01Where our data comes from
| Source | What we use | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Ofsted inspection reports (reports.ofsted.gov.uk, files.ofsted.gov.uk) | Published inspection reports and letters for schools, early years, further education and children's social care, from 2005 onwards | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Ofsted provider pages | Setting type, local authority and published address details | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Get Information about Schools (Department for Education) | School and academy details, trusts and federations | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| postcodes.io | Converts published postcodes into map locations | Open data (Ordnance Survey and ONS data under the OGL) |
We check for newly published Ofsted reports every 15 minutes. InspectorWho is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Ofsted or the Department for Education.
02Attribution
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Ofsted and Department for Education data © Crown copyright. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
03How the data is produced
- Reading: each report is read by layout-aware rules written for each Ofsted report format.
- Agreement: key facts (the setting's reference number, inspection date, grades and inspectors) are read by at least two independent methods and accepted only when they agree. Each fact records where on which page it was found.
- Disagreements: where readings disagree, the fact is flagged. An AI model (Anthropic's Claude) may be used to settle the disagreement, and people review difficult cases one fact at a time.
- Analysis: statistics, tone, themes, strengths and next steps are calculated by rules from report content, without AI. Plain-English summaries are written by AI on request.
- Evidence: facts link to the highlighted passage in the original report, so you can check them.
- Re-checking: when our rules improve, older reports are read again automatically.
04Limitations
We work hard on accuracy, but you should be aware that:
- automated extraction can be wrong, especially for unusual or older report formats;
- reports may be missing, published late, amended or withdrawn by Ofsted;
- Ofsted's frameworks and grading scales have changed over time, so grades from different periods are not always directly comparable;
- statistics about inspectors depend on how many inspections they have carried out and what types of setting they inspected. Small numbers can produce misleading percentages, which is why we show sample sizes and apply minimum thresholds before comparing; and
- measures of tone and writing style describe the language of reports, not whether a judgement was right.
Statistics are context, not a judgement on any individual. The original Ofsted report is always the authoritative record. See also our terms and conditions.
05Requesting a correction
If you spot an error, such as a wrong grade, a missing report, an inspection attributed to the wrong inspector or wrong setting details:
- use Report a problem or Tell us on the relevant page in the app, which tells us exactly which page you mean; or
- email support@inspectorwho.com with a link to the page and what is wrong.
We aim to review corrections within 10 working days and will let you know the outcome. Where Ofsted's published report itself is wrong, we will usually continue to show what Ofsted published, but we may add a note; you may also want to contact Ofsted.
06Objections and removal requests
Inspectors and other named people can object to our processing of their personal data, or ask us to correct it. We assess each request individually, as explained in our data rights page, and respond within one month.
Providers can ask us to correct setting details, and to remove any information that should not be public, for example where a home address has been published in error. We treat requests involving a personal address or safety as urgent.
Withdrawn reports: if Ofsted withdraws or replaces a report, tell us and we will update or remove it.
07Reusing our data
You are welcome to quote individual facts and statistics with a credit to InspectorWho. For bulk access, research partnerships or commercial reuse, contact support@inspectorwho.com. The underlying Ofsted reports remain available from Ofsted under the Open Government Licence.