Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills: the body that inspects and rates schools.
Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, the non-ministerial UK government department that inspects schools, nurseries and children’s services in England.
Ofsted inspections result in a published report and (until autumn 2024) a single headline grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate. Following the 2024 reform, single headline grades have been scrapped; from autumn 2025 inspections produce a multi-area "report card" instead.
Inspections happen on a roughly 4-year cycle for routine inspections, plus unannounced monitoring visits if Ofsted has serious concerns.
When reading an Ofsted record, always check:
- The inspection date - older grades can be many years out of date
- The actual report (linked from every FavSchools school page) - the headline grade can hide important sub-area scores
- Trends across multiple inspections rather than the latest one alone
Ofsted is one signal among several. Combine it with Progress 8, attendance, and your own visit to form a rounded view.
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