Getting ready for new inspection reforms

Ofsted is overhauling its inspection framework from November 2025 – introducing new grading terminology, report cards, and placing greater emphasis on inclusion, staff wellbeing and parental engagement. Here’s what schools need to know about the changes

Ofsted has confirmed significant changes to how schools in England will be inspected, marking a new era for accountability, parental communication and professional fairness. 

From 10 November 2025, inspections across early years, state-funded schools, and further education providers will follow a renewed framework that introduces updated grading, new report cards for parents, and a stronger focus on inclusion, staff well-being, and professional collaboration.

These changes are the result of Ofsted’s 2024 “Big Listen” consultation, which invited professionals and parents to share their experiences and offer ideas for reform. The feedback was clear: the inspection system needed to evolve. With over 6,500 consultation responses and input from sector experts, Ofsted has now unveiled a more balanced approach to inspections – one that holds schools to account without adding undue pressure.

New report cards and grading system

At the centre of the changes is the introduction of a new-style report card, designed to give parents clearer, more detailed information about their child’s education setting. The current inspection reports are being replaced by a concise, mobile-friendly format that combine at-a-glance grades with narrative summaries of strengths and areas for improvement. According to independent polling by YouGov, nearly seven in ten parents prefer this new approach, and almost nine in ten find the new report cards easier to understand.

Perhaps the most significant shift is in the grading system. The old four-point scale, which included ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Inadequate,’ is being replaced with a more nuanced five-point scale. The new grades are: ‘Exceptional’, ‘Strong Standard’, ‘Expected Standard’, ‘Needs Attention’, and ‘Urgent Improvement’. This change is intended to provide more detail and better reflect the varied performance across different areas of a provider’s work. Importantly, it introduces a new top grade – ‘Exceptional’ – to highlight best practice that others can learn from.

Schools and providers that fall short of the expected standard will be monitored more closely, with follow-up inspections designed to drive improvement quickly and effectively.

Inclusion

Another major change is the introduction of a new evaluation area focused on inclusion. From November, every inspection will assess how well a school or provider supports disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and children known to social care. This inclusion grade reflects Ofsted’s commitment to making sure inspections look beyond averages and take into account how well the most vulnerable learners are being served.

For early years providers, the frequency of inspections is also changing. Instead of being inspected every six years, early years settings will now be inspected every four, with a stronger focus on the quality of education and care. 

Wellbeing of staff

The wellbeing of staff has also been brought to the forefront. Ofsted commissioned an independent review of staff workload and well-being, and as a result, new measures are being introduced to reduce inspection pressure. Each inspection team will now include an additional inspector, allowing for more time with school leaders and helping to ensure a more collaborative experience. To cap the length of inspection days, new operating guides set out the times at which inspectors can arrive on site and the suggested latest times they should be departing. 

Inspectors will also be required to evaluate how well schools support the well-being of their staff, which will be considered as part of the leadership and governance evaluation area. This change reflects growing recognition of the pressures faced by educators and the need for inspections to take a more humane and supportive approach.
Ofsted has said that a new system for monitoring schools where improvement is needed will offer reassurance to parents and carers. These inspections will allow providers to improve ‘needs attention’ grades and have improvements recognised more quickly.

Getting ready

Schools are encouraged to begin preparing for the new framework now. One of the most immediate steps they can take is to familiarise themselves with the new grading definitions and evaluation criteria. Ofsted has published detailed toolkits outlining what inspectors will be looking for under each standard. School leaders should also take a close look at their inclusion practices, making sure they can demonstrate how disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are being supported effectively.

Another priority will be parental engagement. For the first time, strong communication with parents is being directly assessed during inspection, and no school will be able to achieve the highest grade without demonstrating this. 

In gathering evidence about parental engagement, inspectors will consider the extent to which leaders, including governors, forge constructive relationships beyond the school, so that they can successfully engage with parents and the local community.

Schools will need to reflect on how they involve parents, how they communicate progress and challenges, and how they listen and respond to parental concerns.

Staff wellbeing is another area schools will need to be ready to discuss. Inspectors will consider the extent to which leaders take account of staff’s well-being and make sure their workload is manageable. They will look at whether leaders have effective systems in place to protect staff from bullying and unlawful discrimination, as well as looking for evidence on how leaders make staff feel valued and are supported.

Leaders should review policies, staff surveys, and support systems to ensure they can evidence a genuine commitment to creating a supportive workplace culture.

Timelines

Ofsted’s revised approach will come into effect from 10 November 2025 for early years settings, state-funded schools, and further education providers. For initial teacher education and non-association independent schools, the new framework will be implemented from January 2026. Notably, there will be no routine inspections during the first half of the autumn term to allow for preparation and training. From 1 December, inspections will resume, with schools that volunteer to be inspected first, before the return to routine scheduling.

To support ongoing improvement, Ofsted will evaluate the rollout of the new framework through a formal programme of review and analysis, including externally commissioned research to assess its impact on providers, parents, and pupils.

Sir Jon Coles, chief executive of United Learning, England’s largest academy trust, concludes: “It is important to our school system, to parental confidence and ultimately to the success of children that there is high quality, trusted, independent and rigorous reporting to parents about the quality of their local schools. I am pleased that the new inspection framework looks set to provide this.”

As Ofsted enters this new chapter, schools should now begin familiarising themselves with the new toolkits to prepare for these new-look inspections.