SchoolScoresOfsted report cards explained
Since 10 November 2025, Ofsted inspections of schools in England produce a report card instead of a single grade. Each area of the school gets its own grade on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged as met or not met.
The five grades
| Grade | What it means |
|---|---|
| Exceptional | The highest of five grades. Ofsted judged this among the best nationally. |
| Strong standard | Second of five grades. Better than the standard Ofsted expects. |
| Expected standard | Middle of five grades. Meets the standard Ofsted expects. |
| Needs attention | Fourth of five grades. Below the expected standard; the school needs to improve this. |
| Urgent improvement | The lowest of five grades. Ofsted found serious weaknesses that need fixing quickly. |
The areas Ofsted grades
| Area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Safeguarding | Whether pupils are kept safe. Judged as met or not met rather than graded. |
| Inclusion | How well the school supports disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs. |
| Curriculum and teaching | What pupils are taught and how well they are taught it. |
| Achievement | How well pupils learn and the results they get. |
| Attendance and behaviour | Whether pupils come to school and how they behave. |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Pupils' wider development, character and wellbeing. |
| Early years | Nursery and reception classes. Only graded where the school has this. |
| Post-16 provision | Sixth form or other study after 16. Only graded where the school has this. |
| Leadership and governance | How well leaders and governors run the school. |
How grades are spread so far
2,580 state-funded schools had a report card in Ofsted's data to 31 August 2026. This is the share of those schools given each grade in each area. Safeguarding was not met at 18 of them.
| Area | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusion | 2% | 33% | 56% | 9% | 1% |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1% | 15% | 62% | 20% | 2% |
| Achievement | 1% | 15% | 55% | 26% | 2% |
| Attendance and behaviour | 1% | 29% | 54% | 14% | 1% |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 2% | 37% | 56% | 5% | 1% |
| Early years | 0% | 26% | 62% | 11% | 1% |
| Post-16 provision | 4% | 26% | 60% | 10% | 1% |
| Leadership and governance | 1% | 21% | 62% | 13% | 2% |
Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspections management information. Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding. Schools inspected early may not be typical of all schools.
Schools inspected before the change
A school keeps its last inspection outcome until Ofsted inspects it again, so you'll see three formats for now:
- Before September 2024: one overall grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate.
- September 2024 to November 2025: separate grades for each area on the same four-point scale, but no overall grade.
- From 10 November 2025: report cards, as described above.
Each school page on SchoolScores shows the school's latest inspection in the format it was given, with the date. Find a school or browse schools by council.
Questions
When did Ofsted start using report cards?
For school inspections starting on or after 10 November 2025. Schools inspected before then keep their previous inspection outcome until their next inspection.
Do schools still get an overall grade like Outstanding or Good?
No. Ofsted stopped giving state-funded schools a single overall grade in September 2024. Report cards grade each area separately instead.
What are the five report card grades?
From highest to lowest: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention and Urgent improvement. Safeguarding is judged separately as met or not met.
Is "Expected standard" a bad grade?
No. It means the school meets the standard Ofsted expects in that area. It is the middle of the five grades and the most common one.
Page updated 31 August 2026.