Since 10 November 2025, Ofsted inspects nurseries, pre-schools and childminders under a renewed framework. Instead of one overall grade such as “Good” or “Outstanding”, each inspection now produces a report card.
What a report card shows
Safeguarding is marked met or not met. Up to six other areas are graded: inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children’s welfare and well-being; and leadership and governance.
Each area gets one of five grades:
- Exceptional: rare, among the very best nationally.
- Strong standard: excellent, consistent work.
- Expected standard: a high standard. The nursery meets all the early years requirements.
- Needs attention: some requirements aren’t met, but without a significant impact on children. It isn’t a “fail”.
- Urgent improvement: serious concerns that need action now.
Comparing old and new grades
Ofsted says the new grades can’t be compared with the old ones: “exceptional” isn’t the new “outstanding”, and “needs attention” isn’t the new “requires improvement”. Many nurseries won’t have had a new-style inspection yet, so you’ll see a mix of both on NurseryHop for a while. We label each one clearly and link to the official Ofsted report.
Tips
- Read the full report, not just the grades. It describes daily life at the nursery.
- Check the inspection date. A lot can change in a few years, including staff and owners.
- Ask the nursery what they’ve done about any actions Ofsted set.
Sources
- Understanding Ofsted report cards and grades (gov.uk)
- Being inspected as a childminder or childcare provider (gov.uk)
This guide is general information, not advice. Rules can change, so always check gov.uk.