[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"{\"resolve_relations\":[\"blog_post.author\"],\"version\":\"published\"}blog/ofsted-report-card-rollout-autumn-2026":3,"blog-related-ofsted-report-card-rollout-autumn-2026":795},{"data":4,"headers":773},{"story":5,"cv":764,"rels":765,"links":772},{"name":6,"created_at":7,"published_at":8,"updated_at":9,"id":10,"uuid":11,"content":12,"slug":14,"full_slug":754,"sort_by_date":38,"position":755,"tag_list":756,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":761,"first_published_at":762,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":763,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"The new Ofsted report card: what 2,451 inspections have taught us","2026-08-18T20:26:20.851Z","2026-09-11T12:01:43.010Z","2026-09-11T12:01:43.030Z",210514660797951,"b06d85ae-9e8a-44fe-bb14-daa0cef2b001",{"_uid":13,"slug":14,"tags":15,"title":6,"author":16,"content":47,"excerpt":742,"category":743,"component":744,"seo_image":745,"seo_title":6,"cover_image":747,"published_date":752,"seo_description":753},"post-ofsted-report-cards-first-2443","ofsted-report-card-rollout-autumn-2026","ofsted, report cards, inspections, data",{"name":17,"created_at":18,"published_at":19,"updated_at":20,"id":21,"uuid":22,"content":23,"slug":36,"full_slug":37,"sort_by_date":38,"position":39,"tag_list":40,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":42,"first_published_at":43,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":45,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},"Alastair Hodgson","2026-08-18T23:30:11.066Z","2026-08-19T17:32:20.472Z","2026-08-19T17:32:20.484Z",210559840553797,"f43d994d-096c-4502-a1b8-4b1296d8414b",{"bio":24,"_uid":25,"name":17,"role":26,"avatar":27,"component":35},"Alastair spent years in software development before turning that expertise toward a passion closer to home: helping parents find the right school for their children. Bringing a technologist's eye to a process that can otherwise feel overwhelming.","45343a41-0aa8-4190-8114-427c82e9f699","Director",{"id":28,"alt":29,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":31,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":33,"is_external_url":34},210560197338053,"Alastair Hodgson's profile picture","","https://a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/1095x1080/b76e532cae/alastair-hodgson.png","asset",{"alt":29,"title":30,"source":30,"copyright":30},false,"author","alastair-hodgson","authors/alastair-hodgson",null,-10,[],145286882107992,"601603ab-05c7-403e-8a24-80263e54f3d3","2026-08-18T23:37:30.858Z","default",[],true,[48,90,113,172,176,488,534,572,599,729,733],{"_uid":49,"content":50,"component":89},"rt-rollout-seg-1",{"type":51,"content":52},"doc",[53,67],{"type":54,"attrs":55,"content":56},"paragraph",{"textAlign":38},[57,60,65],{"text":58,"type":59},"Just under ","text",{"text":61,"type":59,"marks":62},"one school in nine",[63],{"type":64},"bold",{"text":66,"type":59}," in England now carries an Ofsted report card: 2,451 of them, as at Ofsted's end of August data release. They are the product of the inspectorate's biggest reform in a generation, and because we load every monthly release into our database, we can do something nobody else can yet do: analyse the data and bring you the most interesting findings.",{"type":54,"attrs":68,"content":69},{"textAlign":38},[70,72,79,81,87],{"text":71,"type":59},"Three things stand out. Inspectors are using the new scale cautiously, with genuine praise scarce and the top grade even rarer. The old Outstanding badge is quietly falling away: not one former Outstanding school has dropped below the ",{"text":73,"type":59,"marks":74},"Expected standard",[75],{"type":76,"attrs":77},"styled",{"class":78},"grade-expected",{"text":80,"type":59},", yet only a third have earned even one ",{"text":82,"type":59,"marks":83},"Exceptional",[84],{"type":76,"attrs":85},{"class":86},"grade-exceptional",{"text":88,"type":59}," grade. And two patterns the reform was meant to address, the regional gap and the deprivation gap, are already visible in the new data.","rich_text_block",{"_uid":91,"items":92,"component":112},"rollout-stat-strip",[93,99,103,107],{"_uid":94,"label":95,"value":96,"sublabel":97,"component":98},"rollout-si-1","report cards published","2,451","to 31 August 2026","stat_item",{"_uid":100,"label":101,"value":102,"component":98},"rollout-si-2","state schools covered","1 in 9",{"_uid":104,"label":105,"value":106,"component":98},"rollout-si-3","all-Exceptional schools","4",{"_uid":108,"label":109,"value":110,"sublabel":111,"component":98},"rollout-si-4","to full rollout","3-4 yrs","at the current pace","stat_strip",{"_uid":114,"content":115,"component":89},"rt-rollout-seg-2",{"type":51,"content":116},[117,124,129],{"type":118,"attrs":119,"content":121},"heading",{"level":120,"textAlign":38},2,[122],{"text":123,"type":59},"Why single-word grades had to go",{"type":54,"attrs":125,"content":126},{"textAlign":38},[127],{"text":128,"type":59},"For three decades, an Ofsted inspection ended in one of four words: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. The word decided reputations, house prices and careers. In January 2023, headteacher Ruth Perry tragically took her own life after an inspection downgraded her school from Outstanding to Inadequate; a coroner later ruled that the inspection had contributed to her death. Following the Big Listen consultation under the new chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, single-headline grades were scrapped in September 2024, and a renewed inspection framework took effect in November 2025.",{"type":54,"attrs":130,"content":131},{"textAlign":38},[132,134,139,141,145,147,153,155,159,161,170],{"text":133,"type":59},"In place of one word, a report card grades up to nine areas of school life: curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, inclusion, personal development and wellbeing, leadership and governance, plus early years and post-16 provision where they apply, and a straight ",{"text":135,"type":59,"marks":136},"Met",[137],{"type":138},"italic",{"text":140,"type":59}," or ",{"text":142,"type":59,"marks":143},"Not met",[144],{"type":138},{"text":146,"type":59}," on safeguarding. Each graded area is rated on a five-point scale ranging from ",{"text":148,"type":59,"marks":149},"Urgent improvement",[150],{"type":76,"attrs":151},{"class":152},"grade-urgent",{"text":154,"type":59}," to ",{"text":82,"type":59,"marks":156},[157],{"type":76,"attrs":158},{"class":86},{"text":160,"type":59},". The first report cards were published in January 2026, covering just 21 schools. Critics were unconvinced from the start: Ruth Perry's sister called the five-point scale a rehash of a dangerous system, and heads' unions warned that more grades are not obviously kinder than fewer. We covered ",{"text":162,"type":59,"marks":163},"how the new system works",[164],{"type":165,"attrs":166},"link",{"href":167,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/blog/understanding-ofsted-ratings","_self","url",{"text":171,"type":59}," when it launched; this piece is about what it is producing.",{"_uid":173,"intro":174,"component":175},"rollout-grade-legend","Every graded area uses the same five-point scale:","grade_legend",{"_uid":177,"content":178,"component":89},"rt-rollout-seg-3",{"type":51,"content":179},[180,185,190,257,262,396,406,451,456],{"type":118,"attrs":181,"content":182},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[183],{"text":184,"type":59},"What the first 2,451 report cards show",{"type":54,"attrs":186,"content":187},{"textAlign":38},[188],{"text":189,"type":59},"The rollout is deliberate. Ofsted's monthly data added 666 report-card schools in June and 448 in July, then just six in August while schools were closed; at anything like the term-time pace, the remaining 19,500 state schools are looking at three to four years before the set is complete. A school without one has not been passed over; it simply has not been reinspected yet.",{"type":54,"attrs":191,"content":192},{"textAlign":38},[193,195,199,201,205,207,211,213,217,219,223,225,231,233,239,241,247,249,255],{"text":194,"type":59},"Inspectors are anchoring to the middle of the scale. Across every graded area, the ",{"text":73,"type":59,"marks":196},[197],{"type":76,"attrs":198},{"class":78},{"text":200,"type":59}," is the most common judgement by some distance. The top is genuinely scarce: ",{"text":202,"type":59,"marks":203},"84 schools (3.4%)",[204],{"type":64},{"text":206,"type":59}," hold at least one ",{"text":82,"type":59,"marks":208},[209],{"type":76,"attrs":210},{"class":86},{"text":212,"type":59}," grade, and ",{"text":214,"type":59,"marks":215},"exactly four schools in England",[216],{"type":64},{"text":218,"type":59}," hold ",{"text":82,"type":59,"marks":220},[221],{"type":76,"attrs":222},{"class":86},{"text":224,"type":59}," in every area inspected: ",{"text":226,"type":59,"marks":227},"Bishopshalt School",[228],{"type":165,"attrs":229},{"href":230,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/schools/137633",{"text":232,"type":59}," in Hillingdon, ",{"text":234,"type":59,"marks":235},"Eden Girls' Leadership Academy",[236],{"type":165,"attrs":237},{"href":238,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/schools/144745",{"text":240,"type":59}," in Manchester, ",{"text":242,"type":59,"marks":243},"Oastlers School",[244],{"type":165,"attrs":245},{"href":246,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/schools/149519",{"text":248,"type":59}," in Bradford and, since August, ",{"text":250,"type":59,"marks":251},"Rushey Mead Academy",[252],{"type":165,"attrs":253},{"href":254,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/schools/141916",{"text":256,"type":59}," in Leicester. It says something about the new framework's values that one of the four is a special school.",{"type":54,"attrs":258,"content":259},{"textAlign":38},[260],{"text":261,"type":59},"The areas are not graded equally hard. Achievement is the toughest judge, personal development and wellbeing the gentlest:",{"type":263,"content":264},"table",[265,287,306,324,342,360,378],{"type":266,"content":267},"tableRow",[268,278],{"type":269,"attrs":270,"content":272},"tableHeader",{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},1,[273],{"type":54,"attrs":274,"content":275},{"textAlign":38},[276],{"text":277,"type":59},"Area",{"type":269,"attrs":279,"content":281},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"textAlign":280},"right",[282],{"type":54,"attrs":283,"content":284},{"textAlign":38},[285],{"text":286,"type":59},"Below expected standard",{"type":266,"content":288},[289,298],{"type":290,"attrs":291,"content":292},"tableCell",{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[293],{"type":54,"attrs":294,"content":295},{"textAlign":38},[296],{"text":297,"type":59},"Achievement",{"type":290,"attrs":299,"content":300},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"textAlign":280},[301],{"type":54,"attrs":302,"content":303},{"textAlign":38},[304],{"text":305,"type":59},"29%",{"type":266,"content":307},[308,316],{"type":290,"attrs":309,"content":310},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[311],{"type":54,"attrs":312,"content":313},{"textAlign":38},[314],{"text":315,"type":59},"Curriculum and teaching",{"type":290,"attrs":317,"content":318},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"textAlign":280},[319],{"type":54,"attrs":320,"content":321},{"textAlign":38},[322],{"text":323,"type":59},"22%",{"type":266,"content":325},[326,334],{"type":290,"attrs":327,"content":328},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[329],{"type":54,"attrs":330,"content":331},{"textAlign":38},[332],{"text":333,"type":59},"Attendance and behaviour",{"type":290,"attrs":335,"content":336},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"textAlign":280},[337],{"type":54,"attrs":338,"content":339},{"textAlign":38},[340],{"text":341,"type":59},"16%",{"type":266,"content":343},[344,352],{"type":290,"attrs":345,"content":346},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[347],{"type":54,"attrs":348,"content":349},{"textAlign":38},[350],{"text":351,"type":59},"Leadership and governance",{"type":290,"attrs":353,"content":354},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"textAlign":280},[355],{"type":54,"attrs":356,"content":357},{"textAlign":38},[358],{"text":359,"type":59},"15%",{"type":266,"content":361},[362,370],{"type":290,"attrs":363,"content":364},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[365],{"type":54,"attrs":366,"content":367},{"textAlign":38},[368],{"text":369,"type":59},"Inclusion",{"type":290,"attrs":371,"content":372},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"textAlign":280},[373],{"type":54,"attrs":374,"content":375},{"textAlign":38},[376],{"text":377,"type":59},"10%",{"type":266,"content":379},[380,388],{"type":290,"attrs":381,"content":382},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[383],{"type":54,"attrs":384,"content":385},{"textAlign":38},[386],{"text":387,"type":59},"Personal development and wellbeing",{"type":290,"attrs":389,"content":390},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"textAlign":280},[391],{"type":54,"attrs":392,"content":393},{"textAlign":38},[394],{"text":395,"type":59},"5%",{"type":54,"attrs":397,"content":398},{"textAlign":38},[399,401,404],{"text":400,"type":59},"Outright failure is rare: 12 of the 2,451 schools were judged ",{"text":142,"type":59,"marks":402},[403],{"type":138},{"text":405,"type":59}," on safeguarding, and 79 are in a formal category of concern.",{"type":54,"attrs":407,"content":408},{"textAlign":38},[409,411,415,417,421,423,429,431,435,437,441,443,449],{"text":410,"type":59},"The most consequential finding for parents is the change in the Outstanding rating. Sixty-seven former Outstanding schools have been re-inspected under the new framework. None fell below ",{"text":73,"type":59,"marks":412},[413],{"type":76,"attrs":414},{"class":78},{"text":416,"type":59}," in any area. But ",{"text":418,"type":59,"marks":419},"only 55%",[420],{"type":64},{"text":422,"type":59}," emerged ",{"text":424,"type":59,"marks":425},"Strong",[426],{"type":76,"attrs":427},{"class":428},"grade-strong",{"text":430,"type":59}," or better across the board, and ",{"text":432,"type":59,"marks":433},"fewer than a third (31%)",[434],{"type":64},{"text":436,"type":59}," earned a single ",{"text":82,"type":59,"marks":438},[439],{"type":76,"attrs":440},{"class":86},{"text":442,"type":59}," grade. The Outstanding badge, in many cases a decade old thanks to the long exemption from routine inspection, is not converting into top marks under the new regime. That is arguably the system working as designed: ",{"text":444,"type":59,"marks":445},"the old headline grade was never the whole story",[446],{"type":165,"attrs":447},{"href":448,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/blog/beyond-ofsted-ratings",{"text":450,"type":59},", and the grades now being awarded describe schools as they are, not as they were last visited.",{"type":118,"attrs":452,"content":453},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[454],{"text":455,"type":59},"Two old patterns survived the redesign",{"type":54,"attrs":457,"content":458},{"textAlign":38},[459,461,465,467,472,474,478,480,486],{"text":460,"type":59},"Where a school sits matters enormously to its achievement grade. In London, ",{"text":462,"type":59,"marks":463},"47%",[464],{"type":64},{"text":466,"type":59}," of report-card schools are graded ",{"text":468,"type":59,"marks":469},"Strong standard",[470],{"type":76,"attrs":471},{"class":428},{"text":473,"type":59}," or better on achievement. In the North West, the figure is ",{"text":475,"type":59,"marks":476},"9%",[477],{"type":64},{"text":479,"type":59},". Every other region falls between 11% and 21%. Some of that gap is real: London's exam results genuinely lead the country, a pattern visible in ",{"text":481,"type":59,"marks":482},"Progress 8",[483],{"type":165,"attrs":484},{"href":485,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/blog/what-is-progress-8",{"text":487,"type":59}," and attainment data for over a decade. But a five-fold difference is larger than the exam gap alone would predict, and it revives the oldest criticism of inspection: that where you are inspected shapes what inspectors find.",{"_uid":489,"rows":490,"title":528,"source":529,"suffix":530,"component":531,"row_header":532,"value_header":533},"rollout-bar-regional",[491,496,500,504,508,512,516,520,524],{"_uid":492,"label":493,"value":494,"component":495,"highlight":46},"br-reg-0","London","47.0","bar_chart_row",{"_uid":497,"label":498,"value":499,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-1","Yorkshire and the Humber","20.5",{"_uid":501,"label":502,"value":503,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-2","South East","17.8",{"_uid":505,"label":506,"value":507,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-3","West Midlands","15.3",{"_uid":509,"label":510,"value":511,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-4","North East","14.6",{"_uid":513,"label":514,"value":515,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-5","East Midlands","11.5",{"_uid":517,"label":518,"value":519,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-6","South West","11.4",{"_uid":521,"label":522,"value":523,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-7","East of England","11.2",{"_uid":525,"label":526,"value":527,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-reg-8","North West","8.9","Schools graded Strong or better on achievement, by region","Source: Ofsted report cards published to 31 August 2026; FindGreatSchools analysis.","%","bar_chart","Region","Strong or better on achievement",{"_uid":535,"content":536,"component":89},"rt-rollout-seg-4",{"type":51,"content":537},[538],{"type":54,"attrs":539,"content":540},{"textAlign":38},[541,543,546,548,552,554,558,560,564,566,570],{"text":542,"type":59},"The second pattern is starker. Rank schools by the deprivation of the neighbourhoods they serve, and the attendance and behaviour grade deteriorates step by step: in the least deprived fifth of schools, ",{"text":395,"type":59,"marks":544},[545],{"type":64},{"text":547,"type":59}," are marked below ",{"text":73,"type":59,"marks":549},[550],{"type":76,"attrs":551},{"class":78},{"text":553,"type":59},"; in the most deprived fifth, ",{"text":555,"type":59,"marks":556},"26%",[557],{"type":64},{"text":559,"type":59},". ",{"text":424,"type":59,"marks":561},[562],{"type":76,"attrs":563},{"class":428},{"text":565,"type":59}," or better falls from 41% to 24% across the same span. This echoes the old framework precisely: Education Policy Institute research found that schools with disadvantaged intakes were ",{"text":567,"type":59,"marks":568},"five times more likely",[569],{"type":64},{"text":571,"type":59}," to be rated Inadequate and less than half as likely to be Outstanding. The report card was explicitly designed to judge schools in context, with inclusion given its own graded area. On the earliest evidence, context is not yet neutralising intake.",{"_uid":573,"rows":574,"title":595,"source":596,"suffix":530,"component":531,"row_header":597,"value_header":598},"rollout-bar-gradient",[575,579,583,587,591],{"_uid":576,"label":577,"value":578,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-idaci-1","Least deprived areas","5.4",{"_uid":580,"label":581,"value":582,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-idaci-2","Below-average deprivation","12.9",{"_uid":584,"label":585,"value":586,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-idaci-3","Average deprivation","14.7",{"_uid":588,"label":589,"value":590,"component":495,"highlight":34},"br-idaci-4","Above-average deprivation","16.7",{"_uid":592,"label":593,"value":594,"component":495,"highlight":46},"br-idaci-5","Most deprived areas","26.1","The poorer the neighbourhood, the more schools fall below the expected standard on attendance and behaviour","Each band is a fifth of England's neighbourhoods, ranked by income deprivation affecting children (IDACI). Source: Ofsted report cards published to 31 August 2026; FindGreatSchools analysis.","Neighbourhood deprivation","Schools below the expected standard",{"_uid":600,"content":601,"component":89},"rt-rollout-seg-5",{"type":51,"content":602},[603,608,613,624,724],{"type":54,"attrs":604,"content":605},{"textAlign":38},[606],{"text":607,"type":59},"Two honest caveats. The 2,451 schools inspected so far are not a random sample: schedules prioritise schools whose last visit was long ago or whose circumstances changed, so the early mix may exaggerate or dampen these gaps. And attendance is genuinely harder work in poorer communities; a grade that reflects that reality measures something true, even if it lands unequally. What the next few thousand report cards will settle is whether the new framework merely records these gaps or starts to read schools through them.",{"type":118,"attrs":609,"content":610},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[611],{"text":612,"type":59},"How to read a report card as a parent",{"type":54,"attrs":614,"content":615},{"textAlign":38},[616,618,622],{"text":617,"type":59},"Treat ",{"text":73,"type":59,"marks":619},[620],{"type":76,"attrs":621},{"class":78},{"text":623,"type":59}," as exactly what it says: the standard most schools meet, not a euphemism for failure. More than half of all grades awarded so far sit there. Beyond that:",{"type":625,"content":626},"bullet_list",[627,661,686,697],{"type":628,"content":629},"list_item",[630],{"type":54,"attrs":631,"content":632},{"textAlign":38},[633,637,639,643,645,651,653,659],{"text":634,"type":59,"marks":635},"Read the areas, not the colour count.",[636],{"type":64},{"text":638,"type":59}," A school that is ",{"text":424,"type":59,"marks":640},[641],{"type":76,"attrs":642},{"class":428},{"text":644,"type":59}," on attendance and behaviour but ",{"text":646,"type":59,"marks":647},"Needs attention",[648],{"type":76,"attrs":649},{"class":650},"grade-needs-attention",{"text":652,"type":59}," on achievement is a different school from the reverse, and which matters more depends on your child. Our ",{"text":654,"type":59,"marks":655},"report card explainer",[656],{"type":165,"attrs":657},{"href":658,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/ofsted-report-cards",{"text":660,"type":59}," walks through each area.",{"type":628,"content":662},[663],{"type":54,"attrs":664,"content":665},{"textAlign":38},[666,670,672,676,678,684],{"text":667,"type":59,"marks":668},"Weigh grades against intake.",[669],{"type":64},{"text":671,"type":59}," A ",{"text":646,"type":59,"marks":673},[674],{"type":76,"attrs":675},{"class":650},{"text":677,"type":59}," on attendance at a school serving a struggling neighbourhood tells you less than the same grade in a leafy suburb; our guide to ",{"text":679,"type":59,"marks":680},"reading a school's demographics",[681],{"type":165,"attrs":682},{"href":683,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/blog/school-demographics-explained",{"text":685,"type":59}," covers the context that surrounds a grade.",{"type":628,"content":687},[688],{"type":54,"attrs":689,"content":690},{"textAlign":38},[691,695],{"text":692,"type":59,"marks":693},"Read the narrative.",[694],{"type":64},{"text":696,"type":59}," The card is a summary; the full report on Ofsted's own site explains why each grade was given.",{"type":628,"content":698},[699],{"type":54,"attrs":700,"content":701},{"textAlign":38},[702,706,708,714,716,722],{"text":703,"type":59,"marks":704},"Compare locally.",[705],{"type":64},{"text":707,"type":59}," You can ",{"text":709,"type":59,"marks":710},"browse every report-card school",[711],{"type":165,"attrs":712},{"href":713,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/schools?ofsted=report_card",{"text":715,"type":59}," on this site, and ",{"text":717,"type":59,"marks":718},"our composite score",[719],{"type":165,"attrs":720},{"href":721,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/our-score",{"text":723,"type":59}," folds the new grades into a single comparable measure alongside results and attendance.",{"type":54,"attrs":725,"content":726},{"textAlign":38},[727],{"text":728,"type":59},"And if a school you are considering has no report card yet, that is the rollout, not a verdict: eight schools in nine are still waiting their turn.",{"_uid":730,"quote":731,"component":732},"rollout-pull-quote","The report card was born from the conviction that a school is more than one word.","pull_quote",{"_uid":734,"content":735,"component":89},"rt-rollout-seg-6",{"type":51,"content":736},[737],{"type":54,"attrs":738,"content":739},{"textAlign":38},[740],{"text":741,"type":59},"We will rerun this analysis every quarter as the dataset grows. On the evidence of the first 2,451, the words are certainly richer. Whether inspection has become fairer is the test the remaining 19,500 will set; we will be counting.","Ten months into Ofsted's biggest reform in a generation, we analysed every report card published so far. Inspectors are grading cautiously, the old Outstanding badge is fading, and two patterns the reform promised to fix are already back in the data.","4680cfb8-653c-47f7-a9d5-0e5271d55e5e","blog_post",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":746},{},{"id":748,"alt":749,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":750,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":751,"is_external_url":34},211234872613488,"A parent and child seen from behind at open school gates, walking up a tree-lined path towards a modern school building in autumn","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2048x1147/5d625b9d73/ofsted-report-card-rollout-autumn-2026.jpg",{},"2026-09-10 00:00","We analysed every Ofsted report card published so far: regional grade gaps, a deprivation gradient, and what became of Outstanding schools.","blog/ofsted-report-card-rollout-autumn-2026",-60,[757,758,759],"data stories","news","ofsted",145286880019031,"235fbb7b-5648-4474-9045-64c61da7c6aa","2026-09-10T17:12:24.843Z",[],1790429215,[766],{"name":17,"created_at":18,"published_at":19,"updated_at":20,"id":21,"uuid":22,"content":767,"slug":36,"full_slug":37,"sort_by_date":38,"position":39,"tag_list":770,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":42,"first_published_at":43,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":771,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},{"bio":24,"_uid":25,"name":17,"role":26,"avatar":768,"component":35},{"id":28,"alt":29,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":31,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":769,"is_external_url":34},{"alt":29,"title":30,"source":30,"copyright":30},[],[],[],{"cache-control":774,"connection":775,"content-encoding":776,"content-type":777,"date":778,"etag":779,"referrer-policy":780,"sb-be-version":781,"server":782,"transfer-encoding":783,"vary":784,"via":785,"x-amz-cf-id":786,"x-amz-cf-pop":787,"x-cache":788,"x-content-type-options":789,"x-frame-options":790,"x-permitted-cross-domain-policies":791,"x-request-id":792,"x-runtime":793,"x-xss-protection":794},"max-age=0, public, s-maxage=604800, stale-if-error=3600","keep-alive","gzip","application/json; charset=utf-8","Mon, 12 Oct 2026 04:50:24 GMT","W/\"82137336983f1972efd483fe9033ddef\"","strict-origin-when-cross-origin","5.980.1","nginx/1.29.1","chunked","Origin,Accept-Encoding","1.1 ee382582165729d6c17bb85a72585506.cloudfront.net (CloudFront)","u9pP8s-qpUEAt_AF3oZNTRull42GH2b2cXnFbKojYrseVbCbDhKkGQ==","LHR95-P2","Miss from cloudfront","nosniff","SAMEORIGIN","none","bf6ee347-5339-4f4b-869a-18c75e760d88","0.051936","0",{"stories":796,"total":3127},[797,1244,1723,1947,2212,2460,2731,2864,3035],{"name":798,"created_at":799,"published_at":800,"updated_at":801,"id":802,"uuid":803,"content":804,"slug":806,"full_slug":1239,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1240,"tag_list":1241,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":1242,"first_published_at":800,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":1243,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"Ofsted grades are for parents, and pausing them fixes nothing","2026-09-21T11:38:11.948Z","2026-09-22T14:55:20.990Z","2026-09-22T14:55:21.007Z",222417272646100,"1646dc62-e5b5-4acb-93b4-bf5a08a920ab",{"_uid":805,"slug":806,"title":798,"author":807,"content":813,"excerpt":1227,"component":744,"seo_image":1228,"seo_title":1230,"cover_image":1231,"published_date":1237,"seo_description":1238},"post-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents","ofsted-grades-are-for-parents",{"name":17,"created_at":18,"published_at":19,"updated_at":20,"id":21,"uuid":22,"content":808,"slug":36,"full_slug":37,"sort_by_date":38,"position":39,"tag_list":811,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":42,"first_published_at":43,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":812,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},{"bio":24,"_uid":25,"name":17,"role":26,"avatar":809,"component":35},{"id":28,"alt":29,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":31,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":810,"is_external_url":34},{"alt":29,"title":30,"source":30,"copyright":30},[],[],[814,826,849,878,881,889,912,950,955,971,974,1008,1035],{"_uid":815,"content":816,"component":89},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-0",{"type":51,"content":817},[818,822],{"type":54,"content":819},[820],{"text":821,"type":59},"The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), England's largest union for school leaders, told the BBC on 21 September that graded Ofsted inspections should stop. Its general secretary, Paul Whiteman, called the report-card framework \"a real and present danger to the well-being and mental health of school leaders and teachers, possibly even a risk to life\", and asked for a pause and a \"fundamental review\". The union's survey of more than 5,000 members in June found 72% believed inspection had got worse over the past year. Ofsted's reply was short: it \"exists to raise standards for children and to provide clear reporting to parents\", and it will continue to grade schools.",{"type":54,"content":823},[824],{"text":825,"type":59},"The parents' side of this argument has gone largely unmade, so we will make it. Inspection is the only independent, comparable account of every state school in England. It measurably improves the schools that fail it. And the claim that being judged endangers the people judged is not an argument against judgement: every senior public role is assessed by outsiders, and the answer to the stress of that is leaders who can carry it and support for those who struggle, not an exemption from assessment. Removing the grades would not remove the inspectors. It would remove the information.",{"_uid":827,"items":828,"component":112},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-1",[829,834,839,844],{"_uid":830,"label":831,"value":832,"sublabel":833,"component":98},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-1-0","of school parents value inspection reports","83%","NatCen for Ofsted's Big Listen, 2024",{"_uid":835,"label":836,"value":837,"sublabel":838,"component":98},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-1-1","chose separate grades for each area of school life","3 in 4","against 38% who wanted one word kept",{"_uid":840,"label":841,"value":842,"sublabel":843,"component":98},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-1-2","state school inspections in 2024/25","6,471","Ofsted annual report",{"_uid":845,"label":846,"value":847,"sublabel":848,"component":98},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-1-3","Welsh schools carry a statutory category","57","the other 1,426 carry no grade at all",{"_uid":850,"content":851,"component":89},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-2",{"type":51,"content":852},[853,858],{"type":118,"attrs":854,"content":855},{"level":120},[856],{"text":857,"type":59},"What parents asked for",{"type":54,"content":859},[860,862,866,867,871,872,877],{"text":861,"type":59},"Report cards were not imposed on parents. They were requested. Ofsted's Big Listen consultation in 2024 drew 16,033 responses, and the National Centre for Social Research surveyed more than 4,000 parents and carers for it. 83% of school parents said they placed value on inspection reports when making decisions about their child's education. Asked what should replace the single-word judgement, 76% chose separate judgements for each area of school life, against 38% who wanted the single word kept. That is, almost exactly, the report card: a grade for curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, inclusion, personal development and wellbeing, and leadership, each on a five-point scale from ",{"text":148,"type":59,"marks":863},[864],{"type":76,"attrs":865},{"class":152},{"text":154,"type":59},{"text":82,"type":59,"marks":868},[869],{"type":76,"attrs":870},{"class":86},{"text":559,"type":59},{"text":873,"type":59,"marks":874},"Our explainer",[875],{"type":165,"attrs":876},{"href":167,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":660,"type":59},{"_uid":879,"intro":880,"component":175},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-3","The report card grades every area on the same five-point scale:",{"_uid":882,"content":883,"component":89},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-4",{"type":51,"content":884},[885],{"type":54,"content":886},[887],{"text":888,"type":59},"When Ofsted put the design to a YouGov sample of 1,090 parents in March 2025, two thirds preferred it to the old reports and 78% said the information would be useful to them. The NAHT's alternative, a short narrative of strengths and areas for improvement with no grades at all, is not what parents chose when they were asked.",{"_uid":890,"rows":891,"title":908,"source":909,"suffix":530,"component":531,"row_header":910,"value_header":911},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-5",[892,896,900,904],{"_uid":893,"label":894,"value":895,"component":495},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-5-0","Easy to understand","86",{"_uid":897,"label":898,"value":899,"component":495},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-5-1","Colour-coded grades are helpful","84",{"_uid":901,"label":902,"value":903,"component":495},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-5-2","The information would be useful to me","78",{"_uid":905,"label":906,"value":907,"component":495,"highlight":46},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-5-3","Prefer it to the old inspection reports","67","What parents made of the report-card design","YouGov for Ofsted, 1,090 parents in England, March 2025.","Statement","Parents agreeing",{"_uid":913,"content":914,"component":89},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-6",{"type":51,"content":915},[916,921,925,937,942,946],{"type":118,"attrs":917,"content":918},{"level":120},[919],{"text":920,"type":59},"Inspection changes schools, not just opinions of them",{"type":54,"content":922},[923],{"text":924,"type":59},"The evidence that inspection improves schools is stronger than the debate suggests. Iftikhar Hussain, writing in the Journal of Human Resources in 2015, studied English primary schools rated as failing under short-notice inspection and found their test scores rose afterwards, with no sign the gains came from gaming: no weaker pupils quietly kept out of the tests, and improvements that persisted into the medium term. Rebecca Allen and Simon Burgess at the University of Bristol compared schools that only just failed an inspection with schools that only just passed. The near-failures improved over the following two to three years by around a tenth of a pupil-level standard deviation in test scores, an effect the authors call moderate to large. A fail grade, in other words, is not a label. It is one of the few school-improvement interventions England has actually measured.",{"type":54,"content":926},[927,929,935],{"text":928,"type":59},"Inspection also finds what no results table can. Of the ",{"text":930,"type":59,"marks":931},"2,451 report cards we analysed on 11 September",[932],{"type":165,"attrs":933},{"href":934,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/blog/ofsted-report-card-rollout-autumn-2026",{"text":936,"type":59},", 12 schools were judged Not met on safeguarding and 79 were placed in a formal category of concern. Exam data would show nothing at either. A parent relying on results alone, which is where a grade-free system pushes them, would not know.",{"type":118,"attrs":938,"content":939},{"level":120},[940],{"text":941,"type":59},"Accountability is ordinary everywhere else",{"type":54,"content":943},[944],{"text":945,"type":59},"Every organisation that takes public money or public trust is graded by somebody who does not work there. Company accounts are audited and filed at Companies House. Care homes and GP surgeries are inspected by the Care Quality Commission and rated on a published four-point scale. The chip shop has its hygiene rating on the door. None of these arrangements is popular with the people being rated, and none has ever been replaced with a paragraph.",{"type":54,"content":947},[948],{"text":949,"type":59},"Schools already have all of this, came the reply from inside the profession on the day:",{"_uid":951,"caption":952,"tweet_id":953,"component":954},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-7","Ruth Swailes, a former primary head and Ofsted inspector turned consultant, on X, 21 September 2026.","2102094880931504619","tweet_embed",{"_uid":956,"content":957,"component":89},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-8",{"type":51,"content":958},[959,963,967],{"type":54,"content":960},[961],{"text":962,"type":59},"All true, and all internal. Performance-related pay is decided by the head, the audit checks the money, and the observing is done by colleagues. None of it is visible to a parent. Ofsted is the one part of the system that reports outward, and it is precisely that part the union wants ungraded.",{"type":54,"content":964},[965],{"text":966,"type":59},"Schools are not chip shops and children are not customers, which is the argument for more scrutiny rather than less. Ofsted carried out 6,471 state-funded school inspections in 2024/25, on institutions a family cannot switch away from at will: the admissions system allocates the place, and the alternatives are bounded by catchment and distance. Where there is no exit, independent inspection is the substitute for the discipline a choice would provide.",{"type":54,"content":968},[969],{"text":970,"type":59},"A parent choosing a secondary school this autumn, ahead of the 31 October application deadline, can visit for an evening and read a prospectus written by the school.",{"_uid":972,"quote":973,"component":732},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-9","The report card is the one document in the pile that the school did not write.",{"_uid":975,"content":976,"component":89},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-10",{"type":51,"content":977},[978,983,987,991,995,999,1004],{"type":118,"attrs":979,"content":980},{"level":120},[981],{"text":982,"type":59},"Being judged is the job",{"type":54,"content":984},[985],{"text":986,"type":59},"Ruth Perry, head of Caversham Primary School in Reading, died in January 2023 after an inspection downgraded her school from Outstanding to Inadequate. In December 2023 the coroner concluded that the inspection had contributed to her death and issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report with seven concerns for Ofsted, every one of them about process: an almost complete absence of training in recognising distress in school leaders, no policy for pausing an inspection, no clear route to raise concerns during a visit, and the delay before reports are published. Ofsted accepted all seven: inspections were halted in January 2024 for inspector mental health training, heads can now ask for an inspection to be paused, notifications moved to Mondays, safeguarding failures get a three-month grace period before the grade is confirmed, and complaints panels have external members.",{"type":54,"content":988},[989],{"text":990,"type":59},"What the union asks for now is different in kind: not a change to how inspectors conduct themselves, which has happened, but the removal of the judgement itself. That is not a welfare measure. It is an exemption from assessment, and no comparable role has one. Surgeons are audited on their outcomes. Auditors sign accounts under personal liability. Company directors carry statutory duties for which they can be disqualified. Each of those jobs is stressful precisely because it matters, and a serious profession answers that stress by selecting and supporting people who can carry it, not by lowering the stakes until nobody feels them. A headteacher runs an institution full of other people's children, with a public budget and a staff. The stakes are the job.",{"type":54,"content":992},[993],{"text":994,"type":59},"The head of a Bolton primary told the BBC her recent inspection was the most stressful experience of her career. Nobody doubts the stress. But it comes from being judged, and the union's own narrative-only alternative still judges: Estyn, the Welsh inspectorate the NAHT holds up as the model, still sends inspectors into schools. What disappears is only the part a parent can read. Shielding leaders from the verdict does not shield them from the inspection; it shields them from its consequences, and a society that wants its schools led well should want the opposite.",{"type":54,"content":996},[997],{"text":998,"type":59},"The NAHT took its case against the report card to the High Court in 2025 and lost. Mr Justice Saini ruled that \"it is for Ofsted to decide how to conduct its inspections in the way which, in its expert judgment, is most effective\", and the union's appeal failed in November.",{"type":118,"attrs":1000,"content":1001},{"level":120},[1002],{"text":1003,"type":59},"What Wales actually gets",{"type":54,"content":1005},[1006],{"text":1007,"type":59},"Wales removed summative grades from Estyn reports in September 2022, and Northern Ireland's Education and Training Inspectorate also reports without them. Our database holds every open Welsh school's current Estyn status, so we can say precisely what a Welsh parent gets instead of a grade.",{"_uid":1009,"rows":1010,"title":1031,"source":1032,"component":531,"row_header":1033,"value_header":1034},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-11",[1011,1015,1019,1023,1027],{"_uid":1012,"label":1013,"value":1014,"component":495,"highlight":46},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-11-0","Not in follow-up","1,426",{"_uid":1016,"label":1017,"value":1018,"component":495},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-11-1","No Estyn record held","81",{"_uid":1020,"label":1021,"value":1022,"component":495},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-11-2","Special Measures","31",{"_uid":1024,"label":1025,"value":1026,"component":495},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-11-3","Significant Improvement","26",{"_uid":1028,"label":1029,"value":1030,"component":495},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-11-4","Independent school standards not met","6","What a Welsh parent gets instead of a grade","Estyn provider statuses for the 1,570 open schools in Wales; FindGreatSchools database, 21 September 2026.","Estyn status","Schools",{"_uid":1036,"content":1037,"component":89},"blk-ofsted-grades-are-for-parents-12",{"type":51,"attrs":1038,"content":1039},{"backgroundColor":38},[1040,1045,1057,1062,1067,1176,1181,1186,1191,1222],{"type":54,"attrs":1041,"content":1042},{"textAlign":38},[1043],{"text":1044,"type":59},"The two statutory categories survived the reform, so the ladder for schools in difficulty never went away. What went was everything above it: 1,426 schools are simply not in follow-up, a status that puts the best school in Wales and the most ordinary one in the same box. For 167 Welsh schools the newest report on file predates September 2019; in England, 7,508 state schools have been inspected since September 2024 alone.",{"type":54,"attrs":1046,"content":1047},{"textAlign":38},[1048,1050,1055],{"text":1049,"type":59},"The narrative reports are worth reading, and Estyn writes a separate summary for parents and carers. But a narrative cannot be compared across the three schools a family is choosing between. On our own site a Welsh school's inspection line reads \"Not graded by Estyn\", and ",{"text":1051,"type":59,"marks":1052},"its score",[1053],{"type":165,"attrs":1054},{"href":721,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1056,"type":59}," rests on results and attendance instead. That is the practical meaning of a grade-free system: a category for the 57 schools in difficulty and nothing that distinguishes the other 1,426.",{"type":118,"attrs":1058,"content":1059},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[1060],{"text":1061,"type":59},"The stronger case against grades, and why it still fails",{"type":54,"attrs":1063,"content":1064},{"textAlign":38},[1065],{"text":1066,"type":59},"The honest objection to grading is not welfare but fairness. Our own analysis of 2,243 mainstream report cards with pupil data shows the pattern. Rank England's secondary schools by their share of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and cut them into fifths:",{"type":263,"content":1068},[1069,1087,1105,1122,1140,1158],{"type":266,"content":1070},[1071,1079],{"type":269,"attrs":1072,"content":1073},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[1074],{"type":54,"attrs":1075,"content":1076},{"textAlign":38},[1077],{"text":1078,"type":59},"Share of pupils with SEND",{"type":269,"attrs":1080,"content":1081},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38},[1082],{"type":54,"attrs":1083,"content":1084},{"textAlign":38},[1085],{"text":1086,"type":59},"Below Expected standard on achievement",{"type":266,"content":1088},[1089,1097],{"type":290,"attrs":1090,"content":1091},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1092],{"type":54,"attrs":1093,"content":1094},{"textAlign":38},[1095],{"text":1096,"type":59},"Lowest fifth of schools",{"type":290,"attrs":1098,"content":1099},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1100],{"type":54,"attrs":1101,"content":1102},{"textAlign":38},[1103],{"text":1104,"type":59},"11%",{"type":266,"content":1106},[1107,1115],{"type":290,"attrs":1108,"content":1109},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1110],{"type":54,"attrs":1111,"content":1112},{"textAlign":38},[1113],{"text":1114,"type":59},"Second fifth",{"type":290,"attrs":1116,"content":1117},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1118],{"type":54,"attrs":1119,"content":1120},{"textAlign":38},[1121],{"text":555,"type":59},{"type":266,"content":1123},[1124,1132],{"type":290,"attrs":1125,"content":1126},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1127],{"type":54,"attrs":1128,"content":1129},{"textAlign":38},[1130],{"text":1131,"type":59},"Middle fifth",{"type":290,"attrs":1133,"content":1134},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1135],{"type":54,"attrs":1136,"content":1137},{"textAlign":38},[1138],{"text":1139,"type":59},"32%",{"type":266,"content":1141},[1142,1150],{"type":290,"attrs":1143,"content":1144},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1145],{"type":54,"attrs":1146,"content":1147},{"textAlign":38},[1148],{"text":1149,"type":59},"Fourth fifth",{"type":290,"attrs":1151,"content":1152},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1153],{"type":54,"attrs":1154,"content":1155},{"textAlign":38},[1156],{"text":1157,"type":59},"38%",{"type":266,"content":1159},[1160,1168],{"type":290,"attrs":1161,"content":1162},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1163],{"type":54,"attrs":1164,"content":1165},{"textAlign":38},[1166],{"text":1167,"type":59},"Highest fifth",{"type":290,"attrs":1169,"content":1170},{"colspan":271,"rowspan":271,"colwidth":38,"backgroundColor":38},[1171],{"type":54,"attrs":1172,"content":1173},{"textAlign":38},[1174],{"text":1175,"type":59},"54%",{"type":54,"attrs":1177,"content":1178},{"textAlign":38},[1179],{"text":1180,"type":59},"Researchers at University College London (Sims, Jerrim and Bokhove, 2023), analysing 2,538 secondary inspections, found that once you allow for pupils' prior attainment and deprivation, schools rank in much the same order whatever grade Ofsted gave them, and that the average report was nearly three years old by the time a child started at the school.",{"type":54,"attrs":1182,"content":1183},{"textAlign":38},[1184],{"text":1185,"type":59},"Both findings are arguments for better inspection, not none. 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Our son chose a different one.","2026-08-22T23:32:02.577Z","2026-09-24T08:45:23.580Z","2026-09-24T08:45:23.595Z",211975874902122,"ff5da5d5-1913-4f4f-9a63-8b9479371b15",{"_uid":1731,"slug":1732,"title":1724,"author":1733,"content":1739,"excerpt":1928,"component":744,"seo_image":1929,"seo_title":1931,"cover_image":1932,"published_date":1937,"seo_description":1938},"post-school-open-days-visit-more-than-one","school-open-days-visit-more-than-one",{"name":17,"created_at":18,"published_at":19,"updated_at":20,"id":21,"uuid":22,"content":1734,"slug":36,"full_slug":37,"sort_by_date":38,"position":39,"tag_list":1737,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":42,"first_published_at":43,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":1738,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},{"bio":24,"_uid":25,"name":17,"role":26,"avatar":1735,"component":35},{"id":28,"alt":29,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":31,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":1736,"is_external_url":34},{"alt":29,"title":30,"source":30,"copyright":30},[],[],[1740],{"_uid":1741,"content":1742,"component":89},"rt-school-open-days-visit-more-than-one",{"type":51,"attrs":1743,"content":1744},{"backgroundColor":38},[1745,1750,1755,1760,1788,1800,1805,1810,1815,1820,1825,1830,1835,1840,1877,1890,1895,1923],{"type":54,"attrs":1746,"content":1747},{"textAlign":38},[1748],{"text":1749,"type":59},"On paper, the decision was made for us. Fulford School was our catchment school, rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with results to match. Then we went to the open evenings. By the end of them, the whole family had the same unexpected favourite, and our son chose Archbishop Holgate's instead. He was right to.",{"type":54,"attrs":1751,"content":1752},{"textAlign":38},[1753],{"text":1754,"type":59},"We run a school data website, so it would be tidy to report that the spreadsheet made the decision. It did not. The data built the shortlist; the visits picked the school. With open days starting in September and applications for September 2027 secondary places closing on 31 October, the next few weeks are when that second part happens. Book your places now.",{"type":118,"attrs":1756,"content":1757},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[1758],{"text":1759,"type":59},"What the data said",{"type":54,"attrs":1761,"content":1762},{"textAlign":38},[1763,1765,1771,1773,1779,1781,1786],{"text":1764,"type":59},"Both schools serve York, and both are large, with around 1,800 pupils each. ",{"text":1766,"type":59,"marks":1767},"Fulford School",[1768],{"type":165,"attrs":1769},{"href":1770,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/schools/144711",{"text":1772,"type":59}," was rated Outstanding by Ofsted at its last graded inspection, in October 2023. ",{"text":1774,"type":59,"marks":1775},"Archbishop Holgate's School",[1776],{"type":165,"attrs":1777},{"href":1778,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/schools/136617",{"text":1780,"type":59}," was inspected in January 2026 under the new report card framework and judged to be of strong standard in six of its seven graded areas, including achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership. (If report cards are new to you, ",{"text":1782,"type":59,"marks":1783},"our explainer",[1784],{"type":165,"attrs":1785},{"href":167,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1787,"type":59}," covers what replaced the single-word grades.)",{"type":54,"attrs":1789,"content":1790},{"textAlign":38},[1791,1793,1798],{"text":1792,"type":59},"Our own ",{"text":1794,"type":59,"marks":1795},"composite score",[1796],{"type":165,"attrs":1797},{"href":721,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1799,"type":59}," agreed with the conventional wisdom: a B for Fulford, a C for Archbishop Holgate's. If choosing a school were a ranking exercise, Fulford would win, and we lived in its catchment. Case closed.",{"type":118,"attrs":1801,"content":1802},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[1803],{"text":1804,"type":59},"What the visits showed",{"type":54,"attrs":1806,"content":1807},{"textAlign":38},[1808],{"text":1809,"type":59},"An open evening tells you things no dataset can. The state of the buildings and how the school uses them. The warmth of the staff and teachers. Whether the pupils leading the tours can answer a question that is not in the script. What the head chooses to say when given twenty minutes of your attention.",{"type":54,"attrs":1811,"content":1812},{"textAlign":38},[1813],{"text":1814,"type":59},"At Archbishop Holgate's, it all landed: the buildings, the staff, the overall feel of the place. And not just with our son. By the end of the evening, every one of us had quietly arrived at the same favourite, and it was not the school we had gone in backing. Our son walked out of one open evening politely unmoved, and out of Archbishop Holgate's talking about where things were and what he would do there. He could picture himself in one of them, and not the other.",{"type":54,"attrs":1816,"content":1817},{"textAlign":38},[1818],{"text":1819,"type":59},"None of this is a criticism of Fulford, an excellent school that York families happily choose every year. That is precisely the point: here were two strong schools, one child, and only one of them felt like his. The numbers could never have told us which.",{"type":118,"attrs":1821,"content":1822},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[1823],{"text":1824,"type":59},"We let him decide",{"type":54,"attrs":1826,"content":1827},{"textAlign":38},[1828],{"text":1829,"type":59},"It helped that we all agreed, but the final call was still his. He had visited both schools; he had formed a clear view, and it was going to be his five years, not ours. A child who chose their school starts with a stake in it: he walked in on day one to a place he had already decided to like.",{"type":54,"attrs":1831,"content":1832},{"textAlign":38},[1833],{"text":1834,"type":59},"Not every family will hand over the final say, and not every child will want it. But if you only visit one school, nobody in the family gets a real choice at all.",{"type":118,"attrs":1836,"content":1837},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[1838],{"text":1839,"type":59},"How to do open day season 2026 properly",{"type":625,"content":1841},[1842,1849,1856,1863,1870],{"type":628,"content":1843},[1844],{"type":54,"attrs":1845,"content":1846},{"textAlign":38},[1847],{"text":1848,"type":59},"Book now. Most secondary open evenings are held in September and early October; many require sign-up, and popular sessions fill up early.",{"type":628,"content":1850},[1851],{"type":54,"attrs":1852,"content":1853},{"textAlign":38},[1854],{"text":1855,"type":59},"Visit at least three or four schools, including one you think you have already ruled out. We would have missed the right school if we had only toured the catchment favourite.",{"type":628,"content":1857},[1858],{"type":54,"attrs":1859,"content":1860},{"textAlign":38},[1861],{"text":1862,"type":59},"Take your child, and take their reaction seriously. They will notice things you will not.",{"type":628,"content":1864},[1865],{"type":54,"attrs":1866,"content":1867},{"textAlign":38},[1868],{"text":1869,"type":59},"Ask for a daytime tour as well if the school offers one. An open evening is the school at its best dressed; a Tuesday morning shows you the default.",{"type":628,"content":1871},[1872],{"type":54,"attrs":1873,"content":1874},{"textAlign":38},[1875],{"text":1876,"type":59},"Talk to the pupils, not just the staff. Ask what they would change about the school and watch how honestly they answer.",{"type":54,"attrs":1878,"content":1879},{"textAlign":38},[1880,1882,1888],{"text":1881,"type":59},"The dates that matter: applications for September 2027 secondary places close on 31 October 2026, made through your local authority, and offers arrive on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027. Primary applications close later, on 15 January 2027. Catchment is not the guarantee many parents assume it is, and how it actually works ",{"text":1883,"type":59,"marks":1884},"has its own explainer",[1885],{"type":165,"attrs":1886},{"href":1887,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/blog/school-catchment-areas-explained",{"text":1889,"type":59},".",{"type":118,"attrs":1891,"content":1892},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[1893],{"text":1894,"type":59},"Where does the data fit in?",{"type":54,"attrs":1896,"content":1897},{"textAlign":38},[1898,1900,1905,1907,1913,1915,1921],{"text":1899,"type":59},"Use the data for what it is good at: drawing up the shortlist. ",{"text":1901,"type":59,"marks":1902},"Search for schools near you, compare inspection outcomes",[1903],{"type":165,"attrs":1904},{"href":1219,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1906,"type":59}," on the same basis, and check the area pages for your town (for us, that is ",{"text":1908,"type":59,"marks":1909},"secondary schools in York",[1910],{"type":165,"attrs":1911},{"href":1912,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-secondary-schools/york",{"text":1914,"type":59},"). Our guide to ",{"text":1916,"type":59,"marks":1917},"choosing the right school",[1918],{"type":165,"attrs":1919},{"href":1920,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-school",{"text":1922,"type":59}," covers the entire decision-making process, data and all.",{"type":54,"attrs":1924,"content":1925},{"textAlign":38},[1926],{"text":1927,"type":59},"Then go and stand in the buildings. The best school is the one that fits your child, and you cannot download that. You have to go and look.","Open day season starts in September, and applications for September 2027 secondary places close on 31 October. Here is how visiting schools changed our family's decision, and why you should book more open days than you think you need.",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":1930},{},"School open days 2026: why visit more than one school | FindGreatSchools",{"id":1933,"alt":1934,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":1935,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":1936,"is_external_url":34},212277057327236,"A young boy between his parents looking up in wonder at a modern school on a sunny open day, families and teachers across the grounds","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2912x1632/ddd31b3df0/school-open-days-visit-more-than-one.jpg",{},"2026-08-23 21:30","Open day season runs September to October 2026. How many schools to visit, what to look for, and why our family's catchment favourite lost out.","blog/school-open-days-visit-more-than-one",-70,[1942,1943],"admissions","school choice","328f348f-2b2f-43ba-928f-8272cd6fa2b2","2026-08-23T20:51:40.370Z",[],{"name":1948,"created_at":1949,"published_at":1950,"updated_at":1951,"id":1952,"uuid":1953,"content":1954,"slug":2204,"full_slug":2205,"sort_by_date":38,"position":2206,"tag_list":2207,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":2209,"first_published_at":2210,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2211,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"Reading a school's demographics: FSM, EAL, SEN and ethnic mix","2026-06-24T18:44:29.617Z","2026-09-10T17:11:56.472Z","2026-09-10T17:11:56.486Z",191025437191854,"33936ebd-7c57-452b-9e4a-164b81e4569f",{"_uid":1955,"title":1948,"author":1956,"content":1976,"excerpt":2193,"component":744,"seo_image":2194,"seo_title":2196,"cover_image":2197,"published_date":2202,"seo_description":2203},"post-school-demographics-explained",{"name":1957,"created_at":1958,"published_at":1959,"updated_at":1960,"id":1961,"uuid":1962,"content":1963,"slug":1969,"full_slug":1970,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1971,"tag_list":1972,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":1973,"first_published_at":1974,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":1975,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},"FindGreatSchools Team","2026-02-15T12:53:51.235Z","2026-08-19T18:34:44.625Z","2026-08-19T18:34:44.637Z",145286886359642,"c71357d4-3ddc-4e14-8e1b-1a301728f275",{"bio":1964,"_uid":1965,"name":1957,"role":1966,"avatar":1967,"component":35},"The team behind FindGreatSchools, helping families find the right schools and communities across the UK.","f0e6b2b5-9550-401d-bc6a-225cf8f0eeca","Editorial Team",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":1968},{},"findgreatschools-team","authors/findgreatschools-team",0,[],"4e3bd91c-cc60-4c5c-a49a-f9edf30f0cb2","2026-02-15T12:53:51.266Z",[],[1977],{"_uid":1978,"content":1979,"component":89},"rt-school-demographics-explained",{"type":51,"content":1980},[1981,1985,1990,2022,2026,2031,2047,2052,2062,2072,2077,2115,2120,2183],{"type":54,"content":1982},[1983],{"text":1984,"type":59},"Exam results and Ofsted ratings get all the attention, but a school's demographics tell you something just as important: who actually goes there, and whether your child will fit in and be supported. Here's how to read the numbers without jumping to the wrong conclusions.",{"type":118,"attrs":1986,"content":1987},{"level":120},[1988],{"text":1989,"type":59},"The acronyms, in plain English",{"type":625,"content":1991},[1992,2002,2012],{"type":628,"content":1993},[1994],{"type":54,"content":1995},[1996,2000],{"text":1997,"type":59,"marks":1998},"FSM (Free School Meals)",[1999],{"type":64},{"text":2001,"type":59},": the share of pupils eligible for free meals; a common proxy for disadvantage in the intake.",{"type":628,"content":2003},[2004],{"type":54,"content":2005},[2006,2010],{"text":2007,"type":59,"marks":2008},"EAL (English as an Additional Language)",[2009],{"type":64},{"text":2011,"type":59},": pupils who speak another language at home alongside English.",{"type":628,"content":2013},[2014],{"type":54,"content":2015},[2016,2020],{"text":2017,"type":59,"marks":2018},"SEN (Special Educational Needs)",[2019],{"type":64},{"text":2021,"type":59},": split into SEN support and, for higher needs, an EHC plan (formerly a statement).",{"type":54,"content":2023},[2024],{"text":2025,"type":59},"Each is shown as a percentage of the school roll, which lets you compare schools of different sizes.",{"type":118,"attrs":2027,"content":2028},{"level":120},[2029],{"text":2030,"type":59},"What FSM tells you, and what it doesn't",{"type":54,"content":2032},[2033,2035,2039,2041,2045],{"text":2034,"type":59},"A high FSM figure means more disadvantage in the intake, and it often correlates with lower ",{"text":2036,"type":59,"marks":2037},"raw",[2038],{"type":64},{"text":2040,"type":59}," results. But that's about the children a school starts with, not how well it teaches them. A high-FSM school posting strong ",{"text":2042,"type":59,"marks":2043},"progress",[2044],{"type":64},{"text":2046,"type":59}," may be doing a far better job than a leafy school coasting on an advantaged intake. It's one of the clearest reasons to look at progress, not just attainment.",{"type":118,"attrs":2048,"content":2049},{"level":120},[2050],{"text":2051,"type":59},"EAL and ethnic mix: reading community fit",{"type":54,"content":2053},[2054,2056,2060],{"text":2055,"type":59},"EAL percentages and the ethnic make-up of a school show how diverse it is. For many families this is central: whether you want a school where your child sees others who share their background, or a genuinely mixed environment. A high EAL figure is ",{"text":2057,"type":59,"marks":2058},"not",[2059],{"type":64},{"text":2061,"type":59}," a negative for results; plenty of high-EAL schools are among the strongest performers in the country.",{"type":54,"content":2063},[2064,2066,2070],{"text":2065,"type":59},"For England and Wales we show the full ",{"text":2067,"type":59,"marks":2068},"18-category ethnicity breakdown",[2069],{"type":64},{"text":2071,"type":59}," as published by the Department for Education and the Welsh Government. Scotland reports broader groups, which we show as published; Northern Ireland's school census carries no ethnicity breakdown, so NI profiles show free school meals, EAL and SEN only.",{"type":118,"attrs":2073,"content":2074},{"level":120},[2075],{"text":2076,"type":59},"SEN: will your child be supported?",{"type":54,"content":2078},[2079,2081,2085,2087,2091,2093,2096,2098,2103,2105,2107,2113],{"text":2080,"type":59},"If your child has additional needs, the provision on offer matters more than the headline rating. Look at the share of pupils on ",{"text":2082,"type":59,"marks":2083},"SEN support",[2084],{"type":64},{"text":2086,"type":59}," and with ",{"text":2088,"type":59,"marks":2089},"EHC plans",[2090],{"type":64},{"text":2092,"type":59},", and check whether the school has specialist or resourced provision. Encouragingly, Ofsted's new report cards grade ",{"text":369,"type":59,"marks":2094},[2095],{"type":64},{"text":2097,"type":59}," as an area in its own right, so a recent report card tells you more about SEN support than an old single word ever did. We explain that on our ",{"text":2099,"type":59,"marks":2100},"report cards",[2101],{"type":165,"attrs":2102},{"href":658,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2104,"type":59}," page.",{"text":2106,"type":59}," If a mainstream school isn't the right setting, our ",{"text":2108,"type":59,"marks":2109},"best SEND schools by area",[2110],{"type":165,"attrs":2111},{"href":2112,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-send-schools",{"text":2114,"type":59}," pages list special schools by town and county.",{"type":118,"attrs":2116,"content":2117},{"level":120},[2118],{"text":2119,"type":59},"How to use demographics in your shortlist",{"type":625,"content":2121},[2122,2128,2146,2161,2173],{"type":628,"content":2123},[2124],{"type":54,"content":2125},[2126],{"text":2127,"type":59},"Don't read any single number as simply 'good' or 'bad': context is everything.",{"type":628,"content":2129},[2130],{"type":54,"content":2131},[2132,2136,2138,2144],{"text":2133,"type":59,"marks":2134},"Compare like with like.",[2135],{"type":64},{"text":2137,"type":59}," A figure only means something next to schools nearby, so line up two or three on our ",{"text":2139,"type":59,"marks":2140},"comparison tool",[2141],{"type":165,"attrs":2142},{"href":2143,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/compare",{"text":2145,"type":59}," rather than reading one in isolation.",{"type":628,"content":2147},[2148],{"type":54,"content":2149},[2150,2154,2159],{"text":2151,"type":59,"marks":2152},"Pair FSM with ",[2153],{"type":64},{"text":2042,"type":59,"marks":2155},[2156,2157],{"type":64},{"type":165,"attrs":2158},{"href":485,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2160,"type":59}," to see how well a school serves the children it actually has.",{"type":628,"content":2162},[2163],{"type":54,"content":2164},[2165,2167,2171],{"text":2166,"type":59},"Use EAL and ethnicity for ",{"text":2168,"type":59,"marks":2169},"community fit",[2170],{"type":64},{"text":2172,"type":59},", not as a results signal.",{"type":628,"content":2174},[2175],{"type":54,"content":2176},[2177,2181],{"text":2178,"type":59,"marks":2179},"Weight SEN heavily",[2180],{"type":64},{"text":2182,"type":59}," if it's relevant to your child.",{"type":54,"content":2184},[2185,2187,2192],{"text":2186,"type":59},"Demographics turn a school from a league-table row into a real community. You can see the full breakdown on any school's page, and filter by what matters to you on our ",{"text":2188,"type":59,"marks":2189},"school search",[2190],{"type":165,"attrs":2191},{"href":1219,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1889,"type":59},"Results and Ofsted aren't everything. A school's demographics tell you who goes there and whether your child will fit in and be supported: here's how to read FSM, EAL, SEN and the ethnic mix.",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2195},{},"School demographics explained: FSM, EAL, SEN & ethnic mix — FindGreatSchools",{"id":2198,"alt":2199,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":2200,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2201,"is_external_url":34},211157169760346,"Pupils in uniform spread across a school field in front of a red brick school, with a large tree and autumn trees around the grounds","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2048x1146/a7a6613b2a/school-demographics-explained.jpg",{},"2026-06-24 00:00","What FSM, EAL and SEN percentages and a school's ethnic mix really tell you, why progress beats raw results, and how to use demographics to choose a school.","school-demographics-explained","blog/school-demographics-explained",-50,[2208],"demographics","e5567467-b6ea-4b2c-8627-9c123077739a","2026-06-24T18:44:29.686Z",[],{"name":2213,"created_at":2214,"published_at":2215,"updated_at":2216,"id":2217,"uuid":2218,"content":2219,"slug":2221,"full_slug":2454,"sort_by_date":38,"position":2455,"tag_list":2456,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":2457,"first_published_at":2458,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2459,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"School catchment areas explained: how they really work","2026-06-24T18:44:28.616Z","2026-09-10T17:11:59.536Z","2026-09-10T17:11:59.550Z",191025433103945,"5aad6ce2-ceb0-482b-b36e-2aa35b29ced3",{"_uid":2220,"slug":2221,"tags":2222,"title":2213,"author":2223,"content":2229,"excerpt":2442,"category":2443,"component":744,"seo_image":2444,"seo_title":2446,"cover_image":2447,"published_date":2452,"seo_description":2453},"post-school-catchment-areas-explained","school-catchment-areas-explained","catchment areas, admissions, guide",{"name":1957,"created_at":1958,"published_at":1959,"updated_at":1960,"id":1961,"uuid":1962,"content":2224,"slug":1969,"full_slug":1970,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1971,"tag_list":2227,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":1973,"first_published_at":1974,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2228,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},{"bio":1964,"_uid":1965,"name":1957,"role":1966,"avatar":2225,"component":35},{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2226},{},[],[],[2230],{"_uid":2231,"content":2232,"component":89},"rt-school-catchment-areas-explained",{"type":51,"content":2233},[2234,2238,2243,2253,2258,2268,2298,2308,2313,2323,2327,2332,2342,2347,2389,2394,2406,2433],{"type":54,"content":2235},[2236],{"text":2237,"type":59},"\"Are we in catchment?\" is one of the most stressful questions in school admissions, and one of the most misunderstood. Being inside a catchment area doesn't guarantee a place, and being outside one doesn't always rule you out. Here's how catchment areas and distance rules really decide who gets in.",{"type":118,"attrs":2239,"content":2240},{"level":120},[2241],{"text":2242,"type":59},"What a catchment area is (and isn't)",{"type":54,"content":2244},[2245,2247,2251],{"text":2246,"type":59},"A catchment is the geographical area a school gives priority to. It's set by the ",{"text":2248,"type":59,"marks":2249},"admission authority",[2250],{"type":64},{"text":2252,"type":59}," (the local council for community schools, or the school or academy trust itself for academies, faith and foundation schools), so the rules vary enormously from one school to the next. A catchment is a priority zone, not a promise.",{"type":118,"attrs":2254,"content":2255},{"level":120},[2256],{"text":2257,"type":59},"How places are actually allocated",{"type":54,"content":2259},[2260,2262,2266],{"text":2261,"type":59},"When more children apply than there are places, a school works through its published ",{"text":2263,"type":59,"marks":2264},"oversubscription criteria",[2265],{"type":64},{"text":2267,"type":59}," in order. A typical order looks like this:",{"type":625,"content":2269},[2270,2276,2282,2288],{"type":628,"content":2271},[2272],{"type":54,"content":2273},[2274],{"text":2275,"type":59},"Children in care or previously in care",{"type":628,"content":2277},[2278],{"type":54,"content":2279},[2280],{"text":2281,"type":59},"Children with a sibling already at the school",{"type":628,"content":2283},[2284],{"type":54,"content":2285},[2286],{"text":2287,"type":59},"(For faith schools) religious criteria",{"type":628,"content":2289},[2290],{"type":54,"content":2291},[2292,2296],{"text":2293,"type":59,"marks":2294},"Distance from home to school",[2295],{"type":64},{"text":2297,"type":59},": usually the final tie-breaker",{"type":54,"content":2299},[2300,2302,2306],{"text":2301,"type":59},"Distance is normally measured in a ",{"text":2303,"type":59,"marks":2304},"straight line",[2305],{"type":64},{"text":2307,"type":59}," (\"as the crow flies\") from your home to the school gate. Because it's the last tie-breaker, the effective catchment shrinks in years with lots of siblings or applicants.",{"type":118,"attrs":2309,"content":2310},{"level":120},[2311],{"text":2312,"type":59},"'Last distance offered': the number that really matters",{"type":54,"content":2314},[2315,2317,2321],{"text":2316,"type":59},"Many councils publish the distance of the ",{"text":2318,"type":59,"marks":2319},"furthest-away child offered a place last year",[2320],{"type":64},{"text":2322,"type":59},". This is the single most useful signal of your realistic chances, far more telling than the official catchment line on a map. If last year's last place went to a family 300 metres away and you're a kilometre out, the published catchment is cold comfort.",{"type":54,"content":2324},[2325],{"text":2326,"type":59},"It moves year to year with the number of siblings and applicants, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee, but always look it up.",{"type":118,"attrs":2328,"content":2329},{"level":120},[2330],{"text":2331,"type":59},"Faith schools, grammars and other criteria",{"type":54,"content":2333},[2334,2336,2340],{"text":2335,"type":59},"Faith schools often rank religious practice above distance, so a child next door may miss out to a practising family further away. Grammar schools admit by test; where distance features at all, it separates children who have already qualified. Always read the ",{"text":2337,"type":59,"marks":2338},"specific school's",[2339],{"type":64},{"text":2341,"type":59}," admissions policy; never assume.",{"type":118,"attrs":2343,"content":2344},{"level":120},[2345],{"text":2346,"type":59},"Common catchment myths",{"type":625,"content":2348},[2349,2359,2369,2379],{"type":628,"content":2350},[2351],{"type":54,"content":2352},[2353,2357],{"text":2354,"type":59,"marks":2355},"\"In catchment means a place.\"",[2356],{"type":64},{"text":2358,"type":59}," No: you still have to win on the criteria when a school is oversubscribed.",{"type":628,"content":2360},[2361],{"type":54,"content":2362},[2363,2367],{"text":2364,"type":59,"marks":2365},"\"Rent near the school for a term.\"",[2366],{"type":64},{"text":2368,"type":59}," Councils check addresses, and admissions fraud can have an offer withdrawn.",{"type":628,"content":2370},[2371],{"type":54,"content":2372},[2373,2377],{"text":2374,"type":59,"marks":2375},"\"Catchments never change.\"",[2376],{"type":64},{"text":2378,"type":59}," They're redrawn as housing and demand shift.",{"type":628,"content":2380},[2381],{"type":54,"content":2382},[2383,2387],{"text":2384,"type":59,"marks":2385},"\"My nearest school has to take my child.\"",[2386],{"type":64},{"text":2388,"type":59}," Only if you're the highest priority under its criteria.",{"type":118,"attrs":2390,"content":2391},{"level":120},[2392],{"text":2393,"type":59},"How to check your real chances",{"type":54,"content":2395},[2396,2398,2404],{"text":2397,"type":59},"Use our ",{"text":2399,"type":59,"marks":2400},"map search",[2401],{"type":165,"attrs":2402},{"href":2403,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/map",{"text":2405,"type":59}," to see which schools sit near a postcode and exactly how far away each one is, then look up each school's admissions criteria and last-distance-offered on the council's website. Every school's profile carries its intake and demographics, so you can weigh community fit alongside distance, not just which school is nearest.",{"type":54,"content":2407},[2408,2410,2416,2418,2423,2425,2431],{"text":2409,"type":59},"If you're choosing an area as well as a school, our ",{"text":2411,"type":59,"marks":2412},"best primary schools by area",[2413],{"type":165,"attrs":2414},{"href":2415,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-primary-schools",{"text":2417,"type":59}," pages rank every scored school in a town or county; ",{"text":493,"type":59,"marks":2419},[2420],{"type":165,"attrs":2421},{"href":2422,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-primary-schools/london",{"text":2424,"type":59}," alone lists more than 1,700 scored primaries, and the ",{"text":2426,"type":59,"marks":2427},"secondary pages",[2428],{"type":165,"attrs":2429},{"href":2430,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-secondary-schools",{"text":2432,"type":59}," do the same job for the move at 11.",{"type":54,"content":2434},[2435,2437,2441],{"text":2436,"type":59},"Catchment is about probability, not certainty. Combine the distance, the last distance offered and the school's own criteria before you bank on a place, and always list a realistic mix of preferences. Start exploring on our ",{"text":2188,"type":59,"marks":2438},[2439],{"type":165,"attrs":2440},{"href":1219,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1889,"type":59},"Being 'in catchment' doesn't guarantee a place, and being out doesn't always rule you out. How catchment areas, distance rules and 'last distance offered' really decide who gets in.","5ab64f2b-382e-468b-af0a-7d670fe93058",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2445},{},"School catchment areas explained: how they really work — FindGreatSchools",{"id":2448,"alt":2449,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":2450,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2451,"is_external_url":34},211234860530287,"A British village of stone cottages around a school with a bell tower, a church spire and rolling hills beyond","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2048x1147/851bee810b/school-catchment-areas-explained.jpg",{},"2026-06-17 00:00","How UK school catchment areas work, what 'last distance offered' means, common catchment myths, and how to check your chances of a place.","blog/school-catchment-areas-explained",-40,[1942],"53c7d5a0-5a46-4fa8-a1a9-edb92377b435","2026-06-24T18:44:28.670Z",[],{"name":2461,"created_at":2462,"published_at":2463,"updated_at":2464,"id":2465,"uuid":2466,"content":2467,"slug":2469,"full_slug":2725,"sort_by_date":38,"position":2726,"tag_list":2727,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":2728,"first_published_at":2729,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2730,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"Beyond Ofsted: why a 'Good' rating isn't the whole story","2026-06-24T18:44:27.623Z","2026-09-10T17:12:02.428Z","2026-09-10T17:12:02.444Z",191025429016036,"2dd6c538-1fe6-48b3-8488-a85eeaaa76b8",{"_uid":2468,"slug":2469,"tags":2470,"title":2461,"author":2471,"content":2477,"excerpt":2714,"category":2443,"component":744,"seo_image":2715,"seo_title":2717,"cover_image":2718,"published_date":2723,"seo_description":2724},"post-beyond-ofsted-ratings","beyond-ofsted-ratings","ofsted, school choice, guide",{"name":1957,"created_at":1958,"published_at":1959,"updated_at":1960,"id":1961,"uuid":1962,"content":2472,"slug":1969,"full_slug":1970,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1971,"tag_list":2475,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":1973,"first_published_at":1974,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2476,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},{"bio":1964,"_uid":1965,"name":1957,"role":1966,"avatar":2473,"component":35},{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2474},{},[],[],[2478],{"_uid":2479,"content":2480,"component":89},"rt-beyond-ofsted-ratings",{"type":51,"content":2481},[2482,2486,2491,2508,2524,2529,2533,2537,2542,2546,2604,2609,2626,2648,2653,2705],{"type":54,"content":2483},[2484],{"text":2485,"type":59},"For most parents, the Ofsted rating is the first thing they check, and it matters. But a rating is a single snapshot, sometimes years old, and on its own it can point you at the wrong school. Here's what an inspection does and doesn't tell you, and what to weigh alongside it.",{"type":118,"attrs":2487,"content":2488},{"level":120},[2489],{"text":2490,"type":59},"What an Ofsted rating actually measures",{"type":54,"content":2492},[2493,2495,2499,2501,2506],{"text":2494,"type":59},"An inspection is a judgement made over a day or two by visiting inspectors. From ",{"text":2496,"type":59,"marks":2497},"November 2025",[2498],{"type":64},{"text":2500,"type":59}," schools are given a ",{"text":2502,"type":59,"marks":2503},"report card",[2504],{"type":165,"attrs":2505},{"href":658,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2507,"type":59}," that grades separate areas (achievement, behaviour, inclusion, leadership and more); by July 2026 more than 2,400 schools carried one. Schools inspected earlier still carry a single word: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate.",{"type":54,"content":2509},[2510,2512,2516,2518,2522],{"text":2511,"type":59},"Either way, the rating reflects what inspectors found about the ",{"text":2513,"type":59,"marks":2514},"quality of education, behaviour, leadership and safeguarding",[2515],{"type":64},{"text":2517,"type":59}," on that visit. It is not a direct measure of exam results, how much progress pupils make, class sizes, or, crucially, whether the school is right for ",{"text":2519,"type":59,"marks":2520},"your",[2521],{"type":64},{"text":2523,"type":59}," child.",{"type":118,"attrs":2525,"content":2526},{"level":120},[2527],{"text":2528,"type":59},"A 'Good' school and an 'Outstanding' school can be closer than they look",{"type":54,"content":2530},[2531],{"text":2532,"type":59},"For years, Outstanding schools were exempt from routine inspection, so an \"Outstanding\" badge can be a decade old and tell you little about the school today. Some of the pupils it describes have since finished university. A school rated \"Good\" last term may well be stronger right now than an Outstanding school last seen in 2014.",{"type":54,"content":2534},[2535],{"text":2536,"type":59},"The gap between Good and Outstanding is often narrow, and frequently comes down to consistency rather than a different league of school. Parents agonise over it, but the deciding factors are usually found elsewhere.",{"type":118,"attrs":2538,"content":2539},{"level":120},[2540],{"text":2541,"type":59},"What the rating leaves out",{"type":54,"content":2543},[2544],{"text":2545,"type":59},"A single grade can't capture the things that often matter most:",{"type":625,"content":2547},[2548,2564,2574,2584,2594],{"type":628,"content":2549},[2550],{"type":54,"content":2551},[2552,2556,2558,2562],{"text":2553,"type":59,"marks":2554},"Progress, not just results",[2555],{"type":64},{"text":2557,"type":59},": how much a school adds to its pupils (",{"text":481,"type":59,"marks":2559},[2560],{"type":165,"attrs":2561},{"href":485,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2563,"type":59}," at secondary, progress measures at primary), which is a fairer guide than raw attainment.",{"type":628,"content":2565},[2566],{"type":54,"content":2567},[2568,2572],{"text":2569,"type":59,"marks":2570},"Class sizes and staffing",[2571],{"type":64},{"text":2573,"type":59},": pupil-to-teacher ratio and spend per pupil.",{"type":628,"content":2575},[2576],{"type":54,"content":2577},[2578,2582],{"text":2579,"type":59,"marks":2580},"Who actually goes there",[2581],{"type":64},{"text":2583,"type":59},": the intake, and whether your child will fit in and be supported.",{"type":628,"content":2585},[2586],{"type":54,"content":2587},[2588,2592],{"text":2589,"type":59,"marks":2590},"Destinations",[2591],{"type":64},{"text":2593,"type":59},": where leavers go next.",{"type":628,"content":2595},[2596],{"type":54,"content":2597},[2598,2602],{"text":2599,"type":59,"marks":2600},"Recency",[2601],{"type":64},{"text":2603,"type":59},": leadership and culture change between visits; a rating is frozen at the inspection date.",{"type":118,"attrs":2605,"content":2606},{"level":120},[2607],{"text":2608,"type":59},"How we help you look past the badge",{"type":54,"content":2610},[2611,2613,2618,2620,2624],{"text":2612,"type":59},"Our ",{"text":2614,"type":59,"marks":2615},"composite School Score",[2616],{"type":165,"attrs":2617},{"href":721,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2619,"type":59}," blends inspection with exam results, pupil progress, demographics and more into a single A–F grade. It discounts older inspections, so a stale Outstanding doesn't outrank a strong recent Good. Two schools with the same Ofsted word can land on very different Scores; line them up on our ",{"text":2139,"type":59,"marks":2621},[2622],{"type":165,"attrs":2623},{"href":2143,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2625,"type":59}," to see where the gap is.",{"type":54,"content":2627},[2628,2630,2632,2638,2640,2646],{"text":2629,"type":59},"We also distil the new report cards into one comparable badge, so you can line up new-style and old-style inspections side by side instead of comparing apples with oranges.",{"text":2631,"type":59}," Our area pages rank schools on the same basis, so the ",{"text":2633,"type":59,"marks":2634},"best primary schools in Leeds",[2635],{"type":165,"attrs":2636},{"href":2637,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-primary-schools/leeds",{"text":2639,"type":59}," or the ",{"text":2641,"type":59,"marks":2642},"best secondary schools in Surrey",[2643],{"type":165,"attrs":2644},{"href":2645,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-secondary-schools/surrey",{"text":2647,"type":59}," are ordered by what the data says, not by the age of a badge.",{"type":118,"attrs":2649,"content":2650},{"level":120},[2651],{"text":2652,"type":59},"A practical checklist for using Ofsted well",{"type":625,"content":2654},[2655,2665,2675,2685,2695],{"type":628,"content":2656},[2657],{"type":54,"content":2658},[2659,2663],{"text":2660,"type":59,"marks":2661},"Check the date.",[2662],{"type":64},{"text":2664,"type":59}," A grade from years ago describes a different school.",{"type":628,"content":2666},[2667],{"type":54,"content":2668},[2669,2673],{"text":2670,"type":59,"marks":2671},"Read the report, not just the word",[2672],{"type":64},{"text":2674,"type":59},", especially the areas you care about, such as inclusion or behaviour.",{"type":628,"content":2676},[2677],{"type":54,"content":2678},[2679,2683],{"text":2680,"type":59,"marks":2681},"Compare progress scores",[2682],{"type":64},{"text":2684,"type":59},", not only headline attainment.",{"type":628,"content":2686},[2687],{"type":54,"content":2688},[2689,2693],{"text":2690,"type":59,"marks":2691},"Look at the intake",[2692],{"type":64},{"text":2694,"type":59},": FSM, EAL and SEN tell you who the school serves.",{"type":628,"content":2696},[2697],{"type":54,"content":2698},[2699,2703],{"text":2700,"type":59,"marks":2701},"Visit, and talk to parents.",[2702],{"type":64},{"text":2704,"type":59}," No dataset replaces standing in the building.",{"type":54,"content":2706},[2707,2709,2713],{"text":2708,"type":59},"The rating is a starting point, not a verdict. Pair it with the data and a visit, and you'll choose with far more confidence. You can compare schools on every measure on our ",{"text":2188,"type":59,"marks":2710},[2711],{"type":165,"attrs":2712},{"href":1219,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1889,"type":59},"An Ofsted rating is one snapshot, sometimes years old. Here's what it does and doesn't tell you, and what to look at alongside it before you choose a school.",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2716},{},"Beyond Ofsted: why a 'Good' rating isn't the whole story — FindGreatSchools",{"id":2719,"alt":2720,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":2721,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2722,"is_external_url":34},211157157513305,"A woman in a burgundy coat holding a report card with coloured grade bars, looking towards a Victorian school across parkland","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2048x1146/a3751d001d/beyond-ofsted-ratings.jpg",{},"2026-06-10 00:00","Why an Ofsted rating alone can mislead, what it leaves out (progress, class sizes, intake), and how to choose a school using more than the headline grade.","blog/beyond-ofsted-ratings",-30,[759,1943],"7e920fc8-6499-4ff1-8989-9bc3ad7e47d4","2026-06-24T18:44:27.680Z",[],{"name":2732,"created_at":2733,"published_at":2734,"updated_at":2735,"id":2736,"uuid":2737,"content":2738,"slug":2858,"full_slug":2859,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1971,"tag_list":2860,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":2861,"first_published_at":2862,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2863,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"How to Choose the Right School for Your Child","2026-02-15T12:53:56.661Z","2026-09-10T17:12:11.019Z","2026-09-10T17:12:11.032Z",145286908592739,"15f44a0f-89bb-4f76-9bfd-0383b1f1e404",{"_uid":2739,"tags":2740,"title":2732,"author":2741,"content":2747,"excerpt":2847,"category":2443,"component":744,"seo_image":2848,"seo_title":2850,"cover_image":2851,"published_date":2856,"seo_description":2857},"87cd8ca0-386e-4bfc-9c2b-039d53b254a0","school choice, admissions, guide",{"name":1957,"created_at":1958,"published_at":1959,"updated_at":1960,"id":1961,"uuid":1962,"content":2742,"slug":1969,"full_slug":1970,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1971,"tag_list":2745,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":1973,"first_published_at":1974,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2746,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},{"bio":1964,"_uid":1965,"name":1957,"role":1966,"avatar":2743,"component":35},{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2744},{},[],[],[2748],{"_uid":2749,"content":2750,"component":89},"rt-blog1-1",{"type":51,"content":2751},[2752,2756,2761,2771,2776,2787,2792,2803,2808,2816,2821,2825],{"type":54,"content":2753},[2754],{"text":2755,"type":59},"Choosing a school for your child is a deeply personal decision. It's not just about league tables and Ofsted ratings: it's about finding a community where your child will feel at home and thrive.",{"type":118,"attrs":2757,"content":2758},{"level":120},[2759],{"text":2760,"type":59},"1. Start with Location",{"type":54,"content":2762},[2763,2765,2769],{"text":2764,"type":59},"The school run is a daily reality. A great school that's an hour away might not be practical for your family. Use our ",{"text":2399,"type":59,"marks":2766},[2767],{"type":165,"attrs":2768},{"href":2403,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2770,"type":59}," to explore schools within a realistic distance from your home.",{"type":118,"attrs":2772,"content":2773},{"level":120},[2774],{"text":2775,"type":59},"2. Look Beyond Ofsted",{"type":54,"content":2777},[2778,2780,2785],{"text":2779,"type":59},"Ofsted ratings are a useful starting point, but they ",{"text":2781,"type":59,"marks":2782},"don't tell the whole story",[2783],{"type":165,"attrs":2784},{"href":448,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2786,"type":59},". A 'Good' school might be a better fit for your child than an 'Outstanding' one. Consider the school's ethos, teaching style, extracurricular activities, and pastoral care.",{"type":118,"attrs":2788,"content":2789},{"level":120},[2790],{"text":2791,"type":59},"3. Consider the Community",{"type":54,"content":2793},[2794,2796,2801],{"text":2795,"type":59},"The demographic makeup of a school matters. You want your child to feel represented and included. Every school's profile shows its intake, including free school meals, English as an additional language and special educational needs, so you can find a place where your family fits in. We explain how to ",{"text":2797,"type":59,"marks":2798},"read those numbers",[2799],{"type":165,"attrs":2800},{"href":683,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2802,"type":59}," without jumping to conclusions.",{"type":118,"attrs":2804,"content":2805},{"level":120},[2806],{"text":2807,"type":59},"4. Check Performance Data",{"type":54,"content":2809},[2810,2814],{"text":481,"type":59,"marks":2811},[2812],{"type":165,"attrs":2813},{"href":485,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2815,"type":59}," is often more meaningful than Attainment 8. It measures how much progress pupils make compared to similar students nationally. A school with strong Progress 8 scores is adding real value, regardless of intake.",{"type":118,"attrs":2817,"content":2818},{"level":120},[2819],{"text":2820,"type":59},"5. Visit the School",{"type":54,"content":2822},[2823],{"text":2824,"type":59},"No amount of data can replace visiting a school in person. Attend open days, talk to teachers and parents, observe the atmosphere. Does it feel welcoming? Can you see your child being happy here?",{"type":54,"content":2826},[2827,2829,2834,2835,2840,2842,2846],{"text":2828,"type":59},"Start with the ",{"text":2830,"type":59,"marks":2831},"best primary schools",[2832],{"type":165,"attrs":2833},{"href":2415,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":140,"type":59},{"text":2836,"type":59,"marks":2837},"best secondary schools",[2838],{"type":165,"attrs":2839},{"href":2430,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2841,"type":59}," in your area, then narrow the list on our ",{"text":2188,"type":59,"marks":2843},[2844],{"type":165,"attrs":2845},{"href":1219,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1889,"type":59},"Choosing a school is one of the biggest decisions you'll make as a parent. Here's a practical guide to help you weigh up the options and find the best fit.",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2849},{},"How to Choose the Right School — FindGreatSchools Guide",{"id":2852,"alt":2853,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":2854,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2855,"is_external_url":34},211160954038479,"A secondary school pupil in blazer and tie looking up and away, with a domed school building, a city skyline and classmates behind her at dusk","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2048x1301/c6309c337c/how-to-choose-the-right-school.jpg",{},"2026-02-10 00:00","A practical guide to choosing the right school for your child, covering Ofsted ratings, demographics, distance, and school culture.","how-to-choose-the-right-school","blog/how-to-choose-the-right-school",[1942,1943],"43796edc-63fb-4bf9-bfef-39138db326de","2026-02-15T12:53:56.748Z",[],{"name":2865,"created_at":2866,"published_at":2867,"updated_at":2868,"id":2869,"uuid":2870,"content":2871,"slug":3029,"full_slug":3030,"sort_by_date":38,"position":39,"tag_list":3031,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":3032,"first_published_at":3033,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":3034,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"Understanding Ofsted Report Cards: What Replaced Single-Word Grades","2026-02-15T12:53:57.234Z","2026-09-10T17:12:08.011Z","2026-09-10T17:12:08.026Z",145286910943844,"de729f1b-d551-4564-9855-214cd1cdecb6",{"_uid":2872,"tags":2873,"title":2865,"author":2874,"content":2880,"excerpt":3018,"category":2443,"component":744,"seo_image":3019,"seo_title":3021,"cover_image":3022,"published_date":3027,"seo_description":3028},"c43bc357-ed20-4af4-8aae-5c6e5b178410","ofsted, report cards, ratings, guide",{"name":1957,"created_at":1958,"published_at":1959,"updated_at":1960,"id":1961,"uuid":1962,"content":2875,"slug":1969,"full_slug":1970,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1971,"tag_list":2878,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":1973,"first_published_at":1974,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":2879,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},{"bio":1964,"_uid":1965,"name":1957,"role":1966,"avatar":2876,"component":35},{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":2877},{},[],[],[2881,2929,2931],{"_uid":2882,"content":2883,"component":89},"rt-blog2-1",{"type":51,"attrs":2884,"content":2885},{"backgroundColor":38},[2886,2914,2919,2924],{"type":54,"attrs":2887,"content":2888},{"textAlign":38},[2889,2891,2895,2897,2901,2902,2906,2908,2912],{"text":2890,"type":59},"For years, Ofsted summed up a whole school in a single word. In November 2025 that ended: Ofsted replaced ",{"text":2892,"type":59,"marks":2893},"Outstanding",[2894],{"type":64},{"text":2896,"type":59},", ",{"text":2898,"type":59,"marks":2899},"Good",[2900],{"type":64},{"text":2896,"type":59},{"text":2903,"type":59,"marks":2904},"Requires Improvement",[2905],{"type":64},{"text":2907,"type":59}," and ",{"text":2909,"type":59,"marks":2910},"Inadequate",[2911],{"type":64},{"text":2913,"type":59}," with report cards. Here's what changed, what the new scale means, and how to read schools while both systems are still in use.",{"type":118,"attrs":2915,"content":2916},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[2917],{"text":2918,"type":59},"What changed in November 2025",{"type":54,"attrs":2920,"content":2921},{"textAlign":38},[2922],{"text":2923,"type":59},"Inspections from 10 November 2025 onwards produce a report card instead of an overall grade. Rather than one verdict, inspectors now judge a school across several distinct areas and report each one separately. The aim is a fuller, more honest picture, and an end to a single label deciding a school's reputation.",{"type":118,"attrs":2925,"content":2926},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[2927],{"text":2928,"type":59},"The new five-point scale",{"_uid":2930,"intro":174,"component":175},"f044eae4-8e75-44eb-84f9-250f7b8f6c3f",{"_uid":2932,"content":2933,"component":89},"14ad1a42-8466-4114-b948-3969c20e4caa",{"type":51,"attrs":2934,"content":2935},{"backgroundColor":38},[2936,2941,2955,2960,2965,2970,2991,2996],{"type":118,"attrs":2937,"content":2938},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[2939],{"text":2940,"type":59},"The areas Ofsted grades",{"type":54,"attrs":2942,"content":2943},{"textAlign":38},[2944,2946,2949,2950,2953],{"text":2945,"type":59},"A report card covers up to nine areas: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, personal development and wellbeing, and leadership and governance, plus early years and sixth-form provision where they apply. Safeguarding is reported separately as simply ",{"text":135,"type":59,"marks":2947},[2948],{"type":64},{"text":140,"type":59},{"text":142,"type":59,"marks":2951},[2952],{"type":64},{"text":2954,"type":59},", and a school can be placed in a category of concern where standards are most serious.",{"type":118,"attrs":2956,"content":2957},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[2958],{"text":2959,"type":59},"What about the old single-word grades?",{"type":54,"attrs":2961,"content":2962},{"textAlign":38},[2963],{"text":2964,"type":59},"They don't disappear overnight. A school keeps its previous grade until it is re-inspected under the new framework, and with roughly 650 schools a month converting to the new framework it will take several years to reach every school. So for now you'll see both: most schools still carry a legacy Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate, while recently inspected schools show a report card. A legacy grade is a snapshot from its inspection year, sometimes several years old.",{"type":118,"attrs":2966,"content":2967},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[2968],{"text":2969,"type":59},"How FindGreatSchools shows both",{"type":54,"attrs":2971,"content":2972},{"textAlign":38},[2973,2975,2980,2981,2983,2989],{"text":2974,"type":59},"So you can compare like with like, we distil each report card into a single comparable badge and fold it into our overall school score, the same way we handle legacy grades, with a discount for older inspections. You can always open the full report card to see every area. We explain exactly how this works on our ",{"text":2976,"type":59,"marks":2977},"Ofsted report cards",[2978],{"type":165,"attrs":2979},{"href":658,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2104,"type":59},{"text":2982,"type":59}," Our area pages, such as the ",{"text":2984,"type":59,"marks":2985},"best primary schools in Manchester",[2986],{"type":165,"attrs":2987},{"href":2988,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},"/best-primary-schools/manchester",{"text":2990,"type":59},", rank both kinds of school on one ladder.",{"type":118,"attrs":2992,"content":2993},{"level":120,"textAlign":38},[2994],{"text":2995,"type":59},"Why inspection ratings still aren't everything",{"type":54,"content":2997},[2998,3000,3004,3005,3010,3012,3017],{"text":2999,"type":59},"Whether report card or legacy grade, an inspection is a snapshot in time. A school's leadership, culture and community can change between visits. Pair the rating with other evidence (",{"text":481,"type":59,"marks":3001},[3002],{"type":165,"attrs":3003},{"href":485,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":2896,"type":59},{"text":3006,"type":59,"marks":3007},"pupil demographics",[3008],{"type":165,"attrs":3009},{"href":683,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":3011,"type":59},", destination data and, above all, your own visit) before deciding what's right for your child. We go further into this in ",{"text":3013,"type":59,"marks":3014},"Beyond Ofsted",[3015],{"type":165,"attrs":3016},{"href":448,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":1889,"type":59},"In November 2025 Ofsted scrapped Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate in favour of report cards. Here's what the new five-point scale means, and how to read schools while both systems are still in use.",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":3020},{},"Understanding Ofsted Report Cards — FindGreatSchools",{"id":3023,"alt":3024,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":3025,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":3026,"is_external_url":34},211234848934510,"A school report on a desk showing unlabelled sage and gold bars, beside a pencil and mug, with a window onto green hills","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2048x1147/b0e3adcfa3/understanding-ofsted-ratings.jpg",{},"2026-02-05 00:00","Ofsted replaced single-word grades with report cards in November 2025. What the five-point scale means and how to read schools during the transition.","understanding-ofsted-ratings","blog/understanding-ofsted-ratings",[759],"cea289a4-2252-42c6-b9dc-1e2729d436a7","2026-02-15T12:53:57.271Z",[],{"name":3036,"created_at":3037,"published_at":3038,"updated_at":3039,"id":3040,"uuid":3041,"content":3042,"slug":3119,"full_slug":3120,"sort_by_date":38,"position":3121,"tag_list":3122,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":760,"meta_data":38,"group_id":3124,"first_published_at":3125,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":3126,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38},"What Is Progress 8 and Why It Matters","2026-02-15T12:53:57.762Z","2026-09-10T17:12:05.192Z","2026-09-10T17:12:05.209Z",145286913106533,"8924f314-7f79-4417-a13d-07a9b563fcbf",{"_uid":3043,"tags":3044,"title":3045,"author":3046,"content":3052,"excerpt":3107,"category":3108,"component":744,"seo_image":3109,"seo_title":3111,"cover_image":3112,"published_date":3117,"seo_description":3118},"ae211204-fda6-4647-8ce7-0671ac89dd35","progress 8, GCSE, performance","What Is Progress 8 and Why It Matters More Than League Tables",{"name":1957,"created_at":1958,"published_at":1959,"updated_at":1960,"id":1961,"uuid":1962,"content":3047,"slug":1969,"full_slug":1970,"sort_by_date":38,"position":1971,"tag_list":3050,"is_startpage":34,"parent_id":41,"meta_data":38,"group_id":1973,"first_published_at":1974,"release_id":38,"lang":44,"path":38,"alternates":3051,"default_full_slug":38,"translated_slugs":38,"_stopResolving":46},{"bio":1964,"_uid":1965,"name":1957,"role":1966,"avatar":3048,"component":35},{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":3049},{},[],[],[3053],{"_uid":3054,"content":3055,"component":89},"rt-blog3-1",{"type":51,"content":3056},[3057,3061,3066,3070,3075,3079,3084],{"type":54,"content":3058},[3059],{"text":3060,"type":59},"When comparing secondary schools, many parents focus on Attainment 8 scores, the raw GCSE results. But Progress 8 tells a much more important story: how much progress did the school help pupils make?",{"type":118,"attrs":3062,"content":3063},{"level":120},[3064],{"text":3065,"type":59},"How Progress 8 Works",{"type":54,"content":3067},[3068],{"text":3069,"type":59},"Progress 8 compares each pupil's GCSE results against the national average for pupils with similar Key Stage 2 results. A score of 0 means average progress, positive means above average, and negative means below. A school scoring +0.5 is helping pupils achieve roughly half a grade higher than expected across eight subjects.",{"type":118,"attrs":3071,"content":3072},{"level":120},[3073],{"text":3074,"type":59},"Why It Matters",{"type":54,"content":3076},[3077],{"text":3078,"type":59},"A school in a leafy suburb might have high Attainment 8 scores because its intake is already high-achieving. But if its Progress 8 is negative, it's actually underperforming; those pupils would have done better elsewhere. Conversely, a school in a disadvantaged area with modest raw results but a strong positive Progress 8 is genuinely adding value.",{"type":118,"attrs":3080,"content":3081},{"level":120},[3082],{"text":3083,"type":59},"Finding Progress 8 on FindGreatSchools",{"type":54,"content":3085},[3086,3088,3092,3094,3098,3100,3105],{"text":3087,"type":59},"Search for any secondary on our ",{"text":2188,"type":59,"marks":3089},[3090],{"type":165,"attrs":3091},{"href":1219,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":3093,"type":59},": each profile shows Attainment 8 and Progress 8 in the performance section, and our ",{"text":2139,"type":59,"marks":3095},[3096],{"type":165,"attrs":3097},{"href":2143,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":3099,"type":59}," puts up to four schools' scores side by side. We source this data directly from the DfE's official performance tables, updated annually. Our ",{"text":3101,"type":59,"marks":3102},"best secondary schools by area",[3103],{"type":165,"attrs":3104},{"href":2430,"uuid":38,"anchor":38,"target":168,"linktype":169},{"text":3106,"type":59}," pages rank schools on a composite that weighs progress, not just raw results.","Progress 8 measures the value a school adds to its pupils. Here's why it's a better indicator of school quality than raw results.","d0600974-b31f-4de8-b7b0-3f7bd20dcc28",{"id":38,"alt":38,"name":30,"focus":38,"title":38,"source":38,"filename":30,"copyright":38,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":3110},{},"What Is Progress 8? — FindGreatSchools",{"id":3113,"alt":3114,"name":30,"focus":30,"title":30,"source":30,"filename":3115,"copyright":30,"fieldtype":32,"meta_data":3116,"is_external_url":34},211234836122221,"A father and his daughter sitting up on a bed reading a picture book together by lamplight, a window onto hills at dusk behind them","//a.storyblok.com/f/290322185225760/2048x1147/ab879c6239/what-is-progress-8.jpg",{},"2026-01-28 00:00","Progress 8 measures how much progress pupils make at a school. Learn why it matters more than league tables when choosing a school.","what-is-progress-8","blog/what-is-progress-8",-20,[3123],"performance","02d09468-b906-4d92-a916-edae904353a0","2026-02-15T12:53:57.806Z",[],9]