Help Center

Find answers to common questions and learn how to use Inspector Who

Getting Started

New to Inspector Who?

Searching

Find inspectors & reports

Inspector Profiles

Understanding metrics

Following

Track inspectors & settings

Account

Manage your account

Getting Started

Inspector Who is a comprehensive platform for accessing and analyzing Ofsted inspection reports, inspector profiles, and educational establishment data.

Key Features:

  • Search thousands of inspection reports
  • View detailed inspector profiles and performance metrics
  • Follow inspectors and establishments for updates
  • Get notifications when new reports are published
  • Compare inspector performance and track trends

  1. Click "Sign Up" in the top navigation
  2. Enter your name, email, and password
  3. Subscribe to access all features
  4. Verify your email address
  5. Start exploring!

Inspector Who offers a single subscription plan that provides full access to all features:

  • Unlimited searches and report views
  • Follow unlimited inspectors and establishments
  • Email notifications for new reports
  • Advanced analytics and insights
  • Export data and reports
  • Access to comprehensive inspection history

Visit the Subscription page to learn more and subscribe.

Searching & Finding Information

  1. Navigate to Reports from the main menu
  2. Use the search bar to enter keywords (school name, location, etc.)
  3. Filter by:
    • Grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate
    • Date Range: Inspection dates
    • Report Type: Legacy or new inspection reports
    • Inspector: Specific inspector name
    • Establishment: Specific school or setting
  4. Click "Search" to view results

  1. Go to Inspectors
  2. Use the search box to enter the inspector's name or number
  3. Filter by report count, experience, or active status
  4. Click on an inspector to view their detailed profile

  1. Navigate to Educational Settings
  2. Search by name, city, postcode, or URN
  3. Filter by setting type (School, Nursery, Childminder, etc.)
  4. Filter by current rating
  5. Click on a setting to view inspection history and details

Outstanding

Exceptional quality of education and care. Exceeds expected standards.

Good

Solid quality of education. Meets expected standards with strengths.

Requires Improvement

Not yet good. Areas for development identified.

Inadequate

Serious weaknesses. May require special measures.

No Grade Inspection

Monitoring visit or compliance check without a full graded inspection.

Understanding Inspector Profiles

Total Reports: The total number of inspection reports this inspector has been involved in. This includes both lead inspector roles (where they headed the inspection) and supporting inspector roles (where they assisted another inspector). You'll see a breakdown showing "X Lead • X Supporting" to distinguish between these roles.

Followers: The number of Inspector Who users who are following this inspector to receive notifications when they publish new reports.

Days Since Last Report: The number of days that have passed since this inspector's most recent published inspection report. A lower number indicates recent activity.

Years Active: The number of years this inspector has been actively conducting inspections, calculated from their first report to their most recent report.

Performance Analytics provides calculated metrics based on the inspector's inspection history:

Improvement Rate: The percentage of follow-up inspections where an establishment received a better grade than their previous inspection. This is calculated by looking at cases where the inspector revisited an establishment they'd previously inspected. For example, if an inspector has done 20 follow-up inspections and 15 of them resulted in improved grades, the improvement rate would be 75%.

Reports/Year Average: The average number of inspection reports this inspector publishes per year throughout their career. The "Peak" value shows their busiest year, indicating their maximum workload capacity.

Grade Consistency: The percentage of inspections where the inspector awarded their most common grade. For instance, if an inspector most frequently awards "Good" grades and did so in 60% of their inspections, their consistency score would be 60%. Higher scores indicate predictable grading patterns, while lower scores suggest more varied assessments across different establishments.

Most Active Month: The calendar month when this inspector conducts the most inspections. This reveals seasonal patterns in their inspection schedule and can help predict when they're most likely to conduct future inspections.

Note: All Performance Analytics metrics are calculated from publicly available inspection data and reflect patterns, not judgments about inspector quality.

The Grade Distribution chart shows the breakdown of grades this inspector has awarded throughout their career:

  • Outstanding (Green): Percentage of inspections graded as Outstanding
  • Good (Blue): Percentage of inspections graded as Good
  • Requires Improvement (Orange): Percentage of inspections graded as Requires Improvement
  • Inadequate (Red): Percentage of inspections graded as Inadequate
  • No Grade (Purple): Percentage of monitoring visits or compliance checks without a full grade

The chart provides insight into an inspector's grading patterns and can be compared with national averages or other inspectors.

The Inspection Timeline shows a chronological view of all inspection reports published by this inspector. Each timeline entry includes:

  • Inspection Date: When the inspection took place
  • Establishment Name: The school, nursery, or setting that was inspected
  • Grade Awarded: The overall effectiveness grade given
  • Report Link: Direct access to view the full inspection report
  • Lead/Supporting Role: Whether the inspector led the inspection or provided support

The timeline displays the most recent inspections first and can be expanded to view the inspector's complete inspection history.

Key Insights are automatically generated highlights about an inspector's career and patterns, such as:

  • Total number of establishments inspected
  • Geographic areas where they conduct inspections
  • Types of educational settings they specialize in
  • Notable trends in their inspection history
  • Experience level and career longevity

These insights provide a quick summary to help you understand an inspector's background and expertise at a glance.

The Interactive Inspection Map shows the geographic distribution of all establishments this inspector has inspected:

  • Markers: Each pin represents an establishment the inspector has visited
  • Colors: Pins are color-coded by the grade awarded (green=Outstanding, blue=Good, orange=Requires Improvement, red=Inadequate)
  • Clustering: When zoomed out, nearby establishments are grouped together with a number showing the count
  • Click for Details: Click any pin to see the establishment name, grade, and inspection date
  • Navigation: Zoom in/out and pan around to explore different geographic areas

This visualization helps identify the geographic scope of an inspector's work and any regional patterns in their inspections.

Following Inspectors & Establishments

  1. Navigate to the inspector or establishment's details page
  2. Click the "Follow" button (heart icon)
  3. You'll receive a confirmation that you're now following
  4. View all your follows at My Following

Note: Following requires an active subscription.

When you follow an inspector or establishment, you'll receive notifications when:

  • A new inspection report is published
  • An inspector conducts a new inspection
  • An establishment receives a new inspection

You'll be notified via:

  • Email: Sent to your registered email address
  • In-app alerts: View at Alerts

  1. Go to My Following from the main menu
  2. View all inspectors and establishments you're following
  3. See recent activity and report counts
  4. Click the "Unfollow" button (heart icon) to stop following

Account Management

  1. Click your name in the top right corner
  2. Select "Account Settings"
  3. Update your name, email, or password
  4. Click "Save Changes"

  1. Go to Account Settings
  2. Click "Change Password"
  3. Enter your current password
  4. Enter and confirm your new password
  5. Click "Update Password"

Forgot your password? Use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page.

  1. Go to Subscription from the main menu
  2. View your subscription status and billing information
  3. Cancel your subscription if needed
  4. Update payment method
  5. View invoice history

Warning: Deleting your account is permanent and cannot be undone.
  1. Go to Account Settings
  2. Scroll to the bottom and click "Delete Account"
  3. Confirm deletion
  4. Your data will be permanently removed within 30 days

Still need help?

Our support team at Early Tree Limited (trading as Inspector Who) is here to assist you