# UK Ofsted Inspections Scraper (`automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper`) Actor πŸŽ“ Export Ofsted provider ratings, URNs, addresses, local authorities, and official report PDF links for UK education research. - **URL**: https://apify.com/automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Stas Persiianenko](https://apify.com/automation-lab) (community) - **Categories:** Other - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## UK Ofsted Inspections Scraper Extract structured provider and inspection report data from the public Ofsted inspection reports website. Use this actor to search schools, nurseries, childcare providers, children’s homes, independent learning providers, and other Ofsted-regulated providers, then export clean records with URNs, ratings, addresses, local authorities, regions, and PDF report links. ### What does UK Ofsted Inspections Scraper do? UK Ofsted Inspections Scraper turns Ofsted search results into a dataset you can filter, join, and monitor. It searches `reports.ofsted.gov.uk`, opens provider detail pages, and saves structured fields that are useful for education research and compliance workflows. It does not attempt heavy PDF text extraction in the default workflow. Instead, it captures the official PDF report URLs so you can download or process them in a later step. ### Who is it for? - πŸŽ“ Education market researchers building school and nursery datasets. - πŸ“ˆ Lead generation teams targeting providers by region, category, rating, or local authority. - 🏠 Real-estate and location intelligence teams enriching areas with school-quality signals. - βœ… Compliance teams monitoring inspection outcomes and report publication dates. - πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Data engineers who need repeatable Ofsted exports through the Apify API. ### Why use this actor? Ofsted pages are public, but manual searching is slow. This actor gives you repeatable exports without copy-pasting results page by page. It is HTTP-first and lightweight, so normal runs are fast and inexpensive. ### Data sources The actor uses the official public Ofsted reports site: - `https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search` - `https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/...` - linked report files hosted under `https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/` ### What data can I extract? The default dataset includes provider-level search and detail fields. | Field | Description | |---|---| | `providerName` | Ofsted provider name | | `urn` | Unique reference number | | `providerUrl` | Public Ofsted provider page | | `category` | Search-result category | | `address` | Provider address when published | | `postcode` | Parsed UK postcode | | `rating` | Search-result rating or no-report status | | `latestReportDate` | Latest report publication date shown in search | | `inspectionOutcome` | Current detail-page outcome when available | | `inspectionOutcomeDate` | Date of current inspection outcome | | `providerType` | Provider type from details | | `localAuthority` | Local authority | | `region` | Region | | `responsibleBody` | Trust or responsible body link text when shown | | `ageRange` | School age range when shown | | `gender` | Gender field when shown | | `numberOfPupils` | Number of pupils when shown | | `reports` | Array of report PDF links and dates | | `latestReportUrl` | First/latest report PDF URL | | `sourceSearchUrl` | Search page that produced the record | | `scrapedAt` | ISO timestamp | ### How much does it cost to scrape Ofsted inspection reports? This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. A small start event is charged once per run. A provider item event is charged for each provider saved to the dataset. The final platform pricing is visible on the Apify Store page and may include tier discounts for higher-volume users. ### How to use it 1. Enter one or more search queries such as `London`, `Manchester schools`, or a provider name. 2. Optionally add direct Ofsted search URLs or provider URLs. 3. Set `maxItems` to control dataset size. 4. Keep `includeDetails` enabled for report links and local authority fields. 5. Run the actor. 6. Export results as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or through the API. ### Input options #### `queries` Free-text search terms submitted to Ofsted search. Examples: - `London` - `Birmingham nursery` - `134798` - `independent learning provider` #### `startUrls` Direct Ofsted URLs. Use this when you already have a filtered search URL from Ofsted or a known provider page. #### `maxItems` Maximum number of providers saved across all searches. #### `maxPagesPerSearch` Maximum number of Ofsted search pages to follow for each query or search URL. Ofsted currently returns about 10 providers per search page. #### `includeDetails` When enabled, the actor opens each provider detail page. This adds local authority, region, current inspection outcome, and PDF report links. #### `openOnly` When enabled, generated query URLs request open/current providers. If you provide your own `startUrls`, your URL filters are respected. #### `requestDelayMs` Polite delay between HTTP requests. Increase this if you are running very broad exports. ### Example input ```json { "queries": ["London", "Manchester schools"], "maxItems": 100, "maxPagesPerSearch": 10, "includeDetails": true, "openOnly": true, "requestDelayMs": 250 } ```` ### Example output ```json { "providerName": "London Academy", "urn": "134798", "providerUrl": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/28/134798", "category": "Other schools", "address": "Spur Road, Edgware, Middlesex, HA8 8DE", "postcode": "HA8 8DE", "rating": "Good", "latestReportDate": "24 November 2023", "inspectionOutcome": "Good", "inspectionOutcomeDate": "3 July 2023", "providerType": "Academy", "localAuthority": "Barnet", "region": "London", "responsibleBody": "AIM ACADEMIES TRUST", "ageRange": "4 - 19", "gender": "Mixed", "numberOfPupils": 1736, "latestReportUrl": "https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50233820" } ``` ### Tips for better results - Use towns, local authorities, provider names, or URNs for targeted runs. - Use a direct Ofsted search URL if you need specific filters. - Start with `maxItems` around 100 to validate your query. - Keep detail fetching enabled when you need report PDF links. - Disable detail fetching only for fast high-level search exports. ### Integrations You can connect this actor to: - Google Sheets for education lead lists. - Airtable for CRM enrichment. - Webhooks for compliance monitoring. - Cloud storage for periodic Ofsted snapshots. - PDF parsers for deeper report text extraction using `latestReportUrl`. ### API usage #### Node.js ```js import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN }); const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper').call({ queries: ['London'], maxItems: 100, includeDetails: true }); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); console.log(items); ``` #### Python ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient('MY-APIFY-TOKEN') run = client.actor('automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper').call(run_input={ 'queries': ['London'], 'maxItems': 100, 'includeDetails': True, }) items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items print(items) ``` #### cURL ```bash curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper/runs?token=MY-APIFY-TOKEN' \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -d '{"queries":["London"],"maxItems":100,"includeDetails":true}' ``` ### MCP usage Use the Apify MCP server with this actor in Claude Desktop or Claude Code. MCP URL: `https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper` Add it in Claude Code: ```bash claude mcp add apify-ofsted --transport http "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper" ``` Claude Desktop JSON configuration: ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify-ofsted": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper" } } } ``` Example prompts: - "Run the UK Ofsted Inspections Scraper for Birmingham nurseries and summarize providers rated Inadequate." - "Find Ofsted providers in London and export provider names, URNs, ratings, and report URLs." - "Monitor this Ofsted query weekly and tell me when new report dates appear." ### Common workflows #### Education lead generation Search a city or local authority, export providers, and filter by provider category or rating. #### Compliance monitoring Run saved queries periodically and compare `latestReportDate` or `inspectionOutcome` values over time. #### Location enrichment Join `postcode`, `region`, and `rating` fields into property, school-catchment, or local-area datasets. #### Report collection Use `latestReportUrl` and `reports` to build a queue of official Ofsted PDF files for downstream processing. ### Limitations Some providers do not publish addresses. Some providers have no report yet. Ofsted page layouts may vary by provider category. PDF body text extraction is intentionally outside the default MVP. ### Troubleshooting #### Why did I get fewer results than expected? Increase `maxPagesPerSearch` or use broader queries. If a direct Ofsted URL has filters, those filters may narrow the result set. #### Why are some detail fields blank? Ofsted does not show every field for every provider type. For example, pupil counts are usually school-specific and may not exist for childcare providers. #### Why do some providers say "No report yet"? Ofsted search results include providers that are registered but do not yet have a published inspection report. ### Legality This actor extracts public information from the official Ofsted reports website. ### FAQ #### Is it legal to scrape Ofsted inspection reports? This actor extracts public information from the official Ofsted reports website. You are responsible for using the data lawfully, respecting Ofsted terms, and handling personal or sensitive information appropriately. Do not overload the service. Use reasonable limits and delays. ### Related scrapers Related automation-lab actors may help with adjacent public-sector and education workflows: - https://apify.com/automation-lab/uk-contracts-finder-scraper - https://apify.com/automation-lab/uk-find-a-tender-scraper - https://apify.com/automation-lab/company-domain-finder - https://apify.com/automation-lab/bulk-url-status-checker ### Support If a run fails or a field disappears, open an Apify issue with the run ID, input, and example provider URL. We will inspect the site change and update the actor when needed. ### Changelog Initial version extracts Ofsted search results, provider detail metadata, inspection outcomes, and report PDF links. # Actor input Schema ## `queries` (type: `array`): Provider names, towns, postcodes, URNs, or keywords to search on reports.ofsted.gov.uk. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Optional direct reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search or /provider URLs. Use this when you already have a filtered search URL or URN provider page. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of provider records to save across all searches. ## `maxPagesPerSearch` (type: `integer`): Each Ofsted search page contains about 10 providers. Increase this for broader lead lists. ## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`): Open each provider page to collect local authority, region, school details, judgement outcome, and PDF report links. ## `openOnly` (type: `boolean`): When building search URLs from queries, request currently open providers only. Disable to use Ofsted defaults or your own start URL filters. ## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`): Polite delay between requests to the public Ofsted site. ## Actor input object example ```json { "queries": [ "London", "Manchester schools" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search?q=London&status%5B0%5D=1&rows=10" }, { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/28/134798" } ], "maxItems": 20, "maxPagesPerSearch": 10, "includeDetails": true, "openOnly": true, "requestDelayMs": 250 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "queries": [ "London", "Manchester schools" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search?q=London&status%5B0%5D=1&rows=10" }, { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/28/134798" } ], "maxItems": 20, "maxPagesPerSearch": 10, "includeDetails": true, "openOnly": true, "requestDelayMs": 250 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`πŸ’Ύ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // πŸ“š Want to learn more πŸ“–? Go to β†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "queries": [ "London", "Manchester schools", ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search?q=London&status%5B0%5D=1&rows=10" }, { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/28/134798" }, ], "maxItems": 20, "maxPagesPerSearch": 10, "includeDetails": True, "openOnly": True, "requestDelayMs": 250, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("πŸ’Ύ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # πŸ“š Want to learn more πŸ“–? Go to β†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "queries": [ "London", "Manchester schools" ], "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search?q=London&status%5B0%5D=1&rows=10" }, { "url": "https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/28/134798" } ], "maxItems": 20, "maxPagesPerSearch": 10, "includeDetails": true, "openOnly": true, "requestDelayMs": 250 }' | apify call automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "UK Ofsted Inspections Scraper", "description": "πŸŽ“ Export Ofsted provider ratings, URNs, addresses, local authorities, and official report PDF links for UK education research.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "SrAuJsDWqc0BjM3aY" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/automation-lab~uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-automation-lab-uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-automation-lab-uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-automation-lab-uk-ofsted-inspections-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "queries": { "title": "Search queries", "type": "array", "description": "Provider names, towns, postcodes, URNs, or keywords to search on reports.ofsted.gov.uk.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "startUrls": { "title": "Ofsted search or provider URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Optional direct reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search or /provider URLs. Use this when you already have a filtered search URL or URN provider page.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum providers", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of provider records to save across all searches.", "default": 20 }, "maxPagesPerSearch": { "title": "Maximum search pages per query", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "Each Ofsted search page contains about 10 providers. Increase this for broader lead lists.", "default": 10 }, "includeDetails": { "title": "Fetch provider details", "type": "boolean", "description": "Open each provider page to collect local authority, region, school details, judgement outcome, and PDF report links.", "default": true }, "openOnly": { "title": "Open/current providers only", "type": "boolean", "description": "When building search URLs from queries, request currently open providers only. Disable to use Ofsted defaults or your own start URL filters.", "default": true }, "requestDelayMs": { "title": "Delay between requests (ms)", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Polite delay between requests to the public Ofsted site.", "default": 250 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```