The End of Headline Grades
If you're used to hearing that a school is "Outstanding" or "Good", the new system will feel quite different. From September 2025, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall headline grade to schools. Instead, each school receives a detailed report card that provides a much fuller picture of what the school does well and where it needs to improve.
This change came about following years of debate about whether a single word could ever fairly summarise a complex institution. The tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023, linked to the pressure of an Ofsted downgrade, brought the issue into sharp public focus and accelerated reform.
How the New Report Cards Work
Under the new system, schools are assessed across multiple areas, each receiving its own individual assessment. Rather than reducing everything to a single grade, parents can now see how a school performs in specific aspects that matter to them.
The Assessment Areas
The report card covers the following areas:
- The quality of education — How well the curriculum is designed and taught, and how well pupils learn and remember what they've been taught
- Behaviour and attitudes — How well the school manages behaviour, and the attitudes pupils bring to their learning
- Personal development — How the school supports pupils' wider development, including character, resilience, and preparation for life
- Leadership and management — How effectively leaders run the school, including governance, staff development, and safeguarding
- Safeguarding — Whether the school's safeguarding arrangements are effective (this is assessed as either effective or not effective)
For each area (except safeguarding), inspectors provide a diagnostic assessment that gives a clear picture of strengths and areas for development.
What the Assessments Look Like
Instead of the old four-point scale (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate), each area is assessed with a more nuanced description. The report card uses clear, plain-English statements about what the school does well and what needs to improve.
The report also includes:
- Context information about the school (size, demographics, deprivation levels)
- What the school does well — specific strengths identified during inspection
- What the school needs to do to improve — clear, actionable recommendations
- Parent and pupil voice — what parents and pupils told inspectors
How to Read a Report Card
When you're looking at a school's report card, here's what to focus on:
Start with what matters to you
If your child has special educational needs, look carefully at the sections covering SEND provision and personal development. If behaviour is a concern, focus on that area. The beauty of the new system is that you can drill into the specific areas that matter most to your family.
Look at the context
A school serving a highly disadvantaged community faces different challenges to one in an affluent area. The report card includes context information to help you understand this.
Read the improvement points
Every school has areas to develop. What matters is whether the school has a realistic plan to address them and whether leaders are aware of the issues.
Check the safeguarding
This is binary — effective or not effective. If safeguarding is not effective, this is a serious concern that the school must address urgently.
What About Existing Ratings?
Schools inspected before September 2025 retain their existing headline grades until their next inspection. When you search for schools on the What School, you may see some with the old-style ratings (Outstanding, Good, etc.) and others with the new report card format. Over time, all schools will transition to the new system.
Tip: On the What School, we clearly indicate which rating system applies to each school, so you always know whether you're looking at an old headline grade or a new report card assessment.
What This Means for Choosing a School
The new system actually gives you more information to work with when choosing a school. Instead of relying on a single word, you can compare schools across the specific areas that matter most to your child.
Our advice:
- Don't rely on Ofsted alone — visit schools, speak to parents, attend open days
- Read the full report — not just the summary
- Look at trends — is the school improving or declining?
- Consider the context — a school's challenges affect its results
- Trust your instincts — you know your child best
Useful Resources
- Ofsted's guide to the new inspection framework
- Find your school's Ofsted report
- Search for any school on the What School to see their report card alongside academic data, atmosphere, and enrichment information
The shift away from headline grades is designed to give parents a fairer, fuller picture. It takes a few minutes longer to read, but the insight you gain is worth it.