Ofsted unveils new report cards and confirms changes

Ofsted has confirmed its changes to education inspections and unveiled its new-look report cards, which will come into effect from November 2025.

Inspectors will award grades on a five-point scale across a wider range of areas, providing parents with "more granularity and nuance" about a school’s performance , rather than a single overall judgement.

A new ‘exceptional’ grade has also been introduced, which shows the very best practice – indicating other providers could learn from it.

The five grades have been renamed ‘urgent improvement’, ‘needs attention’, ‘expected standard’, ‘strong standard’, and the new highest grade of ‘exceptional’.

Ofsted has said it will monitor exceptions in schools where provision is not currently at the expected standard in all areas. The inspectorate says this will ensure that, where areas for improvement are identified, action is taken quickly to raise standards.

In the early years, Ofsted will increase the frequency of inspections from every 6 years to every 4. This increase will be twinned with an enhanced focus on the quality of education and care, ensuring every child is given the best start in life.

Since becoming Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver has expressed his determination to do more to highlight the experiences of disadvantaged and vulnerable children. Today, Ofsted has confirmed that every education inspection will focus on provision for disadvantaged children, those with a special educational need or disability (SEND), and those who are known to social care – through a specific grade for ‘inclusion’.

The changes have come about after a consultation with professionals.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver said: "Our new report cards will give parents a clearer understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement at the places where their children learn. We will work with the professionals in schools, early years and further education to help them showcase the best of what they do – and help them identify where they can improve."

There will be a new system for monitoring schools where improvement is needed, to offer reassurance to parents and carers. These inspections will allow providers to improve ‘needs attention’ grades and have improvements recognised more quickly.

To drive consistent and fair inspections, inspections will be led by full-time His Majesty’s Inspectors. These experienced inspectors will oversee the inspection, building a professional relationship with the leaders to deliver a more collaborative experience. In addition, Ofsted will introduce a programme of work to assess consistency in school inspections, including having a senior inspector shadow a sample of live inspections to guide and advise the inspection team. Post inspection, any initial differences between the senior inspector and the team will be analysed.