An Ofsted rating of 'requires improvement' is the third rating of four of what an education provider can be given by inspectors. According to the government website, it means the school 'is not yet good but overall provides an acceptable standard of education'.
The other three ratings schools can achieve are 'outstanding', 'good' and 'inadequate'. There are four categories of inspection, which are 'quality of education', 'behaviour and attitudes', 'personal development' and 'leadership and management'.
Schools rated 'requires improvement' are inspected again within a 30-month period. If the establishment has been judged 'requires improvement' across two inspections in a row, it will be monitored by inspectors to check its progress.
