Ofsted inadequate judgement: what happens next

We know how this feels

An inadequate judgement is hard to read, and harder to explain to the staff who have worked nights to keep the home going. Inspection reports are published, so everyone will see it.

The next weeks decide whether the judgement is a turning point or the start of enforcement. In our experience, homes that put a clear plan and honest evidence in front of Ofsted early do far better than those that argue the finding or wait to see what happens.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

What does an inadequate judgement mean for a children's home?

Ofsted judges most children's home inspections on a four-point scale: outstanding, good, requires improvement to be good and inadequate. How well children are helped and protected is a limiting judgement: if inspectors judge it inadequate, the overall judgement will always be inadequate. The effectiveness of leaders and managers is a graded judgement: if it is inadequate, that is likely to lead to an inadequate overall judgement, and certainly no more than requires improvement to be good.

Leadership gaps count heavily. Ofsted's framework says a failure to appoint a manager after 26 weeks, where there is no or limited evidence of attempts to recruit, will usually lead to an inadequate leadership judgement. If a manager fails to apply to be registered once appointed for more than 12 weeks, the leadership judgement will usually be inadequate. Ofsted's own figures show 970 children's homes in England, 20% of active or suspended homes, had no registered manager in post on 31 March 2026.

An inadequate judgement is a finding, not an enforcement power. What follows from it is a set of decisions Ofsted takes at a case review, and those decisions can include enforcement.

Will Ofsted serve a compliance notice?

Ofsted's policy says it will always consider whether to issue a compliance notice if a provider is judged inadequate, whether the provider is newly registered or has been established for some time. The decision to issue a compliance notice is agreed and recorded at the case review.

Considering a notice is not the same as serving one. Ofsted says it weighs the seriousness of the non-compliance, the impact on children, the registered person's compliance history and the other actions available.

A notice is not the only route. Ofsted may raise requirements in the report, and its policy says that if a requirement remains unmet it may consider other enforcement action, which may include a compliance notice or cancelling the registration.

Ofsted can also use more than one power at the same time, and urgent powers such as restriction or suspension where it reasonably believes children may be at risk of harm.

What happens after a compliance notice

Can the judgement be improved before the next full inspection?

Sometimes. Where the concerns are serious but generally limited to one area of risk and likely to be rectified relatively quickly, Ofsted says it may be satisfied at the monitoring visit that the situation has been made safe for children. Every requirement that has been made must have been met in full. In that case the monitoring visit can result in a new inspection judgement.

Ofsted considers a new judgement in particular where: the regulatory inspection manager agrees the concerns are discrete enough that, without them, the home would have achieved a higher judgement; the home has a previous good track record of addressing concerns and there are no concerns about its leadership and management or the protection of children; and the nature of the concerns means they can be rectified quickly.

Where the situation has not improved enough, or there is insufficient evidence that the matter has been addressed fully, the inadequate judgement remains. The monitoring visit report is published with the original judgement, and Ofsted decides what steps to take next.

Ofsted says all inadequacy is serious and requires immediate action. Where it comes from fire risks, health and safety hazards or other environmental factors, it can often be rectified quickly, and inspectors still seek to understand how and why it happened.

Placing authorities, and what happens to your referrals

Whenever a home is judged inadequate at a full inspection, the inspector must alert the placing authority for each child currently placed to the concerns, and notify the local authority where the home is based, because that authority has a duty to safeguard the welfare of all children living in its area.

Ofsted's policy says decisions about where to place a child rest with those responsible for the child, which is usually a local authority. In our experience, placing authorities review their placements after an inadequate judgement, and some pause new referrals while they wait for Ofsted's follow-up. That is their decision, not Ofsted's, and it is why the first call to each placing authority should come from you, with a plan.

For children who are not looked after, Ofsted says the inspector makes sure the relevant organisation or people are alerted, for example by sending parents who placed their children themselves a copy of the inspection report.

If the home is also registered by the Department for Education as an independent school or approved as a non-maintained special school, Ofsted tells the Department when it judges the home inadequate at a full inspection.

Regulations 44 and 45: the evidence Ofsted and placing authorities read first

Regulation 44 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 requires you to make sure an independent person visits the home at least once each month. The independent person must report on whether children are effectively safeguarded and whether the conduct of the home promotes their well-being, and may recommend actions with timescales.

A copy of each report goes to Ofsted, the placing authorities, the registered provider and manager, and the responsible individual. After an inadequate judgement, those are the people deciding whether to keep trusting the home. In our experience, reports that name the problem plainly and track each action month to month carry more weight than reports that read as though nothing has happened. Because the Regulation says at least once each month, you can ask for visits more often while the home is under follow-up.

Regulation 45 requires a review of the quality of care at least once every 6 months, with a written report that sets out the actions you intend to take. You must send Ofsted a copy within 28 days of completing the review, and make it available to a placing authority on request. Consider bringing the review forward so that it reflects your improvement plan.

Regulation 13 sets the leadership and management standard. It requires the registered person to understand the impact the quality of care is having on the progress and experiences of each child, and to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements. Your plan should show how you are meeting it.

Regulation 40 requires you to notify Ofsted without delay of serious events, including an incident requiring police involvement that you consider serious and any allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. Keep notifications complete and on time during follow-up. A late or missing one adds a second problem to the first.

Regulation 44 independent visits

Why providers call HLTH

Our Ofsted compliance and regulatory support team works with children's homes and supported accommodation. It draws on the collective experience of the wider HLTH team in regulation, governance and turnaround.

We help you read the findings, work out what sits behind them, build the improvement plan, put the changes in place and evidence them, so the home is ready when Ofsted returns. The support is practical: people in the home where it is needed, a clear plan and one evidence pack.

Where a notice or enforcement step follows, we work alongside your own solicitor or our trusted legal partners.