What will the new Ofsted report card look like?
If you've heard about the new Ofsted report card but aren’t quite sure what’s changed or what it means for inspections going forward, we’ve summarised the key changes you need to know about. Keep reading to see what the new-style report card includes and what they will look like.
The new Ofsted report card - what’s changed?
Alongside other reforms, Ofsted have introduced a new look, new format report card. The new Ofsted report card provides nuance for parents and providers, combining at-a-glance grades with narrative summaries of strengths and areas for improvement. It aims to highlight excellence and identify areas for improvement, whilst also being more accessible and mobile-friendly.
“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.”
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver
Here are some of the key changes to expect on your next Ofsted report card:
A five-point grading system
Inspectors will use a five-point grading scale to mark schools across several different areas:
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Curriculum and teaching
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Early years
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Achievement
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Inclusion
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Leadership and governance
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Personal development and wellbeing
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Attendance and behaviour
These categories will be graded as either:
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Exceptional
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Strong standard
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Expected standard
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Needs attention
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Urgent improvement
More detail for parents and providers
Report cards have multiple purposes, but they are primarily to advise parents and carers on who to trust with their child's education. As such, the new-style report cards will include more detail about the various graded areas, opposed to the single-word grade in previous formats.
A detailed report will sit below an overview grid and provide a narrative for each evaluation area. It will explain the strengths and areas for development. Safeguarding will sit at the top of the detailed report to enable parents, carers and providers to easily find this important information.
The new report card will also provide an overview of what it’s like to attend the provider.
Safeguarding
Ofsted will now inspect safeguarding as a separate ‘met’ or ‘not met’ core evaluation area, previously included in the ‘leadership’ area. This will also include an accompanying narrative to provide more detailed information for parents and carers and for providers.
Colour-coded scale
The new Ofsted report card gives an overview of the number of evaluation areas s, sitting across the evaluation scale in a colour-coded table. Colours range from red for ‘urgent improvement’ to blue for ‘exceptional’. See an example of what this will look like below.
Toolkit changes
Under the new report card system, inspectors will base their judgements on “toolkits” that set out how to grade schools. Inspectors will begin by gathering evidence to see if a school is meeting the “expected standards”. All areas will need to meet this grade before inspectors then consider evidence against “strong standards”. This new toolkit is intended to keep grading as consistent as possible.
Accessibility
The new-style Ofsted report card has been designed to be used on both desktop and mobile devices, recognising the changing landscape of technology and how parents typically engage with Ofsted reports.
First report card inspection will be voluntary
Whilst the first inspections under this new framework will begin from November, this will be on a voluntary basis. Voluntary inspections will start on the 10th November and a normal schedule will not start before 1 December. It is possible that inspections of volunteer schools could continue beyond this date if enough schools come forward.
Other changes to the Ofsted framework
The report cards aren’t the only changes in Ofsted’s 2025 reforms. Here are a couple more that might impact your next inspection.
Monitoring inspections
Schools graded with “urgent improvement" in an evaluation will receive a monitoring inspection each term following the publication of their report card. This is to ensure that timely action is taken to raise standards.
Ofsted will recommend what needs to improve
Off the back of “widespread” calls from education professionals, report cards will make recommendations, or set actions, on what schools need to improve. Schools graded as “needs attention” will receive at least one recommendation but will not be told how to do it.
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