'Good' is the minimum standard Ofsted expects from schools in the UK

The Office for Standards in Education has today announced that a rating of 'Good' is the minimum requirement for schools to be deemed satisfactory for our children in the future.

Ofsted's new inspection arrangements which has been compiled by consulting thousands of teachers, headteachers, parents, carers and governors have agreed that our children deserve the best education possible and therefor introduced an inspection protocol that challenges the current education system to do better.

An increased number of senior Ofsted inspectors are being placed within the heart of schools to improve inspections and ensure valued time is spent supporting schools who need help.


Launching the new inspection framework Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, said:

'I believe all children, regardless of where they live or what their parents can afford for them, have the right to a good education and that belief is at the heart of our work at Ofsted. From today, the school inspection arrangements will further challenge schools to ensure a good education is provided for all our children.

'I make no apology for introducing an inspection framework that raises expectations and focuses on the importance of teaching. The new short-notice inspections allow inspectors to see schools as they really are. Schools judged ‘requires improvement’ will receive strong support from Ofsted to help them get to ‘good’.

'We know inspections are crucial in driving better performance. Showing the need for improvement is often the spur that brings about change. I want Ofsted to be giving the right support to the schools that need it. Her Majesty’s Inspectors will spend more time doing inspection and improvement work locally and they will be supported by eight new regional directors, each responsible for learning and improvement in their respective areas.'

From September 2012 the key changes to the inspection framework for schools are:

To be judged ‘outstanding’, a school must have outstanding teaching. Not every lesson needs to be outstanding but over time schools must show outstanding teaching is helping pupils make excellent progress.

From today a new grade ‘requires improvement’ replaces the ‘satisfactory’ grade. Satisfactory should never have been more than a staging post on a school’s journey towards providing a good or outstanding education for all children.

Schools judged satisfactory at the end of August 2012 will have a clean slate before being inspected by the end of the academic year 2013/14, but schools that have already been judged inadequate and given a notice to improve will be treated as schools that have ‘serious weaknesses’.

Schools will be notified of an inspection by telephone the afternoon before the inspection starts. This means inspectors will see schools as they really are whilst giving headteachers and governors the opportunity to be present at the inspection.

Notes to editors

To support headteachers and leaders of schools Ofsted has produced a suite of leaflets explaining the new inspection framework, which can be found on the Ofsted website at www.ofsted.gov.uk

Ofsted announced changes the changes to the inspection of schools, further education and skills and initial teacher training on 30 May. The press release can be read on the Ofsted website.

Thanks to the dedication of teachers and headteachers across England, most children go to a school that Ofsted has found good or outstanding.*