More House School is celebrating a major achievement this week, as Ofsted has released its full inspection report from the February 2026 visit—confirming that the school has been awarded FOUR ‘Exceptional’ judgements, with every remaining area rated ‘Strong standard’. Under Ofsted’s tough new framework, securing even one ‘Exceptional’ is considered highly uncommon, which makes receiving four in a single inspection a standout moment for the entire school community.
The new framework, introduced in January, replaces single‑word overall grades with a series of individual judgements. For our school, these judgement areas are:
- Achievement – strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour – exceptional
- Curriculum and teaching – strong standard
- Inclusion – exceptional
- Personal development and wellbeing – exceptional
- Post 16 provision (Sixth Form) – exceptional
- Leadership and governance – strong standard
- Safeguarding – standards met
Safeguarding is assessed separately, with only two possible outcomes—‘Standards met’ or ‘Standards not met’—and More House met the required standard.
Sector representative bodies analysing early inspection outcomes under the new model have already noted how rarely an ‘Exceptional’ judgement is expected to appear. Against that backdrop, More House School’s four top ratings highlight the strength of its provision and the impact of its work with pupils. The report highlights the commitment of staff, governors, parents and pupils, and recognises the school’s long‑standing track record of helping students thrive.
Ofsted will publish the report publicly early next week. You can read the full reports and Mr Hetherington’s letter to parents on our website here: Inspection Reports
This news follows shortly after another success: the recent Ofsted Social Care inspection of the school’s boarding provision (carried out just two weeks before the full education inspection) awarded ‘Outstanding’ in every category under the previous framework.
The school community is marking the moment with pride, viewing the results as powerful evidence of its mission to empower its pupils to transform their futures!