Ofsted

The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) is a government department whose main aim is to help improve the quality and standards of education and childcare through independent inspection and regulation. They inspect and regulate schools, day nurseries, sessional groups, crèches, out of school provision and childminders.

Ofsted registers

Most childcare providers caring for children aged under eight must register with Ofsted, unless the law says they are not required to do so.

Inspection and regulation

Ofsted will inspect all early years providers registered on the early years register every three or four years. These inspections will be carried out with little or no notice.

Self evaluation

The early years self-evaluation form (SEF) will help you to reflect on your practice and review your provision against the early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework.

Complaints

Ofsted will look into any concern or complaint, that a provider is not meeting the requirements of the registers they are on or their conditions of registration.