90% of schools are now Good or Outstanding up from 68% in 2010

 

• Standards continue to rise with 90% of schools now judged to be Good or Outstanding last year, up from 68% in 2010.
• The latest figures show the number of schools rated as Good or Outstanding has risen to 19,563 last year – up by almost a third from August 2010.
• Ofsted’s latest statistics reveal the success of this Government reforms, including the introduction of phonics screening checks and multiplication tables check.

More schools have received the highest rating from Ofsted, with 90% now judged to be Good or Outstanding last year, up from 89% the year before (August 2023). The percentage of schools judged to be Good or Outstanding has gone up from 68% in 2010 – highlighting the success of Government reforms. In the last year alone, 214,000 more children now attend good or outstanding schools.

The Government has successfully raised standards since 2010 through the introduction of phonics screening checks and multiplication tables checks as well as reforms to GCSEs and the transformation of the schools system with new free schools and academies. We are also now one of the top performing countries in the world for maths, English and science and the government will continue to build on this progress by delivering crucial reforms including by creating the Advanced British Standard.  

As a result, Ofsted’s latest inspection outcomes show that school standards are improving, there are 19,563 schools rated Good or Outstanding as at 31 December 2023, up from 19,367 in August 2023 and 19,109 in August 2022.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:

“We’re taking the long-term decisions needed to raise standards in our classrooms across the country to improve the education system for generations to come.

“Our plan is working which is why, thanks to the dedication of our hard-working teachers, 90% of schools are now rated Good or Outstanding up from just 68% in 2010.

“We have made significant reforms in government including expanding academies and free schools, and putting phonics at the heart of our curriculum. These have made a lasting impact to the quality of education received by young people in England and we will continue to invest in education with record funding for our schools and more teachers than ever before.”