If you are comparing nurseries and their inspection reports look different, there is a reason. Ofsted introduced a new reporting approach from November 2025. It is useful to understand the change before deciding what questions to take to a visit.
What has changed?
New report cards give separate evaluations rather than one overall judgement. Older inspection reports remain available, and a setting receives a new report card after its next inspection. Ofsted says the new grades cannot be directly compared with the old ones. Its guide to report cards and grades explains the approach.
What do the grades mean?
For early years, safeguarding is recorded as “met” or “not met”. Other evaluation areas use five grades: “exceptional”, “strong standard”, “expected standard”, “needs attention” and “urgent improvement”. Read the explanations alongside them, including any required improvements. The Ofsted guide for parents choosing childcare explains what its inspections cover.
“Expected standard” means the provider is meeting the standard Ofsted expects. “Strong standard” recognises consistently excellent work, while “exceptional” identifies practice among the best nationally. “Needs attention” identifies work needed to reach the expected standard; “urgent improvement” indicates more serious weaknesses. A report can contain a mixture of grades, so read each area and its explanation.
Can I compare an older “good” with a new grade?
There is no direct conversion. If one nursery has an older report and another has a new report card, resist putting their headline labels into a simple league table. Read the dated findings, note the strengths and concerns described, and ask each nursery about its current practice.
A useful way to organise your notes is to make three columns: “What the report says”, “What I want to ask” and “What the nursery explained”. That keeps your comparison grounded in evidence and gives you a place to record anything that still needs a follow-up answer.
Read the report for the right setting
Use the official Ofsted report search. Check the nursery’s address and inspection date, especially when an organisation has more than one branch. You can also ask the nursery for its report before your child attends.
Turn your reading into useful questions
Pick two or three points that matter to your family and make a note to discuss them. For example:
- “How would you help my child feel comfortable while getting to know their key person?”
- “How do you share everyday progress or concerns with parents?”
- “If the report identifies an improvement, what has changed since the inspection?”
During your visit, notice how staff respond to your questions and interact with children. Tell them about your child’s interests, home language and any support needs, so the conversation is specific to your family.
Look for examples of everyday care
You do not need to become an inspector to have a useful conversation. Ask the team to describe what they would do in a situation familiar to your child. Perhaps your child watches a group before joining in, uses another language at home, or needs help moving from one activity to another.
For example, “How would you help a child who finds a busy room overwhelming?” gives staff an opportunity to explain an approach. You can follow up with “Who would we speak to?” and “How would we know whether it was helping?” This makes the discussion more useful than asking for reassurance in general terms.
If you want background on learning through play, the government’s guide to the early years foundation stage explains the learning and care framework for children from birth to five. Ask how activities would reflect your child’s interests and stage of development.
What if something in the report concerns me?
Write down the exact point and ask what action has been taken, when it happened and how the nursery checks the change is working. Keep the published finding separate from the setting’s explanation: the latter is useful context, but is not a replacement inspection result.
If safeguarding is marked “not met”, take that seriously. Read the full findings and check the latest information on Ofsted’s website before deciding. Give yourself time to clarify unanswered questions rather than feeling you must book during the visit.
For a visit to either Streatham or Leyton, contact the Jan team and ask to discuss the relevant branch’s latest report. This guide does not describe either branch’s inspection outcome.