Ofsted

Ofsted’s New Inspection Framework: What You Need to Know

At Burbage Primary School, we believe parents and carers should feel informed and confident about how schools are inspected. Below is a summary of Ofsted’s new Inspection Framework and what it means for our community.

Ofsted’s new framework is designed to give parents and carers clearer, more meaningful information about how schools are performing. This represents a significant change in how inspection outcomes are reported.

It’s important to understand that the new framework is not directly comparable to the previous inspection system.

What has changed?

Under the previous framework, schools were given a single overall judgement, such as Outstanding, Good or Requires Improvement.

The new framework replaces this with a report card approach, which reflects performance across several key areas that Ofsted believes matter most to families:

• Inclusion – how well the school meets the needs of all children
• Curriculum and Teaching
• Achievement
• Attendance and Behaviour
• Personal Development and Well-being
• Early Years
• Leadership and Governance

Safeguarding will be reported clearly as either ‘Met’ or ‘Not Met’.

The new grading scale

Each area is graded using the following scale:

• Exceptional – among the very best nationally, with practice that can be shared
• Strong Standard – highly effective and consistent practice making a real difference
• Expected Standard – meeting the high expectations Ofsted sets for schools
• Needs Attention – improvement work is underway, but impact is not yet fully evident
• Urgent Improvement – significant and immediate changes are required

What does ‘Needs Attention’ mean?

A grade of Needs Attention is not a fail.

It indicates that the school has already identified areas for improvement and is taking action, but inspectors have not yet seen sufficient impact. For example, new approaches to attendance or inclusion may have been introduced, but these take time to show measurable results.

Why can’t this be compared to the old system?

Previously, inspection outcomes were summarised in a single overall judgement. The new framework provides a more detailed, multi-dimensional picture of a school’s performance.

This means a school may be meeting the Expected Standard in some areas while being graded Needs Attention in others, offering parents a clearer understanding of strengths and priorities across the school.

Because the criteria and grading system are fundamentally different, Ofsted has confirmed that previous judgements such as Good or Outstanding cannot be directly mapped onto the new framework.

National priorities

There is a strong national focus on:

• Inclusion, ensuring every child’s needs are met
• Attendance, recognising its vital role in achievement and wellbeing

These priorities are already central to our work across the school.

What will Ofsted reports look like?

Inspection outcomes will be published as a Report Card. Alongside colour-coded grades, reports will include:

• Clear explanations of what inspectors found
• Key information such as pupil numbers and age ranges

This increased transparency is designed to help families feel informed and confident about their child’s education.

Want to learn more?

You can find further information on Ofsted’s website or watch their official explanatory video for a full overview of the changes.