The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE). The aim of the programme is to help families with enrichment activities and food for children throughout the holiday periods. The programme is for children who receive free school meals, although providers are encouraged to make it open to all.
HAF providers are encouraged to check if they are required to register with Ofsted.
Ofsted is responsible for registering, regulating and inspecting childcare provision that is required to register with us.
Do you need to register with Ofsted?
We continue to receive queries from HAF providers about whether they need to register. We have updated our childcare exemptions guidance with information about HAF provision to clarify this. You can find the section on HAF providers and other specific types of provision here.
If you are a childcare provider interested in offering the HAF programme, the DfE sets out certain requirements to receive grant funding. These are separate to the legal requirements of Ofsted childcare registration.
If you are a HAF provider, it is your responsibility to understand whether your provision is required to be registered with Ofsted. You must continue to review your status if the provision you are offering changes.
The requirement to register with Ofsted depends on:
Even if you are not required to register with us, you may be eligible to register on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register if you meet the requirements. This is necessary if you want parents to be able to use their Tax-Free Childcare entitlements.
If you are considering setting up HAF provision, you should work with your local authority to determine whether you need to register with Ofsted.
The key things to consider for whether you need to register are the type of provision, the age of the children and the hours offered.
The type of provision you offer
If you provide activity-based sessions, you can only legally offer 1 or 2 types of activities from the list below, otherwise you will not be exempt from compulsory registration:
Remember that we do not necessarily expect everyone working there to be a specialist coach, but they should have relevant skills to help children improve.
The age of the children attending and the hours offered
You must register if you provide care for children aged under 8 for more than 2 hours a day.
However, there are exceptions in the activity-based exemption that mean you can care for children aged under 5 for up to 4 hours, and for longer than 4 hours if children are over 4. Or, for example, children of any age for only 2 weeks per year, if you let Ofsted know in writing beforehand.
Why register with Ofsted?
It may allow parents to gain financial assistance with their childcare costs.
Parents can redeem employer-supported vouchers against childcare costs.
And families may be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, or the childcare costs element of Universal Credit (UC). Through UC, families may be able to claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs if they are attending and paying for extra childcare at Ofsted-registered settings.
We recently took part in a HAF bitesize session on Ofsted registration benefits and considerations. The session aims to provide you with details on:
Conclusion
This blog provides some pointers, but please make sure you read the childcare registration exemptions guidance to determine whether the type of provision you are offering requires registration with Ofsted or if you can rely on a registration exemption. It is your responsibility to get this right. It is an offence to provide childcare that requires registration without being registered with Ofsted.
We want to support you and the DfE in making this programme a success.
]]>I’ve now been in the post of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector for nearly two months. It has been an incredibly busy but rewarding start to this new role.
As you may know, I come from a schools background, having been a teacher, headteacher, and most recently the Chief Executive of a multi-academy trust.
The importance of the early years
But Ofsted is about much more than schools. And I’m determined to give equal focus to each sector that Ofsted regulates and inspects. We owe it to parents and families to make sure their children receive the best education and care at every stage. And that of course includes the vital early years sector.
That’s why I’ve already met with leaders of key organisations including the Early Years Alliance (EYA) and the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). And I will be meeting with more organisations, providers, and individuals in the coming months. The EYA and NDNA have also kindly agreed to share this blog with their members to make sure the whole sector knows that Ofsted recognises the essential job you all do.
Children only get one childhood, and getting those precious early years right is absolutely crucial. Without the building blocks laid in the first few years of a child’s life, they may fall behind in language and communication, struggle in school, need additional help later in life, and find it difficult to form meaningful relationships. Ultimately, they may not be able to reach their full potential.
I want to make sure nobody thinks the early years is just “what happens before education.” It is, of course, the first stage of a child’s education, and most importantly the one on which all of their future education and life is built.
The nurseries and childminders, nannies and teachers, staff and carers, and everyone else helping the youngest children to learn, thrive, and grow deserve as much recognition as all the other groups that Ofsted works with.
And parents deserve the same reassurance that the people and places which they are trusting with their children in their first few years are of a high quality and have high-ambitions for them.
My first 2 months
As you may have seen in the news, it has been a complicated start to 2024. In response to the Coroner’s inquest in to the tragic death of Ruth Perry, we made a number of changes and announcements.
This included pausing our routine school inspections for two weeks to allow for inspector training. I know some were disappointed that this pause didn’t extend to our other inspections, including those of early years providers.
It was a complicated and difficult decision. We always have to consider our duty to inspect in the best interests of children.
We are the inspectorate for schools, while the Department for Education is the regulator. But for the early years sector, we have both roles. So, we register new provision, respond to concerns when they arise, and confirm when the essential improvements have been made. And so, we continued our regulatory work in the interest of keeping children safe and enabling new providers to open.
But we are, of course, always looking at how we make further changes to improve the way we work with early years providers. I can confirm that early years inspectors will also have training on recognising and responding to visible signs of anxiety.
And we have already updated our inspection handbook to reflect the other changes that we have made.
My priorities
These changes were necessary, pressing, and they will make a real difference. That’s why I prioritised making them on my first days in post.
But I want any future changes we make to be developed with input from all of you. I don’t believe it’s the job of a Chief Inspector to impose their own views or cause frequent disruption to the sectors we regulate.
That’s why, next month, we will launch our Big Listen. We want to hear from all of you, and all of your parents and children. And we want to hear every idea or proposal, big or small. Nothing will be off the table.
We will publish more details soon, so look out for those. And please respond and encourage others to do so.
Because, with your input, I want to make sure that Ofsted is the best it can be. I want us to be of the system, by the system, and for children and parents.
I want our inspections to get to a real understanding of what it’s like to be a child in your setting.
I want us to use our insights and our unique view across all the services that impact children’s lives, so that we can see the bigger picture and a child’s full journey.
I want us to recognise the great work that most of you do, even in trying circumstances, but also unapologetically hold high standards for all children.
And I especially want us to focus on and speak up for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children, those who can’t advocate for themselves.
With these goals in mind, and with your input, I hope we can work together to make sure all children receive the best possible childcare and early education.
My team
Of course, Ofsted is also a lot more than a single Chief Inspector, and I want to take this opportunity to introduce the senior early years team who I will be working with over my five years in the post.
Lee Owston HMI - Lee is our National Director, Education, and leads the development of our education inspection policy, including the guidance and training for our inspectors.
He was my first appointment in the role, and has held several roles at Ofsted, including as Deputy Director for Early Education. He knows very well the importance of early childhood which is why he is our senior champion for our ‘Best Start in Life’ strategic priority. Lee is a former primary school headteacher as well as a senior adviser for early education and primary schools for a local authority.
You can read Lee’s profile to find out more.
Yvette Stanley - Yvette is our National Director, Regulation and Social Care. She leads on the regulation of early years and social care provision as well as several other areas.
She has over 30 years of experience in children’s services in early years, education, social care and wider services for children. Yvette is passionate about making sure every single child has access to high quality provision to get the best start in life and to achieve their potential.
You can read Yvette’s profile to find out more.
Jayne Coward HMI - Jayne is our new Deputy Director, Early Years Regulatory Policy and Practice. She supports Yvette in making sure our early years regulation is rigorous but fair, and considerate of providers.
Jayne has extensive experience as an early years practitioner and as a local authority adviser.
You can read Jayne’s profile to find out more.
Richard Kueh HMI - Richard is our Deputy Director, Schools and Early Education. He supports Lee in making sure that children get a great early education before and once they start school.
He has experience in primary and secondary schools, and has significant expertise across several areas of education.
You can read Richard’s profile to find out more.
Next steps
I’m hoping to see and speak to as many of you as possible over the next five years. I’ll be visiting settings, attending events, and contributing to webinars, podcasts, blogs, and articles.
You can find out more about the resources we have for you, and the ways we can keep in touch in this blog post.
We’ll also be publishing more details about the Big Listen next week, so please do give us your honest feedback about our current approach, the changes we are making, and whether we can do more.
]]>Childminders and childcare workers, such as nannies, are responsible for the safety and well-being of children in their care. Ofsted is legally required to check an applicant’s suitability at the point of registration. For daycare providers, it is the provider’s responsibility to carry out suitability checks on members of staff. An enhanced criminal record check is an essential part of the suitability checking process.
We recently published a blog about the work we are doing to speed up the registration process. But some applications still take longer than they should. Applicants often select the wrong type of DBS check, which can then delay submitting their application to Ofsted while they reapply for the correct one. We always encourage getting your DBS check from Matrix Security Watchdog.
Common issues
Here are some of the most common issues we find with DBS checks for childcare registration:
1) Incorrect option selected under ‘position applied for’
You need to select the option closest to the role you’re applying to register as. The option selected may change the wording of the certificate. For example, if you’re applying to register as a childminder or live-in nanny, your certificate must state that it is for a ‘home-based’ role. Some applicants have worked in other parts of the early years sector before but have the wrong DBS check for these roles.
2) Outdated DBS Checks
DBS checks provide a snapshot of a person’s criminal record at the time the certificate is issued. If your certificate is more than 3 months old, we cannot accept it unless you have subscribed to the update service, as the information contained with the check is no longer current. Although not mandatory, we strongly recommend subscribing to the update service.
3) Lack of an enhanced check or barred lists check
These checks provide comprehensive information, including police records and other relevant information. Without an enhanced check or barred lists check, important details may be overlooked.
4) Name and address history discrepancies
Mismatches between any previous names and the address history on your DBS certificate compared with the information you have given us can lead to confusion and delays. Make sure to include all previous names and addresses on both your DBS and Ofsted application forms and ensure these align.
5) Providing the right identification
Once you apply for your criminal records check, you must progress your application through all the steps, including providing the right ID. We find that some applicants, especially household members turning 16, do not have appropriate ID ready when applying and this slows down the application process. There is full guidance available to help you with this.
Common myths about DBS checks
We process around 30,000 forms every year and each applicant and person connected to an application or registration requires a DBS check. We take a proportionate and risk-based approach to information contained in a DBS check. Some certificates that we process contain previous convictions, but this does not necessarily mean you are not suitable to provide childcare or be in regular contact with children. Our priority is to always consider what is right for children, and to reduce any risk of harm, as set out in our enforcement policy.
Impact on application timeliness
The application timescale does not start until the completed form is accepted, along with any accompanying forms from assistants or household members. However, we know a lot of applicants struggle to get to this stage due to having the wrong DBS.
To make sure you get the right DBS, we encourage you to do this via the Ofsted DBS application website and read our full guidance on how to get the right one for the role you’re applying for.
Errors in DBS applications can significantly affect the application process. We aim to register applicants within 12 weeks, but this time only starts once we have accepted your application to register. If you use Matrix Security Watchdog to get your DBS, it will usually take around 4 or 5 weeks to receive your DBS through the post, so please factor this into your planning. Sometimes it is quicker, but it often depends on whether you're able to complete the stages quickly.
Child protection is paramount for all childcare professionals, and enhanced criminal record checks are an essential aspect of ensuring a safe environment for children. By resolving issues related to DBS checks, such as non-home-based checks, outdated certificates or lack of an enhanced check, we can make sure we are helping those who want to join the childcare sector to register without delay.
]]>Once you have submitted your application to register with Ofsted, we will give you a call to discuss your application. At this stage we want to make sure everything you have included in your form is correct, to avoid any unnecessary delays later. If you are not available, we will follow up via email with questions about your application and it is important that you respond quickly.
If you are thinking of applying to register with Ofsted, here are a few things that we think you should know. They are common things we have found during the first month of telephone calls to applicants.
Things to double check before submitting your application:
For childminders and childcare on domestic premises, we need to check everyone over 16 who lives or works on the premises.
If we find out about additional people in the home after your application has been submitted, this will cause delays and may lead to us refusing your application. It is our legal duty to complete these checks.
If your children live with you and are turning 16 during the process, they will also need to complete an ‘Add Association form’ to be added to the application once they turn 16 and have appropriate ID to complete their DBS application.
Sometimes, childminders and daycare applicants have building work being carried out. This must be completed before we can visit and carry out a review of your premises. Premises from which you plan to provide care should be ready immediately following the registration visit.
Most providers register on the early years register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the childcare register. But it is completely up to you what type of childcare you want to provide and the ages of children you want to care for. There is information about the different registers and types of providers in our childcare manual.
Some organisations may decide to provide childcare as part of their organisational set up but where it is not their main operational function.
For example, a hospital that wants to provide an on-site daycare for their staff would not count childcare as their ‘prime purpose’. In this case, the organisation linked to the hospital is accountable for the registration of the daycare. The most senior person in the organisation with direct responsibility for childcare in the hospital must apply, but no other directors or committee members need to be listed on a registration.
However, if your organisation’s ‘prime purpose’ is childcare, you should read our guidance about which individuals must complete a form depending on the type of legal entity.
Closer to your visit date, an inspector will be in touch to arrange the details and explain what will happen. We will keep you updated with the progress of your application along the way.
We are always looking for ways to improve how we engage with the public. We have already received positive feedback on changes we implemented from some of your ideas. We will continue to learn from trends we spot through these calls with applicants to provide an effective and high-quality service. We also have a registration survey for applicants to give you a further chance to tell us what we did well and what we could do better.
Additional resources
For more information, you can read our full guidance on what to expect during the application review stage.
We’ve also published two blogs over the past few months about the work we have been doing to speed up the registration process for applicants. The most recent blog covered the outcome of our pilot registration programme and how we are now rolling out the changes to all early years applicants looking to register with Ofsted.
]]>A child’s early education lasts a lifetime. That’s why giving all children ‘the best start in life’ is crucial and one of Ofsted’s strategic priorities. In this blog, I want to update you on some of the work we’ve been doing to support this focus, including:
‘The best start in life’
Every child deserves a high-quality early education. The benefits can be seen throughout early childhood itself and also later in their schooling. A high-quality early education is particularly beneficial for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Similarly, gaps in a child’s early years education can have long-term consequences. Some children are more likely to have gaps than others. Overall, children from disadvantaged backgrounds lag behind other children by the end of the EYFS. Boys are furthest behind in their communication and language and this gender gap is widest for the most disadvantaged children.
We know how committed you are to making sure that every child gets the best start in life. But we also understand how tricky this is. It’s difficult to recruit and retain staff. Fewer young people are enrolling on apprenticeships. Many children need a great deal of help to catch up after the pandemic.
Despite these challenges, we are seeing some great practice in nurseries, pre-schools and childminders. We want to share this with the whole sector, supported by key messages from our research. This is why giving children ‘the best start in life’ is one of our strategic priorities and at the very heart of our work in the early years.
Communication and language roadshows
Over the past year, we’ve been delivering our communication and language roadshows across the country. This has given us the chance to hear about your work and the challenges you’re facing. We have been talking about the importance of curriculum. We want to emphasise:
New curriculum leads for early education
To help us with our focus on early education, we have recently appointed two new His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) as curriculum leads. They are Mireille MacRaild HMI and Julian Grenier HMI. Both are highly experienced practitioners in early education with many years of leadership expertise. They have a wealth of first-hand experience of working with babies, toddlers and young children in the EYFS, and of leading professional development for practitioners. Both colleagues have already made a substantial contribution to our early years work. We look forward to using their expertise even further in 2023/24.
Part 2 of our Best Start in Life research review
We are also delighted to share the second part of our Best Start in Life research review. Part 2 focuses on the 3 prime areas of learning in the EYFS and highlights the following evidence:
A focus on the prime areas provides children with what they need today. It also creates the strong foundations children need for their later success.
This review uses the same research and evidence that underpins our inspection work. It can help you to evaluate and develop the important work you are doing, so that every child gets the best start in life.
Next steps
In the EYFS, the 3 prime areas underpin the 4 specific areas of learning. The specific areas will be the focus of the third and final report in our series. As the EYFS statutory framework explains, ‘the specific areas of learning provide children with a broad curriculum and with opportunities to strengthen and apply the prime areas of learning.’
We know how committed you are. But we know that not all children get a good early education. That’s why at Ofsted we’re continuing to prioritise a high-quality early education for every child.
]]>We know it’s a difficult time for the early years (EY) sector. 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 we have published and how they might be useful to you.
We are always looking at ways to make our guidance clearer for you. We have recently produced a range of resources about inspection and the early years foundation stage (EYFS). We hope that these resources answer some of your questions, reassure you about our work and clarify any misconceptions about inspection.
Ofsted inspections: what EY providers and practitioners need to know
We have published a webpage containing answers to a range of questions that we are commonly asked about delivering the EYFS and about our inspections.
There are 3 separate collections of questions and answers: one collection each for registered early years providers, childminders and those delivering the EYFS in schools. Each collection is organised into 2 sections, covering the EYFS and inspection. Some of the questions are relevant for all settings, but some are only relevant for certain types of provision. For this reason, the questions and answers in each guide have been adapted for the setting type.
Our answers are provided by a team of experienced inspectors and are designed to clarify parts of the inspection process that we know practitioners can find confusing. We hope this helps you find what you need quickly and easily.
Find us on social media
We have a range of social media channels where you can find information about our new publications, research about the early years, changes to the EYFS, and new initiatives such as our recent pilot into how we manage registration visits.
You can view our videos and webinar recordings on www.youtube.com/Ofstednews. We often hold childminder webinars but if you’re unable to make them, you can watch them back.
In July 2023, we launched a new YouTube series Early years FAQs for providers and practitioners. Each short video features an early years inspector answering a common question about inspection practice and the EYFS.
The videos are freely available so please do share them with colleagues and with anyone else you think might find them useful. We will continue to release more videos throughout the rest of the year.
We have a Facebook page dedicated to childminders – www.facebook.com/Childcareregistration. We post regularly on Ofsted news and updates about the early years.
We tweet (or ‘X’) regularly about all our remits, news, publications, events and more on www.twitter.com/Ofstednews. We also share our early years videos, blogs and news stories here.
Our recent blog posts
We regularly share posts on this early years blog since launching it last year. We hope that these help you to understand what we do and keep you updated with our work. Our most recent blogs cover:
You can also subscribe to receive an email notification when we post a new blog.
]]>In November, we published a blog about our plans to streamline the early years registration process.
Pilot programme
Over the past few months, we have carried out a pilot, testing whether we could speed up the process by changing when we scheduled the registration visit. We wanted to reduce any time where providers were kept waiting for the next step.
We piloted this in the South East and in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber regions. We now plan to roll this out to all early years providers from September 2023.
Our new registration process
The new process is quite simple. When we receive a completed application, we will contact applicants to discuss their application. At this time, we will also schedule a registration visit with them. This will usually be 8 weeks after the application has been received. However, if all suitability checks are not complete by week 6 of the application, we may need to reschedule the visit.
Results
We wanted to find ways to speed up the early years application process without compromising our regulatory rigour. Caring for children is vital work. We want to make sure that only those who are suitable become registered to do so.
We also found that our additional telephone calls helped catch mistakes and inaccuracies in application forms which may have led to later delays. Applicants said they found the additional calls helpful to understand the next steps.
Next steps
Our work does not stop here. We’re always looking for new ways to do things more efficiently and effectively. Part of our role is to continually review how we use public funds effectively, and to reduce the time and cost pressures for providers whenever possible.
Ofsted’s recently published annual report and accounts shows that we carried out 2,500 registration visits and registered 5,880 settings last year. The average time for registration was considerably below the previous 25-week target.
We try to register providers as quickly as possible, but there are sometimes unavoidable delays. We are frequently reliant on outside agencies for information, so we ask for your understanding and patience when we cannot meet these timescales.
We’ll conduct a welcome call with you to make sure your application is complete before proceeding with the registration process. By reading our registration guidance, including all of the necessary information on the application forms, and by making sure that all those connected to an application complete their form too, you’ll be helping us to register you as swiftly as possible.
]]>We’re on the final stretch of our journey around the country delivering our early years curriculum roadshows on the education inspection framework (EIF).
Now seems a good time to look at how far we’ve come and where we’re going to next.
There were only 6 months of inspecting using the EIF before the pandemic. During those early months, we began a series of events for the early years sector. We sought to raise awareness of the new inspection handbook and explain how inspectors would look at the quality of education. We paused these events during the national lockdowns but, once it was possible, we refreshed and relaunched the programme. We are now focusing on the importance of communication and language. And we’re also now able to draw on the first of our early years research reports.
What we talked about
In the roadshows, we have talked about:
The correlations between a child’s vocabulary size and their life chances are as firm as any correlations in educational research. The early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework states that:
the development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development
Some children will understand and know more words than others simply because of the quality and quantity of the interactions they’ve had. Early years practitioners can help to improve children’s language with as many high-quality interactions as possible.
That is why a deliberately thought-out curriculum for children’s communication and language development is so important. Children’s interactions form the foundations for language and cognitive development.
The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day is crucial. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, for instance, practitioners will build children's language. Reading aloud and engaging children actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems are all important. Then providing children with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts will give them the opportunity to thrive. These are just some of the messages we have shared through the roadshows.
The impact we’ve had
Since we began the programme in June 2022, we have delivered more than 40 sessions. Nearly 3,000 practitioners from almost 2,000 providers have attended so far, with another 12 events planned over the summer.
We recently asked attendees what they have done differently as a result of the roadshows, and what impact their actions have had. Practitioners told us that some of the things they’ve done include:
They also told us that some results of what they’ve done include:
Next steps
During the summer term, we are taking the roadshows to Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Blackburn, Maidstone, Bristol and Swindon.
Over the summer, we will be planning our next round of roadshows. These will be based on the upcoming second part of our early years research review. We look forward to bringing a new area of learning to a roadshow near you. Look out for your invitations from your local authority.
]]>The Chancellor recently announced an optional change to childcare ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 for two-year-old children. This change will apply from September 2023.
All other staff-to-child ratios remain the same.
While the Department for Education sets the ratios, we want to make sure that the way that they work is well understood.
We know that many providers find ratios complicated. The questions we get asked most frequently on our Childcare Registration Facebook page are about ratios.
We want to help by setting out the answers to a few frequently asked questions:
Examples of when childminders can make exceptions are set out in the framework for the EYFS in paragraph 3.43. They include caring for siblings and caring for your own children. Even when exceptions are permitted, for childminders and assistants, the maximum is always 6 children per adult. Group providers can also make exceptions and this is set out in paragraph 3.31.
While we hope these pointers are useful, it is your responsibility to read, understand and demonstrate your ability to meet the ongoing requirements for registration. Ratio requirements are flexible, but you should be able to explain your rationale for how you deploy staff or assistants.
Our inspectors are not trying to catch you out. We just want to know that you are keeping children safe and providing high-quality early education and care. That is our priority.
]]>Before looking ahead to what 2023 will hold for the early years sector, it's worth reflecting on the year that has just passed.
Ofsted ended the year with the publication of our Annual Report, which provides an overview of what our inspections found, our research, and identifies important themes and potential challenges. You can read the full report here and the early years section here.
What we saw in 2022
We are particularly aware of the long-term difficulties nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are facing at the moment.
We know that many nurseries and preschools are having problems in recruiting and retaining high-quality staff, alongside more childminders leaving the sector. This may be caused, and is certainly compounded, by changes in parental preference, working patterns, and childcare requirements as well as cost of living pressures. A part of the solution to the recruitment difficulties might be through apprentices but unfortunately fewer young people are even beginning these programmes. The number of people them fell from just over 27,000 six years ago, to just over 16,000 last year.
Alongside this difficult working situation, helping young children catch up after the pandemic is an unprecedented challenge.
The report identified the longer-term impacts of the pandemic. It is now clearer where children have fallen behind, and the difficulties the sector faces in helping them to catch up. But we did see some great examples of providers doing just that.
These included:
Fortunately, these problems have not affected the profile of inspection judgements so far, but they are something we're very aware of as we move in to 2023. However, for now, 97% of childminders and 96% of nurseries and pre-schools are rated good or outstanding – a very impressive feat considering the circumstances.
Our focus
The report, along with our research review Best Start in Life, emphasised the importance of curriculum in the early years.
We’ve committed to a strategic priority of giving children ‘the best start in life’, and high-quality early years education is vital to that. Children attend nurseries, pre-schools and childminders at a crucial developmental point in their lives. What they learn during this time forms the foundation for their future educational attainment, as well as their future health and happiness.
Making sure children achieve their potential at this stage is therefore of the upmost importance.
Of course, preparing children for future study is not the only purpose of early years education, but it is an important one. Our research review identified some of the features that high-quality early years curriculum and pedagogy may have, and we would encourage all providers to consider this in their work this year.
The work we are doing in this area is guided by another of our strategic priorities, our commitment to ‘right touch regulation.’ We want to help practitioners to make sure children get all they can from their early years. We’re working where we can to streamline what we require from providers to allow them to spend more time with the children in their care.
What will 2023 hold?
In 2023, we will be publishing further parts of our research review for the early years. Subsequent reviews will explore the 7 areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage, taking into account that the areas of learning are all interconnected.
We will continue our focus on communication and language. As we reported in the first part of our early years research review, if children do not develop and learn these abilities in their early years, it has a lasting impact on their educational progress. It underpins all future learning, and we will continue to emphasise its importance.
As we have said above, high-quality apprenticeships can be part of the solution to recruitment difficulties. We’re awaiting the results of the consultation on updating and improving the Level 3 criteria for Early Years Educators. These criteria need to capture the right things and be brought up to date. We hope this update process can be completed quickly.
We are also working to improve the efficiency of our registration process. We’ve already published a blog on our efforts to streamline the process here and will always seek to make things easier where we can, in line with our ‘right touch regulation’ strategic priority.
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