Ofsted has today published data on school inspections carried out
up to the end of December 2022.
Read the commentary on the emerging
picture from 2022/23 inspections.
It shows that around 89% of all 22,000 schools were good or
outstanding at their most recent inspection. This is an increase
from 86% in August 2019 and 88% in August 2022.
Initial signs for the 2022/23 academic year are that inspection
outcomes continue to paint a positive picture, and in some cases
are even more positive than last year.
The data also shows that schools previously judged requires
improvement (RI) have
done particularly well last term, as 78% of those inspected
improved to good, compared with 70% in 2021/22.
The vast majority of formerly outstanding schools visited this
year had been exempt from routine inspection between 2012 and
2020. Since the government lifted the exemption, most of these
schools have lost the top grade on reinspection. However, a
slightly higher proportion of the previously exempt schools have
remained outstanding this year compared with 2021/22 (21% v 17%),
and a lower proportion were found to require improvement or to be
inadequate (13% v 21%).
Ofsted’s Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman said:
Every child deserves to attend a high-quality school and parents
should be reassured that, despite some gradual rebalancing
between good and outstanding, the overall proportion of schools
with one of the two top grades continues to rise.
Overall, the picture since the pandemic is an increasingly
positive one. I was particularly pleased to see so many schools
that required improvement move to good last term. I’d like to
thank everyone who is involved in helping these schools to
improve.
