School Inspections were suspended after the Coroner found that a single word judgement “Inadequate” by a School Inspector provoked the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry. Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) has undertaken a review of how it inspects schools and carried out a consultation with parents and professionals, to which ACERT contributed.
The new system of report cards cover:
- Safeguarding
- Inclusion
- Curriculum and teaching
- Achievement
- Attendance and behaviour
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Leadership and governance
- Early years (if applicable)
- Sixth form (if applicable)
Safeguarding will be judged separately as a stand-alone area, as either ‘met’ or ‘not met’.
The other areas will be judged on a 5-point grading scale.
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
The report card will also include a short narrative explanation for each grade and what the school needs to do to address any concerns.
Report cards are designed to advise parents and carers on who to trust with the care and education of their child.
Here is an introductory video for parents.
The school inspection toolkit tells inspectors what to look for when giving grades for each of the inspection focuses.
The ACERT Education Support Network discussed the new framework at their meeting on 10th January 2026. Below is the presentation from that meeting which summarises the aspects of the framework which could be of particular relevance to our families.
Key take aways
- The Ofsted framework makes a significant contribution to how schools run; they will all be aiming for a Secure rating or better in each area.
- All schools must follow the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education which is updated every year. It covers child protection, pupil behaviour, staff behaviour and safer recruitment; all staff and governors sign to say they’ve read it, policies are on the website, staff are trained, Safeguarding Leads (and Deputies) are identified and schools are expected to undertake an annual Safeguarding Audit. Because all schools should do all these things, the Safeguarding Judgement is either met or not met.
- Child protection covers children within school and outside, including in the home. Absence is a Safeguarding concern and inspectors will ask schools to explain the steps they have taken to address persistent absences. Being identified as a Safeguarding concern is not necessarily a bad thing; the school may offer the family more help either directly or through other agencies. Families can expect enquiries to be made if their children don’t attend regularly.
