The new Ofsted grading language has only just landed, yet you can already sense familiar habits beginning to re-emerge.
Following consultation, Ofsted revised the terminology of its five-grade scale - the grades are now “urgent improvement”, “needs attention”, “expected standard”, “strong standard” and “exceptional” - because the originally proposed wording simply didn’t sit right with parents or professionals.
But as we all know, changing labels is the easy part.
Ofsted inspection framework changes
Changing what decades of experience have taught us to expect takes longer. And we have a big role to play: the way we talk about these new grades really matters if we are going to learn from the past, because words don’t just describe culture - they actively shape it.
Grades like “needs attention” only become the villain of the story if we let them.
By Ofsted’s own definition, “needs attention” signals an area that has not yet reached the expected standard and will receive targeted monitoring to support improvement.
Seeing it as a sign of failure, then, is where our old habits can work against us.
Defining ‘needs attention’
Early reports show the “needs attention” grade appearing on inspection report cards most often in the achievement and attendance and behaviour categories, often linked to data. That’s not evidence of systemic decline; it may just be the ebb and flow of school improvement, which does not always go in a straight line.
If we behave like anything below “expected standard” is a personal failure, then our chances of having the more humane inspection system that critics are calling for are dead in the water without any extra help from Ofsted itself.
We need to see these grades not as personal failings but as shared steps in the work we all care about. There is a responsibility on us to view “needs attention” as being less about judgement and more about possibility: an opening for support, reflection and collective problem solving.
This new grade can genuinely help us to move forward, especially when we choose to approach it side by side rather than with our defences up.
Caution over the ‘exceptional’ grade
Then there is the grade “exceptional”. Who wouldn’t want a school to be exceptional, right? It’s a perfectly natural aspiration for anyone who wants the best for children.
But it is also the grade that could so easily pull us off course if we let it.
Ofsted has been clear about its intention: “exceptional” is there to spotlight practice that can help the whole system learn, so that more children benefit.
When we look at it through that lens, there is a clear opportunity. Strong practice in one place really can help children in many others. That’s one of the core reasons why I love being in a trust: take what works, scale it up, benefit more children!
But we also need to acknowledge that many colleagues still carry memories of the era of the “outstanding” grade, when a single word began to overshadow the real, everyday work happening in schools.
‘Outstanding’ issues
Because the truth is that some schools held the “outstanding” label long after the practice had moved on. Others, doing equally meaningful work for children, felt pushed to the margins while they waited in the wings to be formally recognised and badged as such.
In that context, the renewed Ofsted framework does have the potential to serve improvement. It can help to create moments of clarity, focus and shared learning. But only if we take responsibility for shaping how it lands in our schools, rather than allowing old habits to creep in and shape it for us.
If “exceptional” turns into another badge or a round of LinkedIn victory laps, that won’t necessarily be because Ofsted pushed us there. It will be because we forgot the culture we are trying to build; a culture where success is something that we share to support each other.
If ‘‘exceptional” is going to mean anything worthwhile, it should be because it helps us to deepen that shared purpose and strengthen the daily experience of children in every one of our own schools and beyond.
A different approach to Ofsted grades
So here is where we begin.
- First, if you receive a “needs attention” grade, speak about the work. Speak about the actions, the learning, the next steps and not the supposed shame.
- Second, if you receive “exceptional”, congratulations! But quickly pivot to talk about and share the practice, not the prestige.
- Third, share generously and learn openly. Resist the temptation to romanticise or vilify the inspection framework before it has even had a chance to breathe.
We may have only one chance to set the tone and to refute the old dynamics of labels equalling worth.
At REAch2, we have taken a firm stance: no banners bearing Ofsted grades. We will celebrate strong performance with pride because it means that our children are getting what they deserve, but we will do so in ways that respect a system that can so easily tip into negativity, distortion or unhealthy incentives.
However, we cannot shift the system alone. Collectively, we can resist the gravitational pull of old habits and instead give this framework the best chance of becoming what it could be: not another burden but a lever for improvement, fairness and trust.
Cathie Paine is CEO of REAch2 Academy Trust
