We’re now 7 months into inspecting early years registered settings using our renewed inspection framework. What we’re hearing so far is positive – leaders have told us that the renewed approach has felt clear, collaborative and grounded in what matters most for our youngest children. We’ve heard feedback that inspections feel rooted in professional dialogue, where leaders feel able to talk openly about their work rather than feel like they need to perform.
We remain committed to improving how it feels to be inspected, while continuing to encourage and support settings to raise standards. It’s important that we continue to hear from you as settings, leaders and educators to raise standards for babies and children. This includes hearing feedback through the complaints process.
As part of this, we will be updating our early years toolkit, operating guide and inspection information annually, so that it stays up to date with statutory guidance. We also hope it gives you time to read and understand what we will look at on inspection, and more certainty and confidence about how you’ll be held to account over the next 12 months.
The Department for Education (DfE) have shared with us what their September 2026 changes to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework will include. The changes focus on safeguarding our youngest children and promoting their welfare and wellbeing – the most important work you do.
We’ve reflected these changes in our updated early years toolkit and operating guide, which we will start using on inspection from 1 September 2026. Until then, inspectors will continue to use the existing materials.
You can see a full list of the changes we're making from September on GOV.UK.
Department for Education changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage
The DfE plan to update the EYFS for group providers and childminders, for use from 1 September 2026. We welcome the DfE’s changes to the EYFS and we’re supporting that by adding more detail on safer sleeping, weaning and eating practices to our toolkits.
Our toolkit updates clarify that settings must meet the grading standards as well as the relevant EYFS requirements to be graded ‘expected standard’. Providers must meet both the grading criteria and the relevant EYFS requirements to achieve this. You can find out which EYFS requirements are linked to each evaluation area in our publication Renewed education inspection framework: supporting evidence base.
Safer sleeping arrangements
Olivia Bailey MP, the minister responsible for early education, wrote to all providers on the Early Years Register to explain the changes to the EYFS for safer sleeping arrangements.
From September, inspectors will collect evidence that settings understand and are effectively implementing statutory guidance for babies’ sleeping arrangements. This reinforces the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS. We’ve added this to the children’s welfare and wellbeing evaluation area of the toolkit.
This EYFS change is also reflected in the leadership and governance evaluation area.
Safer weaning and eating
Following last year’s EYFS update, and feedback from leaders and settings, we’ve made our early years toolkit clearer on how we consider safer weaning and eating on inspection. We will now consider this when evaluating the children’s welfare and wellbeing and the leadership and governance evaluation areas.
Along with safer sleeping arrangements, inspectors will check that settings are implementing statutory guidance for safer weaning and eating.
Impact of poor care practices on a setting’s ability to safeguard children
Safeguarding and children’s welfare and wellbeing sit at the heart of how we look at care practices on inspection. Because of these important changes to safer sleeping, weaning and eating, we have updated the early years toolkit and operating guide to explain how inspectors will consider whether poor care arrangements and practices impact on a setting’s ability to safeguard children.
This means that breaches to the safeguarding and welfare requirements that are considered in the children’s welfare and wellbeing evaluation area could, in some cases, impact on whether safeguarding is graded ‘met’ or ‘not met’.
What's next?
It’s important to note that we won’t start inspecting using our updated early years toolkit and operating guide until 1 September 2026.
Our toolkit is based on the requirements, standards and expectations already placed on leaders and their setting through the EYFS. As the EYFS updates are planned for 1 September 2026, these changes aren’t statutory requirements until then.
We’ve made other minor changes too – you can read more about these in our summary of changes on GOV.UK. And, of course, we’d always encourage you to read our updated early years toolkit, operating guide and inspection information in full.
We have made the same updates to the early years in schools evaluation area, where the EYFS is also statutory, to ensure we have consistent, high expectations across sectors.
We know that the vast majority of early years settings play a vital role in giving babies and children the very best start in life. Thank you for your continuing hard work, dedication and professionalism – we recognise the incredibly difficult job that you do to support, care for and educate our youngest children.
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