Ofsted has opened a consultation into its new report cards, replacing the single effectiveness grade.

The inspectorate proposes to replace the current early years inspection system with report cards, including a colour coded five-point grading scale to evaluate more areas of a provider’s work.   

The consultation for early years, schools and further education runs until 22 April, and the new system will launch in November 2025. As well as inviting responses through the online survey, Ofsted plans to run focus groups and visit providers.

Under the proposals, there will be no overall effectiveness grade for early years. The new system will use a five-point scale from “causing concern” to “exemplary” to grade eight areas: leadership and governance; curriculum; developing teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children’s welfare and wellbeing; inclusion and safeguarding.

The safeguarding area will not be graded but will either be met or not met. If inspectors consider any standards for a particular evaluation area to be “causing concern”, then the overall evaluation area will likely be graded “causing concern”

Ofsted said the new system aimed to place more emphasis on children and learners’ outcomes and to increase the focus on disadvantaged children and learners, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who leaders have identified as being particularly vulnerable.

The inspectorate proposes to share exemplary practice more widely with the sector, with leaders invited to submit a short case study of their work to the Ofsted Academy.

Ofsted is also consulting on an inspection toolkit for early years, which describes the quality expected at each point on the scale.

June O’Sullivan, chief executive of London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), urged the sector to engage with the consultation. “We welcome Ofsted’s consultation on a new inspection model that puts inclusion and the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged children at the heart of the process. The increased focus on SEND provision, local context, and meaningful evaluation of how providers support all children is a vital step forward,” she said.

“The introduction of Ofsted report cards and a more detailed grading scale can give parents clearer, more informative insights into their child’s early yuears setting, school, or further education provider. We must also encourage parents to share their feedback as we need to understand what factors influence their choice of setting.”

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said:  “We will be looking carefully through all the consultation documents then liaising with the sector about their views on this new inspection process. NDNA will organise a number of events with Ofsted to help providers understand the proposals and share their views.”