Ofsted Inspection 2026
We are delighted to share our Ofsted report with you.
The new framework means that grades such as ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ no longer exist and schools do not receive an overall grade at all. Instead, the revised Ofsted framework now grades 11-16 schools in 6 different areas and assesses whether Safeguarding standards are met.
Ofsted grade descriptors (taken directly from the Ofsted website)
The ‘expected standard’ is just that – it means the school or other provider is doing everything that it should be doing, so you’ll see the green colour coding on the report card. It’s a high standard, to make sure your children are receiving everything they need and deserve.
Moving up the scale, ‘strong standard’ marks out excellent, consistent work that’s making a real difference for children and learners.
And finally, there’s ‘exceptional’. We only award this grade when we see practice that is among the very best nationally, which should be shared with other schools or providers to help them improve.
‘Needs attention’ is an indication that there is work to be done to reach the ‘expected standard’. It’s not a ‘fail’ but it highlights where issues can be addressed before they become bigger problems that need ‘urgent improvement’.
Trentham’s results
We are delighted and proud to have secured the ‘Strong’ grade for Inclusion, the ‘Strong’ grade for Personal Development and Well-being and the ‘Expected’ grade for all other areas. Our students should also be very proud of this outcome, and I would like to thank them for their honest and open conversations with the inspectors and their conduct during the inspection.
Summary Grades
| Inclusion | Strong |
| Personal Development and Well-being | Strong |
| Achievement | Expected |
| Attendance and Behaviour | Expected |
| Curriculum and Teaching | Expected |
| Leadership and governance | Expected |
| Safeguarding | Met |
The revised framework now requires schools to meet every standard in each area to be awarded the grade. For all of the areas awarded ‘Expected’, we also met most of the standards for Strong and we are clear on the areas we will continue to develop to ensure students at Trentham Academy receive an education that exceeds the expected standard set by Ofsted.
