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Early Years and Childcare Special Newsletter
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Wednesday 10 September 2025
From 10 November 2025, Ofsted will introduce a refreshed approach to inspecting registered early years and childcare settings in England. These changes aim to make inspections more supportive, inclusive, and focused on what matters most for children.
The new inspection framework and toolkit will be used from 10 November 2025. You should begin familiarising yourself with the changes now to prepare effectively.
These reforms are the result of Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation, which ran from February to April 2025. In February 2025, a 12-week consultation set out a series of proposals for change. The consultations highlighted a strong desire for:
- more detailed and transparent inspection outcomes
- a move away from a single overall grade
- greater recognition of inclusion and leadership
- a more collaborative inspection process.
Ofsted has responded by introducing new report cards, a revised grading scale, and updated inspection methodology. These changes aim to raise standards while being fairer and more empathetic to professionals.
New focus areas
Inspections will now centre around 3 key outcomes for children:
- Achieve – are children developing the knowledge, skills and confidence they need?
- Belong – do children feel safe, welcomed and valued?
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Thrive – are children supported to flourish, whatever their background or needs?
Leadership and inclusion
There is now a stronger focus on how leaders help improve the quality of the setting and make sure it is inclusive. Inspectors will look at how leaders support all children, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Professional dialogue
Inspections will be more collaborative, with inspectors engaging in respectful conversations with leaders to understand the setting’s context and priorities. Shared observations will be used to build a fair and accurate picture of practice.
What will be evaluated and graded?
The inspection toolkit outlines the areas that inspectors will evaluate and grade. These are:
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Safeguarding – culture, systems, training, safer recruitment, and how concerns are managed
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Inclusion – support for all children, including those with additional needs
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Curriculum and teaching – planning and delivery of learning
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Achievement – children’s progress and development
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Behaviour, attitudes and routines – engagement and settling into routines
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Children’s welfare and well-being – emotional and physical care
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Leadership and governance – management and improvement strategies.
Each area will be graded using a new 5-point scale:
- Urgent improvement
- Needs attention
- Expected standard
- Strong standard
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Exceptional.
- Full inspections – standard inspections with grading across all areas
- No children on roll inspections – a check of continued suitability
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Childcare Register compliance inspections – for providers only on the Childcare Register
- Childminder agency inspections – separate guidance applies.
Read the new guidance and toolkit to understand what inspectors will be looking for
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review your safeguarding culture and policies to ensure they meet expectations
- reflect on your leadership and inclusion practices, especially how you support vulnerable children
- prepare for collaborative inspections, where professional dialogue and shared observations are key.
We are currently reviewing how these changes might affect the Early Years Funded Entitlements. We will keep you informed through the weekly newsletter once details are confirmed.
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