Ofsted grades explained
Short answer: since November 2025, Ofsted no longer rates a setting Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. Instead a report card grades each area on five points: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement. Safeguarding is met or not met. There’s no overall grade.
Updated 31 October 2026 from Ofsted guidance on GOV.UK. Written for nurseries, pre-schools and childminders in England, but the scale is the same for schools.
The five grades
| Grade | What Ofsted says it means | Next inspection (early years) |
|---|---|---|
| Exceptional | Among the very best nationally, practice others should learn from | Within 4 years |
| Strong standard | Excellent, consistent work making a real difference for children | Within 4 years |
| Expected standard | Doing everything it should. Ofsted calls this a high standard | Within 4 years |
| Needs attention | Work to do to reach the expected standard. Not a fail | Usually within 12 months |
| Urgent improvement | Serious weaknesses that need fixing quickly | Usually within 6 months |
Reinspection depends on the lowest grade: every area at expected standard or above means a four-year window, any “needs attention” means about 12 months, any “urgent improvement” about 6. Ofsted can inspect sooner if it has concerns.
Old ratings and new grades
| Before November 2025 | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate | Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement |
| Overall grade | Yes, one word for the whole setting | No. A grade for each area |
| Safeguarding | Part of the judgements | Met or not met, shown separately |
| Report | Written report | Colour-coded report card |
Ofsted is clear that the two scales can’t be compared. “Expected standard” isn’t a renamed “Good”.
What’s graded for early years
- Inclusion
- Curriculum and teaching
- Achievement
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
- Children’s welfare and wellbeing
- Leadership and governance
If no children of early years age are present or on roll, only leadership and governance is graded.
From inspection to published report card
- Grades given at the end of the visit are provisional.
- Ofsted sends the draft report card, usually within 18 working days. The setting has 5 working days to point out factual errors.
- The final report card is normally sent within 30 working days of the inspection.
- It’s published on the Ofsted reports website 5 working days later.
What it means for your website
- Got a report card? Take down any Outstanding or Good logo and quote your grades area by area. Our guide to showing your report card on your website covers the wording and the logo rules.
- Still on an older grade? You can keep the logo until your next graded inspection. Link to the report and show its date.
- Either way, the EYFS says you must give parents a copy of your report and tell them how to contact Ofsted. See what you must share with parents.
Questions
What are the Ofsted grades now?
Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area on a five-point scale: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention and urgent improvement. Safeguarding is reported separately as met or not met. There is no overall grade.
What were the old Ofsted ratings?
Outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, given as one overall effectiveness judgement. Ofsted says the new grades can’t be compared with the old ones.
Is ‘expected standard’ the same as ‘good’?
No. Ofsted says the two scales can’t be compared. ‘Expected standard’ means a setting is doing everything it should, which Ofsted describes as a high standard.
Is ‘needs attention’ a fail?
No. Ofsted says it shows work to do to reach the expected standard, flagged before it becomes a bigger problem. The setting is usually inspected again within 12 months.
How often are nurseries inspected?
Settings on the Early Years Register are normally inspected at least once in a four-year window, being phased in from April 2026. New settings are normally inspected within 18 months of registering. A ‘needs attention’ grade usually brings the next inspection within 12 months, and ‘urgent improvement’ within 6 months.
Can a nursery still say it is Ofsted Outstanding?
Only if that judgement was made before November 2025, and only until its next graded inspection. After that it must remove the Outstanding or Good logo, because report cards don’t give an overall grade.
Where can I see a setting’s Ofsted grades?
On the Ofsted reports website. Search by name or postcode. Report cards are normally published five working days after Ofsted sends them to the setting.
Sources
- Understanding Ofsted report cards and grades, Ofsted
- Early years inspection information, Ofsted, for use from 1 September 2026
- Education inspection framework: for use from November 2025, Ofsted
More guides: all our guides for nurseries, childminders and schools.
Does your website still say “Outstanding”?
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