Ofsted Report Card Explained
The new Ofsted inspection framework replacing single-word grades with detailed sub-judgements.
What changed in September 2024
From September 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing single-word overall grades (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate). Instead, inspections under the new framework report sub-judgements across multiple areas without a summary grade. This was introduced after sustained criticism that a single grade oversimplified school quality and created perverse incentives.
The sub-judgement areas
Under the current framework, inspectors assess schools across four areas: Quality of Education (curriculum, teaching, assessment), Behaviour and Attitudes (pupil conduct, attendance, bullying), Personal Development (character, RSHE, careers), and Leadership and Management (governance, safeguarding, staff development). Each area is evaluated but not numerically graded in published reports.
The Report Card (from November 2025)
From November 2025, Ofsted introduced a five-point scale for each sub-judgement: Exceptional, Strong, Expected, Needs Attention, and Urgent Improvement. This replaces the previous four-point scale. There is still no single overall grade — the Report Card presents a profile of ratings across all areas. MATpulse's database schema supports Report Card grades, though widespread data is not yet available in Ofsted's published datasets.
Legacy grades on MATpulse
Schools inspected before September 2024 retain their legacy grades (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate). MATpulse displays these using coloured pills on school profiles. Post-September 2024 inspections are shown with sub-judgement detail only. On trust profiles, MATpulse aggregates legacy sub-judgements across all member schools as horizontal stacked bars.
Interpreting Ofsted data
Legacy grades were last awarded in July 2024. Schools with older inspection dates may have grades that no longer reflect current performance. MATpulse shows the inspection date alongside every grade so readers can assess currency. The proportion of schools rated Good or Outstanding is a commonly used aggregate, but it depends heavily on when schools were last inspected.