Ofsted Reports & Guidance

Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) is the independent government body responsible for inspecting schools and evaluating the quality of education they provide.

We were last inspected by Ofsted in June 2022.

You can view our most recent Ofsted inspection report here:
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/103317

Understanding Ofsted Inspections

From November 2025, Ofsted inspections report their findings using a school “report card”, rather than a single overall grade. This provides a more detailed and balanced picture of how well a school is performing.

Schools are evaluated across a range of key areas, including:

  • Leadership and governance

  • Curriculum and teaching

  • Attendance and behaviour

  • Achievement

  • Personal development and wellbeing

  • Inclusion

  • Early years provision

Ofsted Grading System (Report Cards)

Each area is graded using a 5-point scale:

  • Exceptional – Practice is highly effective and has a sustained, transformative impact over time

  • Strong standard – Practice is consistently embedded and highly effective

  • Expected standard – The school meets statutory expectations and provides an appropriate standard of education

  • Needs attention – There are weaknesses or inconsistencies that affect pupils’ outcomes

  • Urgent improvement – Serious weaknesses requiring immediate action

Most schools are expected to be graded within the expected standard to strong standard range, with the highest and lowest grades used more rarely.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is assessed separately and is not graded on the 5-point scale. Schools will receive a judgement of:

  • Met

  • Not met

Inspection Findings

As noted in our most recent report:

“William Murdoch Primary School is a vibrant, welcoming school. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and encourage them to ‘be their best’. Classrooms are industrious places where pupils engage well in their learning.” – Ofsted 2022

Since the last inspection, we have continued to strengthen our provision and outcomes for all pupils.

Parent View

Parents and carers can share their views of the school at any time using Ofsted’s Parent View service:

https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk

Further Information

You can find out more about Ofsted and school inspections here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

Guidance for parents and carers on the new Ofsted report cards is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-ofsted-report-cards-and-grades