How Ofsted Reports Have Changed

Ofsted's inspection system changed significantly in 2025, and reports referenced in the schools tab of an Uncovero report may reflect either the old or new format depending on when a school was last inspected. This guide explains what changed and how to read a report under either system.

What changed

Until September 2024, Ofsted inspections concluded with a single overall word judgement: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate. From November 2025, Ofsted introduced a renewed inspection framework that replaces this single grade with a report card. Instead of one word summarising a whole school, a school now receives a separate grade for each of several evaluation areas.

The five-point scale

Each evaluation area is graded on a five-point scale, ranging from exceptional at the top to urgent improvement at the bottom. Expected standard sits in the middle of this scale and represents full compliance and solid performance, not a result to be avoided. Safeguarding is assessed separately on a simpler met or not met basis, since this is treated as a baseline requirement rather than a graded scale.

What's newly assessed

• Inclusion is now its own standalone evaluation area, rather than being folded into other judgements as before
• Staff wellbeing is formally assessed for the first time, sitting within the leadership and governance evaluation area

Why some reports still show the old format

Schools inspected before 10 November 2025 will still show a single-word judgement in their published report, since the new framework only applies going forward from that date. Routine inspections under the new system resumed in January 2026, so it will take several years for every school in England to have a report under the new format, since a full inspection cycle typically takes that long to complete.

What this means when comparing schools

A school with a recent report card and a school with an older single-word judgement are not directly comparable using the same scale, since they were assessed under different frameworks. When comparing schools in a report, check the inspection date for each school before drawing conclusions from the rating alone.