Childminders and childminder assistants play a vital role in childcare. At the end of 2025 there were nearly 25,000 childminders in England, with the vast majority providing education and care for early years children. Of these, 41% have an assistant listed on their registration – including the current …
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 …
We’re aware of a rise in scam text messages claiming to be from Ofsted, so we wanted to reassure you and let you know what you can do if you receive one. We know that receiving these scam messages will …
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to find all the information you need from us so that you can focus on the children you educate and care for. This blog explains some of the resources …
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 …
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 …
We want to make sure children have the best start in life. As part of this, we regulate early years providers to make sure they’re providing safe and secure environments for children to develop and learn in. This means making …
If you’re a nanny, you can look after children from any number of families, but you can only care for the children of 2 families at any one time. This is a requirement set by the Department for Education (DfE). …
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 …
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 …
We know that keeping children safe and happy is the biggest priority for all of you in the early years and childcare sector. Caring for young children in a safe environment helps them to develop the skills they need as …