Technology requirements to contract as an Ofsted inspector
Your laptop or other portable computer will need to meet certain specifications to allow you to work as an Ofsted inspector.
Applies to England
As a contracted inspector, you will need to provide your own laptop or portable computer to work on.
There are both device and software specifications that must be met.
Device specifications
Your laptop or portable computer will need the following:
- at least an Intel P4/AMD Athlon 1.5 GHz CPU processor or equivalent
- an operating system Windows 10, Windows 8.1
- at least 2GB of RAM
- spare hard disk capacity for reports and forms – we recommend at least 4GB
- wifi (wireless) networking capability
Software specifications
The software programmes you will need are:
- disk encryption
- anti-virus, malware and spyware protection
- a web browser, which will need to be the latest version of one of the following:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
- Microsoft Edge
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Office
You must be able to access, review and edit files with one of the following:
- Microsoft Office 2019
- Microsoft 365
- a fully compatible alternative product to Microsoft Office 2019 or Microsoft 365
Lead inspectors
If you have the role of a lead inspector, you must use Microsoft Office 2019 or Microsoft 365 in Microsoft Windows to edit templates that will form the outcome report or letter. You cannot use compatible alternative products to do this.
After you have registered your interest
When you have told us you want to become a contracted Ofsted inspector, if you are successful, we will provide more detailed instructions on the above and your information assurance responsibilities.
These will form part of your contract.