Ofsted ratings explained
Ofsted inspects state-funded schools in England. Since 10 November 2025, the date Ofsted set for its reforms to take effect in state-funded schools, an inspection ends with a report card. Schools inspected before then still show the grades of the old system or the outcome of an ungraded inspection. On School Shortlist, each school page shows the latest inspection in Ofsted's data, with its date.
The report card
A report card no longer gives one overall judgement such as "good" or "outstanding". Ofsted grades several areas separately. For a secondary school, the report cards in Ofsted's data cover inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, leadership and governance and, where the school has them, early years and post-16 provision. Each area is graded on a five-point scale:
| Grade | What Ofsted says it means | On our pages |
|---|---|---|
| Exceptional | Practice among the very best nationally, which other schools could learn from | |
| Strong standard | Excellent, consistent work that makes a real difference for pupils | |
| Expected standard | The school does everything it should be doing; Ofsted calls it a high standard | |
| Needs attention | Work to be done to reach the expected standard; Ofsted says it is not a fail | |
| Urgent improvement | The bottom of the scale: problems that need urgent improvement |
Safeguarding is judged apart, as met or not met. Ofsted points out that a report card can show a mix of grades: a school can do very well in some areas and need more focus in others. It also says that the new grades cannot be compared with the old ones.
The old grades
Before the reforms, Ofsted used a four-point scale for its main judgements: grade 1, outstanding; grade 2, good; grade 3, requires improvement; grade 4, inadequate. A school whose last graded inspection took place before September 2024 usually has an overall grade ("overall effectiveness") on this scale. On our pages, each old grade carries its date, because the school may have changed since.
From 1 September 2024, graded inspections no longer gave a judgement on overall effectiveness. Schools inspected between then and the start of the report cards therefore have key judgements only: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and, where relevant, sixth form provision and early years provision, each on the four-point scale. We show them without inventing an overall grade.
Ungraded inspections
Some schools last had an ungraded inspection, which does not give new grades: it ends with a statement on the school, for example "School remains Good" or "Standards maintained". We show that statement and its date, together with the last graded inspection when Ofsted's data gives one.
Where to read the full report
When Ofsted's data gives an inspection, the school page links to the school's page on Ofsted's reports website. Alongside the grades, a report card describes what the inspectors found; Ofsted's guide for parents says these descriptions help you understand why each grade was given.
To see the inspections of the schools around you, use the search by postcode.