What Ofsted’s 2025 Grading Reforms Mean for Special Schools

From November 2025, Ofsted is introducing major changes to how schools in England are inspected and graded. For SEND schools and specialist settings, these reforms bring both opportunities and challenges — but also a welcome shift toward recognising the complexity and value of inclusive education.

At Earwig, we’ve looked closely at what’s changing and how these updates will affect special schools, trusts, and SENCO’s.

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Key Changes at a Glance

Ofsted will replace the old single headline grade (such as “Good” or “Outstanding”) with a report card that gives separate judgements for key areas of school life.

The new 5-point scale will be:
Exceptional • Strong • Expected Standard • Needs Attention • Urgent Improvement.

There will also be a new Inclusion judgement — a dedicated section that evaluates how well schools support SEND pupils, disadvantaged learners, and ensure equitable access to education.

Safeguarding will now be judged separately (“met” or “not met”) and will include a written narrative. And, where a school scores below “Expected Standard” in any area, monitoring visits will happen more often.

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What This Means for Special Schools

These reforms are designed to offer a more nuanced view of each school’s performance — and for specialist settings, that means strengths in SEND practice can finally be recognised in detail.

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Opportunities

• Recognition of SEND expertise:
  The new Inclusion area acknowledges the unique skill set and experience of specialist teachers and therapists.
• Nuanced feedback:
  Instead of a single label, schools will receive credit for strong areas — even if some aspects still need development.
• Showcasing progress differently:
  Platforms like Earwig help schools evidence therapy outcomes, life-skills learning and communication progress that don’t fit traditional attainment data.
• Earlier support:
  With more regular monitoring, schools get faster feedback — and the chance to demonstrate improvement using clear, trackable data.

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Challenges to Prepare For

While these changes are broadly positive, they also bring new demands.

• Consistency of inspection:
  The “Inclusion” judgement may be interpreted differently from one inspector to another. Using a consistent evidence system like Earwig helps maintain clarity and fairness.
• Mainstream benchmarks:
  Ofsted’s framework still leans on academic progress data. Earwig helps you bridge that gap by tracking bespoke goals from EHC plans, therapy sessions, and communication targets.
• Staff workload:
  With more frequent inspections, staff may feel the strain. Earwig reduces duplication by letting teachers, therapists and leaders share one central evidence base.
• External dependencies:
  SEND schools often rely on local authority or NHS input. Documenting these dependencies clearly in Earwig gives inspectors essential context.

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Questions for Leaders and Governors

Now’s a good time to ask:

• Do we have clear evidence of meeting our statutory SEND duties?
• Are we tracking small-step progress effectively?
• Is our inclusive practice visible to inspectors and families?
• Are we prepared for the new inspection rhythm and confident in the evidence we’ll present?