What do ofsted grades mean

A Good school will receive Grade 2 for most if not inspection categories, with one or two categories rated Grade 1 or Grade 3. Good schools usually receive a short, one-day inspection from Ofsted once every four years. They will only be put through a full school inspection if there is a dramatic fall in performance. A school rated Requires Improvement will receive a Grade 3 in most inspection categories.

These schools still provide an acceptable quality of education and care for children, but will have areas where they could improve. Schools rated Requires Improvement usually have another full Ofsted inspection within two years of their last inspection the official government guidance says 30 months but it is almost always sooner. If a school is rated Inadequate , it has received a Grade 4 in most inspection categories, and a Grade 3 for Leadership and Management.

This means the school is failing to provide an acceptable quality of education and care for children and will need to make significant improvements immediately.

Schools rated Inadequate usually have another full inspection within three years, to give them some time to make the necessary changes, but the exact dates are agreed between the school and Ofsted. If they are state-maintained schools they are also required to become academies, so that it is easier for officials to intervene if it becomes necessary.

Special Measures schools are given on Action Plan for how they must improve, and are regularly monitored to check that they are on track. However, since the introduction of the new Education Inspection Framework in , primary schools have been inspected in England. Of these:. Even though the sample size is smaller, we can see that the new framework seems to have stricter guidelines for schools, as a smaller percentage of schools are rated Outstanding and more are rated either Good or Requires Improvement.

However the percentage of schools judged Inadequate has stayed almost exactly the same, reflecting how hard it is to receive this rating. Under the new Ofsted framework , inspections focus less on academic and exam results, and instead look more closely at how well schools develop children as a whole — how they encourage them to build resilience, become better citizens etc.

In Ofsted published an updated version of the EIF that introduced several new aspects to inspections. One of the most important new ideas from the EIF were the Ofsted deep dives , in-depth looks at specific subjects that inspectors will decide on and inform schools of before the inspection begins. Ofsted carries out regular inspections of schools rated Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate — sometimes prearranged. The most well-known example is falling results. Even though academic results are less of a focus under the new inspection framework, a dramatic fall in results is usually a sign that something has changed for the worse in the school.

Ofsted will also inspect a school out of its cycle if they receive complaints about the school for other reasons e. However, Ofsted can begin an inspection without notice if it believes this is necessary e.

Before an inspection formally begins, inspectors will read the previous Ofsted report if there is one and other important data e. Ofsted will also send parents a letter asking them to give their opinions on the school via their Parent View website. This helps inspectors get a better understanding of how the school is viewed by families on a long-term level.

Inspections will last anywhere between one day for a short inspection, and three to four days for a full inspection. Schools will be inspected by a different number of inspectors based on their size and type e. Once the inspection has been completed, the inspectors will write up an inspection report of their findings, including the overall rating the school will receive.

Schools are usually sent a draft copy of the report so they can give feedback — mostly about whether there are any factual errors e. What happens during an inspection? It's important that as many parents as possible complete the survey to have their views of the school taken into account. What are the inspectors looking at?

Ofsted inspectors look at four main areas: Quality of education Behaviour and attitudes Personal development of pupils Leadership The new Ofsted framework puts less emphasis on test results than previous inspections did. They will also look at how schools manage behaviour, including low-level disruption and bullying.

How quickly do schools get the results? Most schools get a draft copy of the report soon after the inspection. What are the possible outcomes? Schools receive a judgement for each of the four inspection areas, and an overall judgement. There are four numerical grades: 1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires Improvement 4: Inadequate In the academic year , 85 per cent of schools were rated Outstanding or Good.

What happens if a school is rated Inadequate? Inadequate schools are monitored and are subject to more frequent inspection. There's no fixed timetable for inspections, but they will normally have a full inspection within 30 months.

They are also obliged to convert to academies, which gives officials more power to intervene. The schools with the most serious failings may be put into special measures. They're given an action plan for improvement detailing the areas they must address, and are subject to regular monitoring and inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectors HMI , usually every term. The notification of inspection letter includes instructions on using the portal. Providers should send survey links to learners, employers, staff and parents so that they can give their views when they are notified of an inspection.

This does not apply to monitoring visits. The education inspection framework sets out the principles that apply to inspection and the main judgements that inspectors make. Under the education inspection framework , inspectors will make judgements on the following areas:. Inspectors will also make a judgement about the effectiveness of the arrangements for safeguarding learners.

If any of the information is available before the inspection, you can upload it onto the inspection portal. Providers should send survey links to learners, employers, staff and parents so they can give their views when they are notified of an inspection. After the inspection, we will ask for your views on the inspection process, including any impact that it may have in making improvements. We will use your responses to help keep us informed about the quality and impact of inspections.

It will also help guide us in reviewing and improving the inspection process. For issues that cannot be resolved during the inspection, you may want to make a formal complaint. For more detailed guidance and explanation, you should read the further education and skills inspection handbook.

This explains how inspections and monitoring visits are carried out in part 1 and how inspectors make judgements in part 2. It also contains the criteria and grade descriptors inspectors use when making their judgements. There is a section on monitoring visits in part 1 and a section on short inspections at the end of part 1.

Any information we gather during the inspection will be used as set out in our privacy notice. Contact Ofsted. To help us improve GOV. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Cookies on GOV.

UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Accept additional cookies Reject additional cookies View cookies. Hide this message. Home Education, training and skills Inspections and performance of education providers Inspection and performance of further education providers Inspection of further education and skills providers.

Guidance Inspecting further education and skills: guide for providers. From: Ofsted Published 30 August Applies to England Contents Introduction Notice of an inspection After the inspection visit The grading scale for inspection judgements Frequency of inspection Monitoring visits Short inspections of further education and skills providers Full inspections of further education and skills providers Your views on the inspection Further guidance Survey for learners Survey for employers Survey for parents, carers and learners Survey for staff.

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