Ofsted Readiness Checker

16 questions. 3 minutes. Find out exactly where you stand.

Free · no card requiredEach gap comes with the law or regulation behind itPersonalised gap report on completion

Question 1 of 166%

Personnel

Have you identified a registered manager for your home?

YesNo

How the Launch44 readiness check works

Launch44’s free readiness check helps you identify preparation gaps across Documents, Personnel, Premises and Financial readiness. Each category contributes up to 25 points, giving a total out of 100 based on your answers. The score helps you plan your next steps; it does not establish that you meet Ofsted’s requirements or predict the outcome of an application.

What each dimension covers

Documents (25%): Your Statement of Purpose, safeguarding and behaviour management policies, business plan and cashflow forecast, and location assessment. The check asks whether you have them; it does not read or grade your documents.
Personnel (25%): Whether you have a registered manager, and their residential experience, supervisory experience and Level 5 Diploma. Regulation 28 sets what Ofsted expects of a registered manager; the check flags it if yours falls short.
Premises (25%): Whether you have a property, its planning permission status and fire risk assessment, whether you know the local authority and police force for your area, and whether you have evidenced local need. Several involve weeks of waiting on others, so the check helps you start them early.
Financial (25%): Your startup capital, whether you have researched Ofsted’s fees, and whether you have insurance quotes. For a single-building children's home, registration costs £2,006 for 3 or fewer places, with no separate registered manager fee. For 4 or more places, the provider fee is £3,284 plus £910 for the registered manager, totalling £4,194. Multi-building homes have a separate fee band.

What you get after the check

A gap report with your overall readiness percentage (and a band: Strong Self-Report, Making Progress or Early Stages), a sub-score per area, your most important gap on screen, and every gap with its regulation and next step when you unlock the full report. We can also email you a summary. The check takes about three minutes and is free; no card and no signup are needed to see your score.

Frequently asked questions

Is the readiness check really free?

Yes. You get your score and gap report on screen, with no card and no signup. Giving your email is optional: if you do, we send you a summary of your report and then a short series of registration guidance emails, unless you tick "Send my report only". You can unsubscribe at any time.

Does Launch44 store sensitive data?

No. Launch44 stores the status flags you self-report in the check, never DBS certificate contents, health declarations, references, or children's records. This is a permanent architectural boundary, not a current limitation.

Can I retake the check after acting on the gaps?

Yes. Use the “Retake assessment” link on your results page to start over. Each retake creates a fresh submission so you can track your readiness progression over weeks and months as you close gaps.

How is the score calculated?

The free check adds points from your answers across four equally weighted categories: Documents, Personnel, Premises and Financial. Each contributes up to 25 points to the total of 100. This is Launch44's planning indicator, not an Ofsted rating or a prediction of registration approval. The in-app dashboard uses a separate, more detailed assessment of your saved records.