Flexibilities for childminders and childcare on domestic premises providers

On 1 November 2024, the Department for Education made changes to give the early years sector (in particular childminders) more flexibility.  These changes introduced a new type of childminder and give existing childminders and childcare on domestic premises providers more scope in terms …

What to know before applying to register with Ofsted: choosing names for your childcare setting and legal entity

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Selecting a name for your childcare business is an important early decision. Getting this right from the outset helps us process your application more quickly and limits the need for follow-up questions.  In this blog, we explain what your legal entity name …

Early years inspections: frequently asked questions

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Since we published the renewed inspection framework on 9 September 2025, we’ve put on lots of online and face-to-face engagement with early years settings to answer your questions. We’re publishing the most frequently asked questions below, so you can see all the …

Applying to register with Ofsted: what you need to know

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Whether you’re thinking about registering with Ofsted or are in the process of submitting your application, this blog post aims to help you understand the registration process and the actions you need to take. Before you begin your application, you …

How we look at the use of Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) in our inspections of early years settings

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The Department for Education (DfE) recently published guidance for local authorities on the use of EYPP. The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) has also published guidance for early years providers. This blog will discuss how we look at the use of …