Ofsted

What is Ofsted? 

Ofsted stands for the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. It is an independent government body that inspects and regulates schools, nurseries, and other educational settings in England. 

What does Ofsted do? 

• Inspects schools to check the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. 
• Publishes reports so parents can see how well a school is performing. 

What’s Changed? 

• No more single-word grades like Outstanding or Good. 
• Instead, schools will get a report card with: 
• Grades for several areas (e.g., leadership, curriculum, behaviour, achievement, wellbeing, inclusion). 
• A short explanation for each grade. 
• Contextual information about the school. 

New grading scale for each area: 

• Exceptional 
• Strong standard 
• Expected standard 
• Needs attention 
• Urgent improvement 
• Safeguarding is judged separately as Met or Not met. 
• Focus on fairness and context: Inspectors consider local challenges, pupil needs, and school circumstances. 
• More support for schools: Those needing improvement will get help from regional improvement teams. 

Our most recent OFSTED report from November 2021: