The government will press ahead with plans to increase Ofsted inspection charges for private schools by up to 50 per cent and to more than double registration fees. The Department for Education (DfE) has finally responded to a consultation launched last November, which proposed to increase fees to cover more of the costs of inspecting private schools. While most of the biggest private schools are inspected by the Independent School Inspectorate (ISI), Ofsted inspects about 1,250 “non-association” independent schools. The practice is currently heavily subsidised by the taxpayer, with only around 34 per cent of the annual £6.5 million cost of inspection recovered through fees. Now ministers have approved the price hikes, which will happen over five years from January 2027. The original consultation proposed the rises would start in 2026. But the government’s response was heavily delayed, and secondary legislation is needed to allow Ofsted to increase the charges. The smallest private schools – those with fewer than 100 pupils – currently pay a fixed charge of £400, plus £16 per pupil. By 2031, the fixed charge will increase to £420 and the per-pupil charge to £21 by 2030. Schools with 100 to 120 pupils will see their annual fee increase from £2,200 to £3,300, while those with 600 pupils or more will see rises of more than £1,500 – from £2,750 to £4,300. The government received just 33 responses to its consultation. The majority opposed increases in fees. However, the DfE said that increasing charges was a “necessary step in recouping a greater proportion of costs, and we continue to believe it is right that standard inspection fees are increased in order to reduce the government – and, as such, taxpayer – subsidy. Fees not raised since 2019 “Moreover, fees have not been raised since 2019, despite inflation and rising costs. This means the gap between inspection costs and fees charged has widened considerably.” The department added that it was “not persuaded by responses suggesting it is correct that the taxpayer should continue to subsidise the cost of standard inspections”. Ministers will also press on with plans to increase the fees that schools pay for pre-registration inspections – those conducted when a new private school opens. The current charge of £2,500 will rise to £6,900 by 2031, an increase of 176 per cent. The DfE said that “as well as reducing taxpayer subsidy”, it also aimed to “disincentivise” pre-registration inspections being used to test whether schools that are not ready to open meet independent school standards and other requirements. “Higher fees, closer to full cost, will discourage such speculative applications. It is also noteworthy that none of the respondents questioned the fact that increasing fees for pre-registration inspections could have this effect.” The fee rises were criticised last year, particularly given the Labour government’s policy of removing private schools’ exemption from VAT and business rates. Concerns were also raised about the impact on independent special schools. The department acknowledged the “potential impact of the proposals on faith schools, schools catering for pupils with a high proportion of pupils with SEND or pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds. It said it was “important to emphasise that inspection fees are payable by school proprietors and not pupils; disabled pupils, pupils with particular religions or beliefs, or those from a particular racial group are not therefore directly affected by fee increases. “In fact, the three types of inspections to which the consultation relates are a means of assuring that any pupils attending private schools, irrespective of their race, religion or whether they are disabled, receive an education in accordance with the [independent school standards], and are therefore safe and receive a good quality education.”