Official Statistics

Main findings: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes as at 31 August 2024

Published 26 November 2024

Applies to England

Ofsted Big Listen consultation

In September 2024, we published our response to the Big Listen, the largest consultation in Ofsted’s history. We sought views right across our work, from schools and children’s social care to teacher training and early years. We made a commitment in our response to reform our inspection frameworks and introduce report cards. These reforms will require changes to our current suite of management information and official statistics publications. 

Once the new frameworks and report cards have been developed, we will consult on changes to our statistical publications, ensuring they continue to present information in the right way to best support our users.

From September 2024, graded inspections of state-funded schools no longer include an overall effectiveness judgement, but the other judgements remain. See this press release from the Department for Education for further details.

This official statistics release includes inspections that were carried out under the education inspection framework up until 31 August 2024, when the overall effectiveness judgement was still made.

This is the main findings report for the state-funded schools inspections and outcomes as at 31 August 2024 release. The following are also available:

• underlying data

• methodology

• pre-release access list

Summary

This release includes:

• schools’ most recent inspections and outcomes as at 31 August 2024

• data for inspections completed between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024 where the reports were published by 30 September 2024

• revised data for inspections completed between 1 September 2023 and 31 December 2023

In 2023/24, we carried out 6,930 inspections.

As at 31 August 2024, 90% of all schools were judged good or outstanding at their most recent inspection, a small increase from 89% in August 2023.

Number of providers

There are currently nearly 22,000 state-funded schools. 50% of these are maintained by local authorities and 50% are academies and free schools.

Of these, 49% have had a graded inspection under the current education inspection framework (the EIF). A further 37% have not had a graded inspection but have had an ungraded inspection under the EIF.

We paused routine inspections from March 2020 until September 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant we had to extend the usual intervals between inspections. It also explains why 14% of providers have still not had a graded or ungraded inspection under the EIF. These providers should all have received an inspection by the end of the 2024/25 academic year. The Department for Education provided Ofsted with additional funding to catch up on the inspections that were missed, and to inspect all schools at least once between April 2021 and August 2025.

Inspections between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024

In 2023/24, we carried out 6,930 inspections.

In the 2023/24 academic year, we have carried out 6,930 inspections, including 4,023 graded inspections, 2,662 ungraded inspections and 245 monitoring or urgent inspections. This is a small decrease from 7,282 inspections carried out in 2022/23.

The outcomes from the inspections this year have continued the positive trend seen since we resumed inspections following a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighty-three per cent of the schools that had a graded inspection in 2023/24 were judged to be good or outstanding. Combining both graded and ungraded inspections shows that 90% of the schools inspected were judged to be good or outstanding, or remained good or outstanding.

When we compare schools with the same previous grade, we find that the graded inspection outcomes for each group of schools with a previous inspection have been better this year than last year or the year before.

Figure 1: Outcomes of graded inspections by previous overall effectiveness grade

<sup>1. Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100.
2. Numbers of inspections are in brackets.
View data in an accessible table format.</sup>

Graded inspections

The relationship between overall effectiveness and the key judgements follows a similar pattern to that seen in previous years. The grades for the ‘quality of education’ and ‘effectiveness of leadership and management’ judgements continued to be the most closely aligned with the overall effectiveness judgement. The grades for ‘behaviour and attitudes’ and ‘personal development’ are more positive (28% and 32% respectively were judged outstanding). 

Figure 2 shows a breakdown of the inspection outcomes from the 4,023 graded inspections we carried out this year.

Figure 2: Overall effectiveness, key judgements and provision judgements of graded inspections, 2023/24

<sup>1. Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100.
2. Numbers of inspections are in brackets.
View data in an accessible table format.</sup>

Ungraded inspections

In 32% of ungraded inspections of outstanding schools this year, inspectors were not satisfied that the school would have received at least its current grade if it had received a graded inspection instead of an ungraded inspection. This is a decrease of 7 percentage points compared with 2022/23.

Around half of these outstanding schools were primary and secondary schools that were exempt from routine inspection between 2012 and 2020.^{[footnote 1]} Inspectors said the evidence gathered suggested that, in 38% of inspections of these schools, the grade might not be as high if a graded inspection were carried out now. This figure was 26% for inspections of schools that were not previously exempt.

Inspectors also said the grade might not be as high if a graded inspection were carried out now in a smaller proportion of the good schools they visited in 2023/24 (8% compared with 13% in 2022/23).

All schools where inspectors thought the grade might not be the same if a graded inspection was carried out should receive a follow-up graded inspection within 1 to 2 years.

Figure 3: Outcomes of ungraded inspections that did not convert to a graded inspection by previous overall effectiveness grade

<sup>1. Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100.
2. Numbers of inspections are in brackets.
3. Excludes ungraded inspections that converted to a graded inspection.
View data in an accessible table format.</sup>

From September 2024, ungraded inspections of state-funded schools judge whether the school has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection. See sections 204 to 223 of the School inspection handbook for details of the 4 possible outcomes from these inspections.

Most recent inspection outcomes

As at 31 August 2024, 90% of all schools were judged good or outstanding at their most recent inspection, a small increase from 89% in August 2023.

Ninety per cent of all schools are now good or outstanding. This is the same proportion as in December 2023 (our last official statistics publication), but a small increase from 89% in August 2023 and 88% in August 2022. Both primary and secondary schools have seen a small increase this year (from 90% to 92% of primary schools, and 82% to 84% of secondary schools). Alternative provision schools have also seen an increase, from 85% to 86%, and special schools from 89% to 90%, while nursery schools have remained at 97%.

This measure includes the most recent overall effectiveness grade for all 22,000 schools in England.^{[footnote 2]} As we have stopped judging overall effectiveness from September 2024, we will no longer include this statistic in our regular publications.

This measure, sometimes known as the ‘state of the nation’, was created in 2010 for most of the providers that Ofsted inspects. It was developed to give a comprehensive view of the sectors, as judgements from a single year’s worth of inspections are often affected by the mix of providers inspected (sampling bias). It was intended as a high-level comparison and should be used with caution when comparing over long periods of time. ^{[footnote 3]}

A range of factors affected the measure over time. These factors can be categorised as: changes in the sector; changes to the way we inspect; and changes to how often we inspect different types of schools. Each of these factors changed multiple times between 2010 and 2024. This affected both the actual statistics, and the extent to which those statistics comprehensively summarise the quality of the sector. With multiple changes happening at the same time, it is difficult to isolate the impact of each factor on the overall picture.

Figure 4: Most recent overall effectiveness of schools, over time

<sup>1. Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100.
2. Numbers of schools are in brackets.
3. Dotted lines show the main framework changes. Some additional changes also took place within frameworks. The current education inspection framework began in September 2019. The common inspection framework ran from September 2015 to August 2019.
View data in an accessible table format.</sup>

Changes in the sector

The proportion of schools judged good or outstanding at their most recent inspection has increased from 68% in 2010 to 90% in 2024. This aligns with a view that the sector has improved, and that most schools are performing well, despite some challenges. 

The sector experienced significant change throughout this period, including academisation (especially for secondary schools); the growth of multi-academy trusts; changes to key stage assessments, and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Changes to the way we inspect

There has been an overall effectiveness judgement on a four-point grading scale across the different inspection frameworks since 2005. However, the inspection process, the evidence that feeds into the inspection, and the sub-judgements that underpin the overall effectiveness judgement, have changed regularly. For instance, the current framework places greater emphasis on the curriculum, and includes ‘deep dives’ into subject areas.^{[footnote 4]}

The measure currently combines overall effectiveness grades from across 5 different inspection frameworks. Only 49% of schools have had a graded inspection under the current EIF that started in 2019.

The greatest change in the proportion of schools judged good or outstanding occurred between 2012 and 2015, when it increased from 69% to 82%. Changes to inspection and in the sector interact in this period, as the former were intended to drive the latter and improve the performance of weaker schools.

We introduced a new inspection framework in September 2012, where the ‘satisfactory’ grade changed to ‘requires improvement’.^{[footnote 5]} If schools were judged to require improvement at 2 consecutive inspections, and were still not providing a good education at the third, they were ‘likely’ to be found inadequate at that inspection. New monitoring visits were also brought in to drive improvement. Follow-up inspections were carried out earlier than before (within 2 years) and the number of inspections carried out increased as a result.^{[footnote 6]} This provided an opportunity for schools to demonstrate the improvements they had made, with consequent impact on the state of the nation statistic. 

In September 2015, we introduced ungraded inspections for good and outstanding schools. In general, if an inspector was not satisfied that the school would have received at least its current grade if it had received a graded inspection, they could convert the ungraded inspection to a graded one. However, since January 2018, this only happens if there is a concern about safeguarding, behaviour, or the quality of education. Only 1% of ungraded inspections converted last year. In most cases, if the inspector finds the school may be declining or improving, we carry out a follow-up graded inspection in 1 to 2 years.

At the end of August 2024, there were 489 schools (2%) that had a grade of good or outstanding at their most recent graded inspection, but where concerns had been identified at their subsequent ungraded inspection. Most such schools do not receive a judgement of less than good at their follow-up graded inspection.^{[footnote 7]} This may be because identifying issues at an ungraded inspection helped these schools to improve quickly.

Changes to how often we inspect different types of schools

Throughout the period, schools with strong performance have been inspected less often than weaker schools. Policy details have varied over time, but have included looking at previous inspection outcomes, the phase of education, whether it’s a new school (or a new academy), or seen significant changes (such as taking on an extra key stage). They have also included considering complaints about the school.^{[footnote 8]} Since 2007, a risk assessment model considering context and performance data for the school has played a part in determining either the timing, or the type, of inspection a school receives.^{[footnote 9]}

This proportionate approach to inspection means that overall, there have been more opportunities for weaker schools to improve their grade than there are for stronger schools to decline.

In 2012, the Department for Education made outstanding primary and secondary schools exempt from routine inspection. The exemption ran for 8 years until it was lifted in 2020. During this period, the proportion of outstanding schools actually fell slightly from 20% when the exemption started in 2012, to 19% when we resumed routine inspections in 2021 (see Figure 4).

This is probably because, during the period of the exemption, we could still inspect exempt schools if we had concerns. Therefore, some inspections continued to take place each year. For instance, in 2018/19 we inspected 11% of all exempt outstanding schools.^{[footnote 10]} The composition of the outstanding schools group changed substantially during those 8 years. Out of the 3,900 schools that were outstanding when the exemption was introduced, only 1,970 remained outstanding at the end of the period. When the exemption ended, 43% of outstanding primary and secondary schools had not had a graded inspection for at least 10 years.

In 2021, when we resumed inspections after the pandemic, 19% of all schools were outstanding. By August 2024 this had reduced to 14%. Only 30% of the previously exempt schools retained their outstanding grade at their graded inspection between 2021 and 2024 (see Figure 1 and Figure 3).^{[footnote 11]} The majority of outstanding schools that lost the top grade were judged to be good. As a result the proportion of all schools that are outstanding has decreased but the proportion good or outstanding has actually increased (from 86% in 2021 to 90% in 2024).

In conclusion, there are many factors that may have affected the proportion of all schools judged good or outstanding at their most recent inspection since this measure started in 2010. However, we cannot quantify the impact of all the different influences over time. As we look back over this period, we advise caution when viewing the data across different frameworks, and over extended periods of time.

Revisions to previous release

The provisional data in the previous release related to inspections that took place between 1 September 2023 and 31 December 2023, with the reports published by 7 February 2024. Revised data for inspections in this period is provided in tables 1R and 2R of the data file accompanying this release: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes as at 31 August 2024, charts and tables.

This revised data includes an additional 63 graded inspections that had not been published by 7 February 2024, but were published by 30 September 2024. These inspections resulted in the following number of additional judgements at each overall effectiveness grade:

• 7 outstanding

• 33 good

• 20 requires improvement

• 3 inadequate

Table 1: Changes in overall effectiveness proportions for schools inspected between 1 September 2023 and 31 December 2023

Ofsted phase	Provisional % outstanding	Revised % outstanding	Percentage point change in % outstanding	Provisional % good	Revised % good	Percentage point change in % good	Provisional % requires improvement	Revised % requires improvement	Percentage point change in % requires improvement	Provisional % inadequate	Revised % inadequate	Percentage point change in % inadequate
Nursery	8	21	13	92	79	-13	0	0	0	0	0	0
Primary	14	14	0	72	71	-1	13	14	1	1	1	0
Secondary	20	20	0	55	55	0	22	23	1	2	2	0
Special	26	26	0	49	49	0	19	19	0	6	6	0
Alternative provision	16	15	-1	56	54	-2	20	19	-1	8	12	4
All schools	16	15	-1	68	68	0	15	16	1	1	1	0

^{Provisional data includes inspections published up to 7 February 2024, and revised data includes inspections published up to 30 September 2024.}

We publish revisions to data in this publication, in line with our revisions policy for official statistics.

Notes

The purpose of these official statistics is to disseminate the data on school standards collected through Ofsted’s role as an inspectorate. They provide information about how the judgements of schools have changed over time. They vary across different phases of education and different parts of the country.

This official statistics release reports on the outcomes of state-funded school inspections carried out under sections 5 and 8 of the Education Act 2005. We carried out these inspections between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024. This release includes all inspections published by 30 September 2024. It also includes the most recent inspections and outcomes for all schools that we have inspected, as at 31 August 2024.

Throughout this release, we use the term ‘schools’ to cover all local authority-maintained schools, state-funded academies, free schools, and non-maintained special schools in England that section 5 of the Education Act 2005 requires us to inspect.

We carried out inspections between September 2015 and August 2019 under the common inspection framework.

Since September 2019, we have carried out inspections under the education inspection framework.

You can find an explanation of the main uses of this data, further contextual information and the arrangements for quality assurance in the methodology report. The methodology report provides information about the strengths and limitations of the statistics.

Where we have quoted percentages in this report, figures have been rounded and may not add up to 100.

Graded, ungraded, monitoring and urgent inspections

Ofsted carries out inspections under sections 5 and 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We are required to inspect all schools to which section 5 applies, at prescribed intervals. The regulations set the interval for graded inspections from the end of the school year in which the last inspection took place. This interval was temporarily extended by 18 months when we paused inspections because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Section 8 enables His Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI) to carry out inspections for a range of purposes. This includes making monitoring visits to schools that are in a category of concern following a graded inspection. Inspectors may also visit schools to aid HMCI in keeping the Secretary of State for Education informed or to contribute to reports on, for example, the teaching in a curriculum subject or a particular aspect of the work of schools.

Inspections carried out under section 8 include:

• ungraded inspections of schools judged to be good or outstanding at their most recent graded inspection

• monitoring inspections of schools judged as requires improvement, having serious weaknesses or requiring special measures

• urgent inspections, such as those with no formal designation and unannounced inspections in response to concerns about behaviour in a school

Ungraded inspections

Ungraded inspections are usually 2-day inspections, although some small primary schools may have a 1-day inspection. The ungraded inspection determines whether the school continues to provide the same good or outstanding standard of education for pupils. It does not result in individual graded judgements. It also does not change the school’s overall effectiveness grade. If there are serious concerns, we convert the ungraded inspection to a graded inspection, at which inspectors will make the full set of graded judgements.

Since November 2017, some previously good schools have received a graded inspection instead of an ungraded one if our risk assessment tells us that an ungraded inspection would be highly likely to convert to a graded one. This may apply if a school has undergone significant change, such as changing its age range, or if we have concerns that the quality of provision may have deteriorated significantly.

Since January 2018, ungraded inspections have only converted to graded inspections if there have been serious concerns. If an ungraded inspection is not converted, but inspectors find evidence that the school may no longer receive the same grade for overall effectiveness, they will specify that the next inspection should be a graded inspection.

Between May 2012 and November 2020, outstanding primary and secondary schools were exempt from routine inspection. In November 2020, the government lifted the exemption. We restarted routine inspections of previously exempt schools in September 2021. The school inspection handbook provides further details about inspections of formerly exempt outstanding schools.

Glossary

Definitions of terms are in the statistical glossary.

Further information

Contacts

If you are a member of the public and have any comments or feedback on this publication, please contact Louise Butler on 03000 131 457 or the schools data and analysis team on [email protected].

Press enquiries should be sent to our press team, at [email protected].

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the following for their contribution to this statistical release: Chris Foley, Jay Kerai and Matthew Spencer.

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Data tables for figures

Data for Figure 1: Outcomes of graded inspections by previous overall effectiveness grade

Previous overall effectiveness	Number of inspections	% Outstanding	% Good	% Requires improvement	% Inadequate
Outstanding 2023/24	1,214	39	55	6	0
Outstanding 2022/23	579	21	66	11	2
Outstanding 2021/22	419	16	61	17	5
Good 2023/24	1,670	9	69	20	2
Good 2022/23	2,010	6	69	21	4
Good 2021/22	814	4	57	28	11
RI 2023/24	720	2	77	19	2
RI 2022/23	767	1	73	22	4
RI 2021/22	862	0	69	25	5
Inadequate 2023/24	288	5	70	24	1
Inadequate 2022/23	275	1	65	30	3
Inadequate 2021/22	220	2	63	29	5
New school 2023/24	131	23	67	7	3
New school 2022/23	126	19	71	9	1
New school 2021/22	52	6	62	19	13
All schools 2023/24	4,023	17	66	15	1
All schools 2022/23	3,757	7	69	20	4
All schools 2021/22	2,367	5	63	25	7

See Figure 1

Data for Figure 2: Overall effectiveness, key judgements and provision judgements of graded inspections, 2023/24

Judgement	Number of inspections	% Outstanding	% Good	% Requires improvement	% Inadequate
Overall effectiveness	4,023	17	66	15	1
Quality of education	4,023	17	66	15	1
Behaviour and attitudes	4,023	28	64	7	1
Personal development	4,023	32	63	5	0
Leadership and management	4,023	20	67	12	1
Early years provision (where applicable)	2,968	25	68	7	1
Sixth-form provision (where applicable	437	36	57	5	1

See Figure 2

Data for Figure 3: Outcomes of ungraded inspections that did not convert by previous overall effectiveness grade

Previous overall effectiveness	Number of inspections	% School remains outstanding	% School remains outstanding (concerns)	% School remains good (improving)	% School remains good	% School remains good (concerns)
Outstanding 2023/24	362	68	32	not applicable	not applicable	not applicable
Outstanding 2022/23	355	61	39	not applicable	not applicable	not applicable
Outstanding 2021/22	195	47	53	not applicable	not applicable	not applicable
Good 2023/24	2,300	not applicable	not applicable	12	80	8
Good 2022/23	2,910	not applicable	not applicable	7	80	13
Good 2021/22	1,906	not applicable	not applicable	5	78	17

See Figure 3

Data for Figure 4: Most recent overall effectiveness of schools, over time

As at	Number of schools	% Outstanding	% Good	% Requires improvement	% Inadequate	% Good or outstanding
31 Aug 2024	21,879	14	77	8	2	90
31 Aug 2023	21,809	16	73	9	3	89
31 Aug 2022	21,725	18	70	9	3	88
31 Aug 2021	21,724	19	67	10	3	86
31 Aug 2020	21,776	19	67	10	4	86
31 Aug 2019	21,803	20	66	10	4	86
31 Aug 2018	21,762	21	65	11	4	85
31 Aug 2017	21,707	21	66	10	4	87
31 Aug 2016	21,664	20	66	11	3	86
31 Aug 2015	21,758	20	62	15	3	82
31 Aug 2014	21,750	19	60	17	4	79
31 Aug 2013	21,732	19	57	20	3	77
31 Aug 2012	21,970	20	48	28	3	69
31 Aug 2011	21,933	20	50	29	2	69
31 Aug 2010	22,073	18	50	30	3	68

See Figure 4

1. Outstanding primary and secondary schools were exempt from routine inspection between 2012 and 2020 but could still be inspected if there were concerns. Nursery schools, special schools and alternative provision were not exempt. ↩

2. Excludes 111 schools that have never had a graded inspection. This is just 0.5% of the 21,990 schools open on 31 August 2024.
   
   The most recent grade for each school can include the grade for a predecessor school if the current school (such as a new academy) has not yet been inspected in its current from. We made this methodology change in 2018, and retrospectively applied it to the most recent inspection data for each August from 2010 to 2017. See ‘Changes to Ofsted’s statistical reporting for state-funded schools: an analysis of the changes’, June 2018. For details of whether the most recent grade relates to the current school or its predecessor school, see the school level data in the ‘Most recent inspections’ sheet of the Excel file in this release. ↩

3. We publish a methodology document as part of each official statistics release, which describes in detail the limitations of the measure, and the factors that have affected comparability over time. For an example see ‘Methodology: state-funded schools inspections and outcomes as at 31 August 2024’, November 2024. ↩

4. ‘Schools commentary: Deep dives in school inspections’, July 2023. ↩

5. ‘Changes to education inspections announced’, May 2012. ↩

6. The number of graded inspections increased from 6,139 in 2011/12 before the changes, to 7,906 in 2012/13. ↩

7. In 2023/24 we carried out 555 follow-up graded inspections of good or outstanding schools that had had concerns identified at their previous ungraded inspection. Only 26% dropped to requires improvement or inadequate. ↩

8. For details of the current process see the ‘Timing of inspection’ section of ‘Schools inspection handbook’, September 2024. ↩

9. ‘Risk assessment methodology for good schools’, July 2023. ↩

10. ‘A return to inspection: the story (so far) of previously exempt outstanding schools’, November 2022. ↩

11. Note these numbers and the 2 charts combine all phases, so include nursery schools, alternative provision and special schools, and not just the primary and secondary phases that were exempt. ↩