Ofsted Previous Rating
Ofsted
Overall effectiveness rating from previous Ofsted inspection
Understanding Ofsted Previous Rating
The Previous Ofsted Rating shows the school’s inspection grade before the most recent inspection. Comparing current and previous ratings reveals whether a school is improving, stable, or declining.
Why Previous Ratings Matter
This historical context helps you understand: - Improvement trajectory: Has the school got better? - Stability: Has it maintained standards? - Decline: Has it slipped from previous performance?
Common Patterns
- Maintained Good/Outstanding: Consistent quality over time
- Improved from RI to Good: Successful improvement journey
- Declined from Good to RI: May indicate leadership changes or challenges
- Outstanding to Good: Often reflects new, tougher inspection framework
Important Context
The Ofsted framework changed significantly in 2019. Schools previously rated Outstanding often weren’t reinspected for many years. When finally inspected under the new framework, some were downgraded — not necessarily because they got worse, but because standards and expectations changed.
Compare current and previous ratings, but consider when each inspection took place.
Technical Details
- Column Name
- ofsted_previous_rating
- Data Source
- Ofsted
Coverage by School Phase
How many schools have data available for this field.
This field does not contribute to the performance score calculation.
Value Distribution by School Phase
Distribution of categorical values across schools.