Ofsted Ratings Explained
What do Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate actually mean — and how much should an Ofsted rating influence your school choice?
update Updated January 2025 · Source: Ofsted School Inspection Handbook 2023
The Four Ofsted Grades
Grade 1 — exceptional in all areas
Awarded only to schools that are exceptional across every inspection area. Inspectors expect to see evidence that pupils make significantly better progress than their peers nationally, behaviour is exemplary, and leadership is visionary and sustainable.
Since 2023, Outstanding schools are no longer automatically exempt from re-inspection. They are now inspected on a risk-led basis — meaning Ofsted can return if concerns arise or if a significant period has passed without inspection. Many schools rated Outstanding were last inspected 7–10 years ago.
Important: A school rated Outstanding a decade ago may not reflect current performance. Always check the inspection date on SchoolsInfo.
Grade 2 — meets the standard in all areas
Good is the most common Ofsted grade — around 60–65% of schools hold it. A Good school provides an education that meets the needs of its pupils in all four inspection areas. Inspectors re-visit Good schools approximately every 4–5 years.
A recently inspected Good school is generally a reliable indicator of current quality. A Good rating from several years ago should be taken as background context rather than current evidence.
Grade 3 — not yet Good in one or more areas
Requires Improvement (RI) indicates that a school is not performing well enough in at least one area. It does not mean the school is unsafe or failing — many RI schools are improving and may achieve Good at their next inspection.
RI schools are re-inspected within 30 months and are subject to additional monitoring by the local authority or Regional Schools Director. Inspectors will look for evidence of improvement at the follow-up visit.
A school graded RI that has since been inspected again and upgraded to Good is a positive sign — the leadership responded and improved.
Grade 4 — serious concerns about safety or quality
Inadequate is the most serious Ofsted judgement. Schools rated Inadequate are placed in one of two categories:
- closeSpecial Measures — the school is failing to give an acceptable standard of education and the leadership cannot bring about improvement unaided.
- warningSerious Weaknesses — significant weaknesses in some areas, but not all criteria for Special Measures are met.
Inadequate schools face intensive support and monitoring. Academy conversion is frequently mandated for maintained schools in Special Measures.
How Inspections Work
notification_important Notice period
Schools typically receive one working day's notice before a section 5 inspection. Section 8 monitoring inspections (for RI and Inadequate schools) can be unannounced.
schedule Duration
Most inspections last two days. During this time, inspectors observe lessons, speak with pupils and parents, scrutinise books, and review safeguarding and governance records.
groups Inspection team
Teams are led by an HMI (Her Majesty's Inspector) and include additional inspectors. The lead inspector gives an oral feedback summary to the headteacher and governing body at the end of the visit.
description The report
The full written report is published on the Ofsted website within 30 school days. It contains the headline grades, a narrative summary, and specific findings for each inspection area.
What Inspectors Judge
Since September 2019, Ofsted has used the Education Inspection Framework (EIF). The overall effectiveness grade is based on four sub-judgements:
Quality of Education
The curriculum — its ambition, breadth, and intent — and how well it is implemented. Inspectors look at the sequencing of knowledge, how teachers check for understanding, and whether pupils remember and can use what they have been taught.
Behaviour and Attitudes
Pupil conduct in lessons and around school, attendance and punctuality, and how the school promotes positive attitudes to learning. Inspectors speak directly with pupils to gauge their experience.
Personal Development
Pupils' wider growth — character, resilience, healthy relationships, understanding of British values, and preparation for life after school. Includes PSHE, careers guidance, enrichment activities, and safeguarding culture.
Leadership and Management
The headteacher's vision, the quality of teaching across the school, governance, staff workload and wellbeing, and how the school uses its funding (including pupil premium and SEND funding).
How to Read an Ofsted Report
1. Check the inspection date first
An Outstanding rating from 2013 tells you little about the school today. A Good rating from last month is highly informative. Always note how recent the inspection is — SchoolsInfo displays the inspection date alongside every Ofsted grade.
2. Read the narrative, not just the grade
Two schools can both be graded Good, but the inspector's text reveals important differences — one might excel in curriculum design while the other was praised primarily for pastoral care. The "What does the school need to do to improve?" section is particularly revealing.
3. Look at the sub-grades separately
A school rated Good overall might have been rated Outstanding for Personal Development but only Requires Improvement for Quality of Education. If academic progress matters most to you, look specifically at that sub-judgement.
4. Check the Parent View survey
Ofsted publishes a 14-question parent survey collected before or during each inspection. High satisfaction on Q1 (child is happy), Q2 (child feels safe), and Q14 (would recommend) is a strong signal. SchoolsInfo shows all 14 questions with response percentages on every school profile.
Limitations of Ofsted Ratings
schedule Snapshot in time
An inspection captures two days of school life. A strong school having a difficult week may be graded lower than deserved; a weaker school that prepared intensively may score higher. The narrative text often reveals more nuance than the headline grade.
group Doesn't adjust for intake
Ofsted grades are not adjusted for the socioeconomic profile of the pupils. A school serving a deprived community and achieving Good with excellent value-added may be doing more for its pupils than an Outstanding school in an affluent area.
history Grades go stale
Headteachers leave, staff turn over, pupil demographics change. A Good rating from 5+ years ago may not reflect the school today — for better or worse. Check Progress 8 and KS2 data for more current signals.
child_care Doesn't capture "fit"
A school's culture, ethos, size, specialism, and community may be the most important factors for your specific child. These are almost impossible to capture in a four-point scale. School visits remain essential.
What to Look at Beyond Ofsted
Progress & Attainment Rankings
Our composite rankings combine Progress 8, attainment, equity, and admissions demand into a single score — updated each year from DfE data.
menu_bookAdmissions Data
Oversubscription ratios, last-admitted distances, and applications-per-place over multiple years — the most practical signal of whether you'll get a place.
mapSchool Map
See all schools near your postcode, colour-coded by Ofsted rating. Filter by phase, gender, selective status, and set a search radius.
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