No more Ofsted single-word school ratings

Welcome back to a new school year!

With a change of government comes a change in the way Ofsted reports school standards, under the headings of quality of education, behaviour, personal development and leadership.

The Guardian states that, 'Single-word Ofsted judgments for state schools will be scrapped with immediate effect to be replaced by report cards aimed at improving standards and helping parents to better understand schools’ strengths and weaknesses'.

These report cards will be in place from September 2025. 

What is interesting is that Ofsted, '...will no longer directly intervene in schools which under the current system receive two or more consecutive “requires improvement” judgments. They will now get more support from a high-performing school instead'.