Payments for contracted Ofsted inspectors
Find out how much you would be paid as a contracted Ofsted inspector for the different tasks you would perform.
Applies to England
The amount you will be paid when contracting as an Ofsted inspector will depend on which remit you are working in and the role you perform.
All the amounts are inclusive of travel and subsistence.
Shadow and sign-off inspections form part of your training to become an Ofsted inspector, and you will not be paid for these.
Schools and further education and skills
If you are inspecting a school or a further education and skills provider, you will be paid a daily rate. This rate will depend on the type of role you are taking.
Inspections vary in length depending on the size of the provision and the remit.
Lead inspectors
If you are the lead inspector, you will receive £535 per day.
Team inspectors
If you are a team inspector, you will receive £335 per day.
Specialist activities
For any additional specialist activities you carry out, such as quality assurance or complaints investigation, you will receive £392 per day.
A full day is likely to include the quality assurance of an average of 3 inspection outputs and summary evidence.
Early years
You will be paid £300 if you:
- carry out a registration and approval visit for a childminder or childcarer
- inspect a childminder
- are an additional inspector of a larger provision
Other roles
You will be paid between £300 and £500 for an inspection of other providers on the Early Years Register. The payment will depend on the type of setting and how it operates.
If you carry out an inspection of a childcare provider registered only on the Childcare Register, you will be paid £145.
Specialist activities
For any quality assurance reports you work on, you will receive £35 per report, up to £210 per day. A full day is likely to include the quality assurance of an average of 6 inspection outputs and summary evidence.
If you work on a complaint investigation, you will be paid £325. These usually take a day and a half to complete.
Social care
For social care inspections, you will be paid between £250 and £335 per day depending on the type of inspection. Inspections can vary in length depending on the size of the provision, the remit or the inspector role.
These rates are normally inclusive of travel and subsistence.
Updates to this page
Last updated 1 November 2024 + show all updates
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Added payments for contracted social care inspections.
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Updated payments for contracted early years inspectors: these apply from 1 April 2022.
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First published.