What Is Ofsted?
Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills)is the official body that inspects and regulates education and care services for children and young people in England, including state schools and some independent providers.
Ofsted's aim is to raise the quality of the education and care children and young people receive, make these services transparent, and keep the public informed.
Update (October 2026): since 10 November 2025, Ofsted has inspected schools under a new system. The single-word overall grade (Outstanding, Good…) has been removed and replaced by “report cards” that give a separate grade for each area. This post has been updated for the new system.
How Does Ofsted Inspect Schools?
Inspectors come into the school for a few days: they observe lessons, talk to pupils, teachers, leaders and parents, and look at the school’s records. Under the new system, short “ungraded” inspections have ended: all routine inspections are full inspections. A “focused inspection” can also take place when needed.
What Does Ofsted Look At and Report On?
Under the new system, every school is assessed separately in these 6 core areas:
- Inclusion: a new area; how disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and pupils facing barriers to learning are supported.
- Curriculum and teaching: what is taught and how well it is taught.
- Achievement: pupils’ progress and exam results.
- Attendance and behaviour: attendance, behaviour and the school environment.
- Personal development and well-being: pupils’ personal, social and emotional development.
- Leadership and governance: how leaders and governors run the school.
Where a school has them, early years and post-16 (sixth form) provision are also graded separately.
Grades use a 5-point scale (highest to lowest): Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
Safeguarding is assessed separately, outside this scale: “Met” or “Not met”.
What Do Ofsted Inspectors Do?
- They observe lessons, going into classrooms to look at teaching.
- They talk to pupils, and sometimes do one-to-one activities with them, such as reading.
- They meet teachers, leaders and parents.
- They look at the school's own self-evaluation documents, pupils' work and marks, attendance data and safeguarding records.
- They analyse the online questionnaires parents fill in (Parent View).
The Report Card:
After the inspection, a report card is published for the school. The report card:
- Shows the grade on the 5-point scale for each area
- Explains each grade in a short summary
- Includes contextual data about the school
- Is designed first and foremost for parents, and shows a school’s strengths and areas for improvement in more detail than the old reports
How Often Are Ofsted Inspections Carried Out?
- Schools usually have a full inspection every 4 years.
- Schools graded “Needs attention” get more frequent monitoring visits.
- Schools graded “Urgent improvement” face intervention; schools in “special measures” can face structural changes such as a change of leadership.
- If your school hasn’t been inspected under the new system yet, that’s normal: the old report stands until the school is inspected again.
The old system: schools were given a single overall grade from 1 to 4: Outstanding (1), Good (2), Requires Improvement (3), Inadequate (4). You will still see these grades on reports for schools that haven’t been re-inspected yet.
If a school has areas for improvement, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. What really matters is knowing how the school plans to improve in those areas.
When you see areas for development in an Ofsted report, you can contact the school's leadership and ask:
- What new steps are being taken to support children's progress?
- Is extra support provided in areas such as reading, writing or maths?
- How can we as parents contribute?
Many schools welcome parental involvement, and questions like these also help school leaders make the process more transparent.
Note: the example below comes from a report written under the old system. On the new report cards, grades are given on the 5-point scale for the 6 areas above.
The text below is a sample summary based on a real school's Ofsted report. My aim is to show you which headings an Ofsted report assesses, what it pays attention to and what an inspection report might contain .
Summary of an Ofsted Report
At its most recent Ofsted inspection, this school was rated “Good” overall . But in some areas it achieved much more highly.
Overall Judgements:
-
Leadership and Management: Outstanding
The school's leadership team works effectively and decisively for the school's development, with a clear vision. Both school leaders and governors show strategic, strong leadership for pupils' achievement and wellbeing. -
Quality of Teaching and Learning: Good
There are strong teacher–pupil relationships in classrooms. Pupils are motivated and keen to learn. They do very well in reading and writing, but problem-solving and reasoning skills in maths need developing. -
Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare: Outstanding
Pupils are kind, respectful and responsible. They feel safe and are happy to be at school. Social skills and emotional development are supported. -
Outcomes for Pupils: Good
Pupils perform above their age group, especially in reading and writing. However, inspectors found that the most able pupils are not challenged enough in some subjects and don't fully reach their potential. -
Early Years Provision: Outstanding
Children get off to a very good start in Reception. They make rapid progress through learning through play and strong guidance from teachers. The environment is colourful and creative, with rich learning resources.
Key Strengths:
- Strong, visionary leadership
- An inclusive school culture and a strong focus on safety
- Exemplary pupil behaviour
- The quality and content of early years education
- High pupil and parent satisfaction
Recommended Areas for Improvement:
- More problem-solving and reasoning work in maths
- Challenging the most able pupils more in subjects other than English and maths to deepen their knowledge
General Notes:
- The school is improving rapidly. Effective induction and support processes are in place for new teachers.
- It offers a disciplined but warm environment. Pupils are encouraged to express themselves and take an active part in school life.
- Parents are very happy with the support the school provides and its transparent communication.
Ofsted reports are a many-sided tool that assesses not only a school's academic results, but also how safe, supported and valued children feel. That's why a report should be read for its messages, not just its grades.
In this post I've tried to explain, with examples, what Ofsted is, how it works and what a report contains. I hope this information guides you when choosing a school for your child or assessing their current school.
Remember, no report knows your child as well as you do. But approaching things with the right questions and the right sources makes it easier to make sound decisions.
Wishing you informed, confident steps on your education journey.
If you have questions or would like to see posts on other topics, please let us know in the comments.