Requirements and recommendations: what is normal at each grade
Managers often worry that a single requirement means a poor report. Across nearly 8,000 recent inspections, two thirds of homes graded Good had at least one. Here is what is typical at each grade.
Every Ofsted report on a children's home ends with two lists. They look similar on the page, but they mean quite different things. Knowing the difference helps you read your own report and plan the work that follows.
What each one means
A requirement is a breach of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015. The report names the regulation, says what must change, and gives a date by which it must be done. Requirements are not optional, and the next inspection will check them.
A recommendation is advice on how to improve practice. It usually points to the Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, which includes the Quality Standards. It does not carry a deadline, but inspectors will want to know what you did with it.
What is typical at each grade
Average number of requirements in a report
Full inspections published September 2024 to July 2026
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