Education in the UK is graded by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education. Ofsted inspects schools and colleges to ensure they meet minimum standards of quality and effectiveness. They also inspect early years settings and childcare providers.
Inspectors do not grade a school or college as outstanding, good, requires improvement, or inadequate. Instead, they rate it as one of four levels of effectiveness: Outstanding (1), Good (2), Requires Improvement (3), or Inadequate (4).
This system has been adopted across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland but not Scotland, whose inspection system.
Four Levels of Effectiveness
The grading system for schools in the UK is the same as that used by Ofsted. It is based on the following four levels of effectiveness
Outstanding (1) – A student who consistently demonstrates a high level of achievement in all of the standards. Students at this level are expected to be reading and writing creatively and independently, showing deep understanding in all areas of study, and demonstrating good problem-solving skills.
Good (2) – A student who is making good progress towards meeting the standard by making a good effort and showing some evidence of success. Students at this level are expected to show some understanding in most areas of study but may need support with some aspects.
Requires Improvement (3) – A student who is not yet meeting the standard but is making some effort towards it. Needs support in most areas of study.
Inadequate (4) – A student whose performance does not meet the standard because they do not make sufficient progress over time or because their work shows little evidence of understanding or ability to work independently on tasks that require the application of knowledge and skills gained at this level.
Ofsted Inspection
The Ofsted inspection is a comprehensive assessment of a school’s performance and effectiveness. The inspection is carried out by an Ofsted inspector and the feedback received from these inspectors will be used to determine how your school will be graded.
During an Ofsted inspection, the inspector will look at all aspects of your school’s provision including:
The quality of teaching and learning
- How well pupils behave and their attitudes towards their learning
- How effectively do leaders lead the school
- How prepared do you think pupils are for modern Britain
The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) is an independent body that inspects and regulates schools. This means Ofsted can make sure that schools are meeting their legal duty to provide good quality education. For a better inspection, one should follow the tips for Ofsted inspection.
Role of Ofsted
The role of Ofsted is to:
- Inspect and regulate services provided by local authorities, including children’s services, across England
- Check that employers are complying with employment law
- Help people understand what fair pay is for jobs with different levels of responsibility