What do Ofsted's changes to grading mean for my school in 2025?
With major changes to the Ofsted framework taking effect from 10th November 2025, you may be wondering what the removal of single-word overall judgements means for your school and how Ofsted will now evaluate provision.
Understanding the new framework is essential for preparation. We've broken down the key information to help you navigate the changes.
Will Ungraded Inspections Take Place?
From November 2025, Ofsted will no longer carry out ungraded inspections. All inspections will be full, graded inspections (with the exception of monitoring inspections for schools in a category of concern). This aims to simplify the inspection process so every school knows what to expect.
What will the outcomes of graded inspections be?
The new inspection report card will highlight excellence and identify areas for improvement, combining at-a-glance grades with narrative summaries of strengths and areas for improvement.
What Will Your Report Card Include?
Six Core Evaluation Areas (for all schools):
- Inclusion
- Curriculum and teaching
- Achievement
- Attendance and behaviour
- Personal development and well-being
- Leadership and governance
Additional Judgements (where applicable):
Safeguarding: Safeguarding will continue to be evaluated separately, with schools receiving a 'met' or 'not met' grade for this area.
What is the New Five-Point Grading Scale?
Ofsted will use a new five-point grading scale for each evaluation area:
- Exceptional – identifying the very best provision in the country
- Strong – exceeding expected standards
- Expected standard – meeting the standards required
- Needs attention – below expected standards but not causing concern
- Urgent improvement – significant concerns requiring immediate action
Inspectors will begin by gathering evidence to see if a school is meeting the "expected standards". All areas will need to meet this grade before inspectors then consider evidence against "strong standards".
What Does Category of Concern Mean?
A school will be placed into a 'category of concern' if it receives a judgement of 'urgent improvement' in any area, or safeguarding is judged 'not met'.
Schools in a category of concern will fall into one of two classifications:
Requires significant improvement: if leadership and governance is not graded 'urgent improvement'
Special measures: if leadership and governance is also graded 'urgent improvement'
Any school in a category of concern will receive a monitoring inspection once every term.
What's in the New Inspection Toolkit?
The toolkits are designed to assess the professional standards, statutory and non-statutory requirements already placed on schools. The inspection toolkit includes the criteria for meeting grades in each area and information on what evidence inspectors will gather to inform their judgements.
Ofsted has stated that it doesn't expect any school to be doing more than it needs to just for Ofsted. The inspection toolkit is based on the requirements, standards and expectations already placed on you and your school, such as statutory and non-statutory guidance. You're not expected to create any new evidence or do additional work to meet the standards.
How Can I Use the Inspection Toolkit?
You can use the toolkit to:
- Evaluate your current provision against the expected standards
- Identify any weaknesses in specific evaluation areas
- Support self-evaluation processes
Ask your team to familiarise themselves with relevant areas. For example, your special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) should understand the 'inclusion' criteria, and your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) should review the 'safeguarding' standards.
What Constitutes 'Not Met' Safeguarding?
Safeguarding is judged 'not met' when there are serious or widespread failures in arrangements, including:
- Safeguarding arrangements that don't meet statutory requirements
- Arrangements that give serious cause for concern
- Insufficient action taken to remedy weaknesses following a serious incident
'Not met' safeguarding always results in a category of concern.
How Honeyguide Can Support Your Inspection Preparation
Toolkit-Aligned Audit Packs
Our audit packs are aligned with the new Ofsted toolkit guidance, covering areas including safeguarding, behaviour, curriculum, inclusion, and personal development. These resources help you evaluate compliance, culture, and record-keeping systematically, ensuring you're prepared for the new inspection framework.
All audit packs include free updates as the framework evolves, ensuring you stay aligned with Ofsted's requirements without starting from scratch.
From the Ofsted phone call to the inspection process itself, we have resources to support you in auditing your provision and preparing your team.
In addition, we have a range of safeguarding materials to support you in ensuring your setting have effective practices to safeguard children. A great starting point is a safeguarding deep dive, where you can explore your current procedures alongside designated safeguarding leads and governors. It's designed to give you the tools to gather a snapshot view of safeguarding in your setting, allowing you to gain insight into how others could view your safeguarding practice.
We hope this has helped to clear up some of the confusion surrounding what the Ofsted changes could mean for the outcomes of your next inspection.