More than 500 schools across England are currently rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, but many are awaiting fresh reviews from the education inspector.
All schools are graded on a four-point scale, ranging from grade 1 (outstanding), 2 (good), 3 (requires improvement) and 4 (inadequate). To achieve an 'outstanding' grade, a school must be able to prove they deliver the highest quality of education and care to pupils.
It used to be the case that the highest rated schools were exempt from Ofsted reviews, unless there were special circumstances, but the rules were changed in 2020 to require all ‘outstanding’ schools to be re-inspected.
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Less than 20 per cent of schools currently rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted have received an inspection since June 2021, meaning there are many waiting for a new evaluation.
Across the country, there are 95 secondary schools that have been rated classed as ‘outstanding’ since June 2021 and these, including those that haven’t been re-inspected, have been gathered in our interactive map below.
The schools in Greater Manchester awaiting a new inspection include Chorlton CofE Primary School, which was rated ‘outstanding’ in April 2014, and St Richard's RC Primary School, in Longsight, which was last reviewed in July 2012.
There were recent calls to scrap the one-word ratings, with one former Ofsted inspector telling Sky News the process was ‘nonsense’ and made to fit a predetermined result.
Ofsted said the reviews will remain for the foreseeable future, with its chief inspector Amanda Spielman describing them as 'integral' to the wider school system. She added that 'many parents find the grading system useful'.
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