Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many in-person inspections were carried out by Ofsted in (a) children’s and (b) foster homes in each of the last five years.

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the right hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The data requested is not held centrally by the department. Ofsted is able to provide data on the number of in person inspections in each of the last five years.

It should be noted that individual foster homes are not inspected by Ofsted, however Ofsted is required to undertake in person inspections of independent fostering agencies and local authority fostering services through the framework for inspection of local authority children’s services.