Ofsted aim to have the final report available to parents within 30 working days of inspection date - this excludes school holidays. 

Therefore, we anticipate our final report to be available by Wednesday 22nd April 2026!

What’s New in Ofsted Inspections (From November 2025/2026)

Ofsted has updated the way it inspects and reports on schools so that inspection findings are clearer and more useful for parents, carers and schools. These changes aim to give a fuller picture of how a school is performing.

More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-ofsted-report-cards-and-grades 

New “Report Card” Instead of a Single Overall Grade

In the past, schools were given one overall judgment like Outstanding or Good.
Under the new framework:

• Ofsted uses a report card style of findings.

• This gives separate grades for different important areas of school life.

• There is no single overall grade anymore.

This change gives parents a more detailed picture of a school’s strengths and areas to develop.

Five-Point Grading Scale

Each evaluation area is now graded using a five-point scale:

1. Exceptional – very high quality

2. Strong standard – better than expected

3. Expected standard – performing as we would hope

4. Needs attention – some improvements needed

5. Urgent improvement – serious issues needing prompt action

This new scale replaces the old four categories such as Good and Requires Improvement, making it more nuanced.

What Does “Expected Standard” Mean in the New Ofsted Framework?

You may notice that under the new Ofsted framework (from 2026), schools are no longer given a single overall grade such as Good.

Instead, Ofsted now uses a five-point grading scale for different areas of school life.

One of these grades is “Expected Standard.”

Is “Expected Standard” the Same as the Old “Good”?

In most cases, yes.

Under the previous system, many schools were judged as Good, meaning they were providing a strong, effective education with secure outcomes for pupils.

Under the new framework:

• “Expected Standard” broadly reflects what Ofsted previously described as a secure, good quality of education.

• It means the school is meeting national expectations.

What Happens If a School Is Stronger Than Expected?

The new framework also allows inspectors to recognise when provision goes beyond expectations, using higher grades such as “Strong” or “Exceptional.”

More Detailed Evaluation Areas

Instead of one overall judgment, inspectors now report on several key areas separately. For primary schools these include:

• Safeguarding – judged as met or not met

• Curriculum and teaching

• Early Years Foundation Stage

• Achievement (how well pupils learn)

• Attendance and behaviour

• Personal development and wellbeing

• Leadership and governance

• Inclusion – this now has its own focus, including support for children with additional needs or disadvantage

This helps parents see exactly where a school is doing well and where it’s developing further.

Safeguarding Is Reported Separately

Safeguarding — how safe children are kept — is now reported on its own, with a clear met or not met outcome. This ensures that safety remains a top priority at every inspection.

All Routine Inspections Are Graded

Under the new framework, there are no more “ungraded” inspections. From November 2025, every routine visit results in a full graded inspection. This gives parents up-to-date information on school performance.

What This Means for Parents

• You will receive more detailed information about how well the school is performing in key areas.

• Each area of school life is graded separately, not just the school overall.

• This gives a clearer picture of strengths and areas for improvement.

• You can use this information to understand how your child’s school supports things like learning, behaviour, wellbeing and inclusion.