Ofsted’s Overhaul Approaches

The way schools are inspected and reported on in England is undergoing its most significant change in 33 years.

Ofsted’s long-trailed reforms will come into effect from November 2025, replacing the single headline grade with a more detailed, much-discussed “report card” system. While the inspectorate says this will bring clarity and fairness, unions and school leaders are warning of continued high-stakes pressure and new risks for wellbeing.

Here’s everything you need to know about what’s changing, when it starts, and why it matters.

What’s Changing

At the heart of the reforms is the abolition of the much-maligned single overall grade. Instead, schools will receive a colour-coded report card showing performance across six key areas, each rated on a five-point scale. This means parents and professionals will no longer see one catch-all judgment like “Good” or “Inadequate”, but a more granular picture of strengths and weaknesses.

The six core areas are:

• Inclusion

• Curriculum and teaching

• Achievement

• Attendance and behaviour

• Personal development and wellbeing

• Leadership and governance

  
  

Safeguarding will continue to be judged separately, with a simple “met” or “not met” outcome. Early years and post-16 provision will also be assessed where relevant.

This is designed to give a more balanced view of schools, ensuring that, for example, a strong curriculum offer is not overshadowed by weaknesses elsewhere, or vice versa. Critics, however, worry that, among other things, multiple judgments could increase workload and competition between schools.

The New Ofsted Grading Scale

Each of the six areas will be judged using a five-point scale. After extensive consultation feedback, Ofsted has renamed the grades to make them clearer to parents and less punitive in tone:

• Exceptional

• Strong standard

• Expected standard

• Needs attention

• Urgent improvement

  
  

After substnatial feedback and in some cases, criticism, these replace the earlier-mooted labels “Exemplary”, “Strong”, “Secure”, “Attention needed” and “Causing concern”. Ofsted says the new terms are easier for parents to understand, but leaders question whether inspectors can apply such fine distinctions consistently in the space of a two-day visit.

Definitions for the middle bands - “expected” and “strong” - have been tightened after testing showed many professionals struggled to tell them apart. “Exceptional” practice, Ofsted says, must be sustained over time and have a transformational impact on disadvantaged pupils.

Timing and Roll-Out

Inspections will resume under the new system from 10 November 2025, but initially only for schools that volunteer. Routine inspections for all state schools will not restart until December at the earliest, and possibly into the new year depending on volunteer uptake.

This staggered approach is intended to give schools time to familiarise themselves with the changes and to allow Ofsted to test its processes before scaling up. In the long term, the familiar cycle of full inspections every four years will continue, but now producing report cards instead of single grades.

What Report Cards Will Look Like

A sample report card shows a prominent summary grid at the top, colour-coded to display how many judgment areas fell into each grade. Below this, readers can expand each area to see several paragraphs of narrative explanation.

Crucially, report cards will also include contextual information. This might show, for example, whether a school has a higher-than-average proportion of SEND pupils, or serves a community with high levels of deprivation. The aim is to help parents and inspectors alike interpret performance more fairly, reducing simplistic comparisons between very different schools.

Why Ofsted Says It’s Reforming

Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver has called this “the biggest change in Ofsted’s way of working in our 33-year history”. He argues the new framework will be “fairer but rigorous”, giving parents clearer information while acknowledging the complexity of school performance.

By moving away from one-word judgments, Ofsted says it hopes to provide a more balanced, actionable picture for leaders and governors, and more confidence for parents choosing schools. Narrative explanations are meant to show not just how schools are performing, but why, and what next steps are needed.

Why Leaders and Unions Are Concerned

Despite these intentions, the reforms have been met with widespread scepticism. An independent wellbeing review, commissioned by Ofsted itself and led by Education Support CEO, Sinéad McBrearty, concluded that the changes are likely to increase stress and anxiety for school leaders, rather than reduce them.

The report also found that leaders already face “concerningly high” baseline stress levels, and that shifting to an unfamiliar framework with more granular judgments could heighten the sense of jeopardy. It warned of risks to roles such as SENCos, who it said may feel personally exposed in inspections.

Union leaders have echoed these concerns. NAHT’s Paul Whiteman called the wellbeing findings “frankly damning” and accused Ofsted of ignoring the evidence. ASCL warned that applying five grades across six areas in just two days is unlikely to be reliable, while the NEU argued that multiple judgments will bring “more ranking, more pressure, and more competition”.

A joint letter from unions, headteachers, and the late Ruth Perry’s sister, Julia Waters, has urged Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to delay the roll-out, warning of the “very real risk” of further preventable deaths if pressure is not reduced.

Ofsted’s Response

Ofsted insists it is listening. The inspectorate has announced several measures to ease concerns, including:

• Adding an extra inspector to every school visit on the first day, to give lead inspectors more time to engage with leaders.

• Shortening inspection days and increasing training to reduce workload for inspectors and schools alike.

• Introducing a nominee role to share responsibility during inspections.

• Allowing inspections to pause if inspectors have concerns about an individual’s wellbeing.

  
  

Officials also highlight that parents broadly support the reforms, welcoming the greater clarity they provide. Parentkind, a leading parental charity, said Ofsted had shown it was listening to families.

Linked Developments: School Profiles and Area Data

Alongside Ofsted’s report cards, the Department for Education will begin testing new “school profiles” - a public digital service set to roll out fully in 2026–27. These will combine Ofsted’s judgments with other data such as attainment, attendance, and pupil demographics, offering, the department says, a one-stop shop for parents and professionals.

Ofsted itself will launch a new “Explore an area” service in November, replacing Area Insights. This will bring together local data to show how provision compares in a given area and provide inspectors with context when evaluating schools.

Ofsted Reforms: The Bottom Line

• Single-word grades are gone. Schools will now be judged across six areas using a five-point scale, with narratives and context alongside.

• Roll-out begins in November 2025, with volunteer inspections first, and a full return no earlier than December.

• Ofsted says reforms will make inspections fairer and more transparent.

• Leaders and unions, however, fear they will add complexity, inconsistency, and pressure, and an independent wellbeing report agrees.

• The government’s parallel plan for school profiles will increase the visibility of these judgments for parents from 2026 onwards.

  
  

Whether these reforms will truly ease pressure and restore trust remains to be seen. For now, schools should prepare for more dimensions of accountability, while ensuring staff wellbeing and clear communication with parents remain at the forefront.

If you're concerned about the new Ofsted judgements or are looking for support with your wider school or trust strategy to ensure you're in a place to meet them, PAG can help. Simply use our contact page to reach out, and we'll be in touch shortly to arrange a call.