025, the renewed framework uses report cards with separate grades for areas such as inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, and leadership and governance. Safeguarding is reported as met or not met.

The current five-point scale

• Exceptional

  Used when the relevant area meets the expected and strong standards plus the additional exceptional standards.

• Strong standard

  The relevant area meets all expected and strong standards.

• Expected standard

  The relevant area meets the expected standards, including applicable legal and statutory requirements.

• Needs attention

  Some aspects of the relevant area do not yet meet the expected standard.

• Urgent improvement

  The relevant area needs urgent action to provide a suitable standard.

Ofsted says the new grades cannot be directly compared with the old overall judgements.

How to use Ofsted information on Classpot

• Always check the inspection date.
• Treat an older overall judgement as a historic snapshot, not a current guarantee.
• Open the official report and read the findings for each evaluation area.
• Do not translate Expected standard into Good or Strong standard into Outstanding.
• Use inspection evidence alongside published results, admissions information and a school visit.

Official sources

• Ofsted: understanding report cards and grades
• Education inspection framework from November 2025
• Search the official Ofsted reports service