Ofsted’s annual report reveals hundreds of unregistered homes and schools identified over the year.
On children’s homes, the report records that 710 unregistered settings were identified, leading to five criminal investigations and two prosecutions.
Separately, 350 registration applications were withdrawn, refused or closed, against a record number of applications received.
Ofsted said rapid growth in the number of children’s homes applying to register has created significant pressure on the system, meaning it has taken longer than usual to process applications.
New powers under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act will allow Ofsted to impose fines on those operating illegal provision, and a larger investigation team is being established to build on these powers.
On the education side, Ofsted’s unregistered schools team opened 260 investigations, conducted 130 inspections and issued 23 warning notices to 20 settings over the year.