 Ofsted Releases New Early Years Inspection Framework – Effective from 10 November 2025
Ofsted has published a refreshed early years inspection framework that will come into effect from 10 November 2025. This redesigned approach to early years inspections, aims to offer clearer insights into provider's quality and impact.
 Inspection Toolkit - Outlines the 7 new evaluation areas and grade descriptors.
Operating Guide - Sets out the way inspections will be conducted.
Inspection Information - Has general guidance about inspections.
Ofsted code of conduct - Describes the foundations of inspections.
You can read the full press release here and view a short video sharing an example of the new inspection report card: Ofsted confirms changes to education inspection and unveils new-look report cards.
 The Inspection Toolkit outlines what inspectors will do prior to arriving on site. Notably, there will now be a two-part phone call:
The first call will be the notification call to start the inspection.
The second call will be the planning call. This will be a longer conversation (approx. 30 minutes) and will be scheduled during the first call. It will normally be a video call unless technology does not allow this. The aim of this call is to have a meaningful and professional conversation about the setting and planning the inspection.
Details of these conversations are explained in the Operating Guide.
 Ofsted has named seven inspection evaluation areas. The Inspection Toolkit describes each evaluation area, how the inspector will gather evidence and grading outcomes in each area:
- Safeguarding
A stand-alone “met” or “not met” judgement. Focus on safeguarding culture, training, safer recruitment and management of allegations made about staff/volunteers.
- Inclusion
Inclusion will be embedded across all inspection areas. Focus on how the provider identifies and supports socioeconomically disadvantaged children, children with SEND, children who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, looked-after children, and children who may face other barriers to learning (e.g. children with english as an additional language).
- Curriculum and Teaching
This area considers whether all children are provided with a high-quality and ambitious curriculum. Inspectors will judge if providers have planned and implemented the educational programmes of the EYFS that build on what the children know and can do, and how effectively their curriculum meets the needs of the range of ages and stages of children who attend. The inspector will consider how the curriculum has been designed relating to each area of learning and development and look for evidence of high-quality teaching.
- Achievement
This area focuses on the progress that children make from their starting points across the 7 areas of learning and development set out in the EYFS. The inspector will gather evidence to consider if children are securely developing essential knowledge and skills, appropriate to their age and stage.
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Behaviour, Attitudes and Establishing Routines (including attendance)
Inspectors will consider how your environment positively supports children's learning, development and care. How well are children's behaviour and attitudes supported by leaders and practitioners. Are children being taught effectively to understand their emotions and behaviour? Are providers collaborating with parents to set up routines and promote attendance?
- Children’s Welfare and Wellbeing
Inspectors will evaluate how well you promote children's welfare and wellbeing through establishing warm relationships, hygiene practices, developing children's understanding of healthy/active lifestyles, good oral health and healthy diets, keeping children safe online, promoting independence and self-care skills, and providing high quality care e.g. routines for babies sleeping, weaning and feeding.
- Leadership and Governance
This evaluation area covers the breadth of how effectively leaders understand and meet the EYFS requirements, support their staff well-being, workload and development, make decisions in the best interests of children and work in partnership with parents, other settings and professionals. How well do leaders identify improvements, strive for high standards in all areas of delivery and inspire their team?
 There will no longer be an overarching single-word judgement. Each evaluation area will have its own outcome. Inspections will be managed using a new report card system with a new 5-point grading scale:
The lowest grade, indicating serious issues that need immediate action.
When the expected standard has not been met but breaches in the EYFS requirements do not have a significant impact on children's learning, development and/or safety and welfare. It highlights areas that need improvement.
Starting point for all inspectors. Inspectors will consider if the setting is going above the expected standards or are some EYFS requirements not being met.
The setting is meeting the expected standard and performing very well across the evaluation areas. This is a high quality provision.
The highest grade for settings to identify the absolute best provision in the country.
Providers will likely receive a range of grades across six of the inspection areas, plus a separate judgement for safeguarding of "met" or "not met".
Settings that do not meet the "expected standard" in any evaluation area will be reinspected within 12 months. For settings that fall significantly short, grading any evaluation area as "urgent improvement" and/or safeguarding is 'not met', will trigger a reinspection within 6 months.
 Inspectors will explore how well children:
Achieve – knowledge, skills, confidence.
Belong – feeling safe, welcome, and valued.
Thrive – flourishing regardless of background or needs.
Inspections will be grounded in the Ofsted Code of Conduct, with a strong emphasis on:
- Children’s progress and experiences
- Context of the setting
- Quality and impact of provision
 Guidance is available for inspections where no children are on roll.
From April 2026, routine early years inspections will move to a 4-year cycle and first inspections for new registrations will take place within 12–18 months of opening.
We are running a free, 'I Spy Ofsted' LIVE Webinar on Thursday 6 November 2025, 6.30-8.30pm via MS Teams. We will be discussing the new inspection framework, the inspection process, evaluation areas and 5-point grading scale. Come along if you are due your routine inspection and/or would like more information about the revised early years inspection framework.
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