Ofsted grades explained: the five-point report card scale

Reviewed by Ben Parnell, former headteacher and trust chief executive. Last reviewed 25 September 2026.

Ofsted now grades state-funded schools on a five-point scale: urgent improvement, needs attention, expected standard, strong standard and exceptional. Each evaluation area on the report card gets its own grade, and there is no overall grade for the school. Safeguarding sits outside the scale and is judged as met or not met. This guide explains what each grade means, how inspectors decide between them, how a school reaches exceptional, and what happens after a needs attention or urgent improvement grade.

It draws on the state-funded school inspection toolkit and the operating guides published on GOV.UK for inspections from September 2026.

What are the five Ofsted grades?

The official grade names, as Ofsted uses them, are:

Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement

The middle grade is "expected standard", not "expected" on its own, and the grade above it is "strong standard". Ofsted renamed the grades to this final wording after its 2025 consultation. The scale is applied separately to each evaluation area: inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, leadership and governance, and early years and post-16 provision where a school has them. Our evaluation areas guide covers what each area looks at.

How did the new grades replace single-word judgements?

Under the previous framework, graded inspections used a four-point scale (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate) for an overall effectiveness judgement, key judgements and any provision judgements. From September 2024, graded inspections stopped including an overall effectiveness grade. Report card inspections under the renewed framework began from 10 November 2025, and the toolkit was updated in June 2026 for inspections from 7 September 2026.

The two scales do not line up one to one. There are five points instead of four, grading is by evaluation area, and each grade is defined by its own set of standards. Schools judged good or outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024 can keep using the matching Ofsted logo until their next full inspection, after which it must be removed.

How do inspectors decide which grade to give?

Inspectors start from the expected standard. The operating guide sets out three steps for each evaluation area:

Are all the expected standards met? If not, the area is graded below expected.
If they are, are all the strong standards met as well? If not, the grade is expected standard.
If they are, is there clear evidence of the additional standards that define exceptional practice? If so, exceptional. If not, strong standard.

The operating guide calls meeting every standard at a level a "secure fit". If one or more standards for a grade are not met, that grade cannot be given, so strength in one standard does not make up for a gap in another. Minor inconsistencies do not lower a grade, and the report card can still set out next steps for a school graded expected standard or above.

Grades are discussed with leaders during the inspection as indicative or provisional. They are confirmed only after Ofsted's quality assurance and consistency checking, so a provisional grade can change.

What does each grade mean?

Expected standard. Every expected standard in the area is met. The wording for many areas describes practice that is generally or typically effective. In achievement, for example, results are typically broadly in line with national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils. It is the grade inspectors plan from, not a fallback.

Strong standard. All the expected standards are met, and all the strong standards too. The strong descriptors lean on consistency and impact: curriculum of consistently high quality across subjects and year groups, above-average outcomes over time in achievement, or leaders making decisions from well-analysed data in inclusion.

Exceptional. Strong standard is met and inspectors find clear evidence of exceptional practice, covered in the next section.

Needs attention. An area is likely to be graded needs attention when the expected standard has not been met and none of the urgent improvement indicators apply. The toolkit gives typical indicators, such as leaders having only recently started appropriate action so it is too soon to see impact, or inconsistencies in practice that have a negative effect on a particular group of pupils.

Urgent improvement. An area is likely to be graded urgent improvement if any one of its urgent improvement indicators applies. In curriculum and teaching, examples include leaders' understanding of quality being inaccurate or teachers' expectations being too low. Inspectors are told to call Ofsted's national duty desk when an urgent improvement grade is likely.

How does a school reach exceptional?

Exceptional is only considered once the strong standard has been met in full. Every graded area in the toolkit sets out its own exceptional standards, and they follow the same pattern:

exceptionally high standards in that area have been sustained over time
leaders' actions have a transformational impact on disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, pupils known or previously known to children's social care, and those facing other barriers
there are no significant areas for improvement that leaders have not already prioritised

Inspectors are told to call the national duty desk when an exceptional grade is likely too. Schools do not submit case studies for approval: Ofsted dropped that idea from its original proposals, and inspectors apply the toolkit instead. The toolkit also expects a school graded exceptional in an area to use that success to support improvement across its own school or group and to share its practice with other schools and networks.

What happens after a needs attention grade?

A school with any evaluation area graded needs attention will usually go into Ofsted's improvement monitoring programme. The monitoring operating guide describes it as a supportive process, and it runs like this:

An introductory monitoring call with leaders and any nominee, typically within 3 months of the report card being published. Inspectors do not visit the site for this call.
Ongoing contact, by email, phone or video, to check progress against the next steps and decide when the school is ready for a visit.
A single on-site monitoring inspection, normally within 24 months of publication. This usually lasts 1 day with 1 inspector, though it can run to 2 days depending on the size of the school and the number of areas graded needs attention. Schools are notified up to 5 working days before inspectors arrive.

A monitoring inspection can provisionally improve a needs attention grade, typically to expected standard. It cannot usually award higher than expected standard without exceptional circumstances and senior agreement, and it cannot lower a grade unless it is converted into a full inspection. If leaders have compelling evidence that grades are likely to improve, they can ask in writing for an earlier on-site monitoring inspection. The decision rests with the relevant Ofsted regional director. The monitoring inspections guide covers the process in more detail.

What happens after an urgent improvement grade?

An urgent improvement grade, or safeguarding not met, can put a school into a category of concern. Ofsted applies a twin test:

If any area other than leadership and governance is graded urgent improvement, or safeguarding is not met, and leadership and governance is not graded urgent improvement, the school requires significant improvement.
If leadership and governance alone is graded urgent improvement, the school also requires significant improvement.
If both apply, inspectors check the four leadership capacity indicators in the leadership and governance toolkit. If any applies, the school requires special measures. If none does, it requires significant improvement.

Any provisional decision to place a school in a category of concern is reviewed by Ofsted's Enhanced Consistency and Moderation Hub, and the DfE is informed. Maintained schools and pupil referral units placed in a category of concern are subject to a directive academy order. Monitoring is more intensive: up to 5 on-site monitoring inspections within 18 months for significant improvement, and up to 6 within 24 months for special measures, usually termly. A category of concern can only be removed after a full inspection.

Where safeguarding needs improvements that cannot be made during the inspection, but every other area is provisionally at least expected standard, inspectors can consider suspending the inspection and returning within 3 months instead.

When will we see the report card?

Ofsted normally sends the draft report card within 18 working days of the end of the inspection. You then have 5 working days to comment on points of clarity or factual accuracy, and the final report card normally follows within 30 working days of the inspection ending. Ofsted normally publishes it 5 working days after sending it to the school, and you must make sure parents receive a copy within 5 working days of receiving it. The factual accuracy check guide explains how to use that window.

Preparing for the scale

On the planning call, inspectors ask where you think the school sits on the five-point scale in each evaluation area. The most useful preparation is an honest view per area, tested against the toolkit wording for expected and strong, with the evidence you would show. Our report card preparation guide and self-evaluation guide go further.

InspectReady helps schools organise their existing evidence against each evaluation area and the toolkit standards. It supports leaders' own judgement and does not predict grades.

Frequently asked questions

Is it "expected" or "expected standard"? The official grade is "expected standard". Ofsted's five grades are urgent improvement, needs attention, expected standard, strong standard and exceptional.

Is there still an overall grade for the school? No. Graded inspections stopped including an overall effectiveness grade from September 2024, and the report card grades each evaluation area separately. Safeguarding is reported alongside as met or not met.

Is expected standard the same as good? They are not directly equivalent. The old scale had four points and an overall judgement, while the new one has five points, graded area by area against separate toolkit standards. Expected standard means every expected standard in that area has been met.

Does needs attention mean the school is in a category of concern? No. Only urgent improvement grades or safeguarding not met can lead to a category of concern. A needs attention grade usually leads to improvement monitoring, with an introductory call and normally a single on-site monitoring inspection within 24 months.

Can a monitoring inspection improve our grade? Yes. An improvement monitoring inspection can provisionally improve a needs attention grade, typically to expected standard. It cannot usually award higher than expected standard, and it cannot lower a grade unless it is converted into a full inspection.

Do schools have to apply for exceptional? No. Ofsted does not ask schools to submit case studies. Inspectors consider exceptional when the strong standard has been met in full and there is clear evidence of the exceptional standards set out in the toolkit.

Sources

School inspection: toolkit, operating guides and information, GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information
State-funded schools inspection toolkit, updated June 2026, for use on inspections from 7 September 2026 (PDF), GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a915d1c01bbff0bf8f97b51/Schools_inspection_toolkit.pdf
School inspection operating guide for inspectors, for use from September 2026, GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information/school-inspection-operating-guide-for-inspectors-for-use-from-september-2026
School monitoring operating guide for inspectors, for use from September 2026, GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information/school-monitoring-operating-guide-for-inspectors-for-use-from-september-2026
Inspection information for state-funded schools, for use from September 2026, GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information/inspection-information-for-state-funded-schools-for-use-from-september-2026
Ofsted confirms changes to education inspection and unveils new-look report cards, GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-confirms-changes-to-education-inspection-and-unveils-new-look-report-cards
School inspection handbook (September 2023, previous framework), GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-eif/school-inspection-handbook-for-september-2023

Questions school leaders ask

Is it "expected" or "expected standard"?: The official grade is "expected standard". Ofsted's five grades are urgent improvement, needs attention, expected standard, strong standard and exceptional.
Is there still an overall grade for the school?: No. Graded inspections stopped including an overall effectiveness grade from September 2024, and the report card grades each evaluation area separately. Safeguarding is reported alongside as met or not met.
Is expected standard the same as good?: They are not directly equivalent. The old scale had four points and an overall judgement, while the new one has five points, graded area by area against separate toolkit standards. Expected standard means every expected standard in that area has been met.
Does needs attention mean the school is in a category of concern?: No. Only urgent improvement grades or safeguarding not met can lead to a category of concern. A needs attention grade usually leads to improvement monitoring, with an introductory call and normally a single on-site monitoring inspection within 24 months.
Can a monitoring inspection improve our grade?: Yes. An improvement monitoring inspection can provisionally improve a needs attention grade, typically to expected standard. It cannot usually award higher than expected standard, and it cannot lower a grade unless it is converted into a full inspection.
Do schools have to apply for exceptional?: No. Ofsted does not ask schools to submit case studies. Inspectors consider exceptional when the strong standard has been met in full and there is clear evidence of the exceptional standards set out in the toolkit.