As of 2026, Ofsted has changed its requirements for early education and childcare inspections. This year there is a stronger emphasis on inclusion, putting greater focus on how well schools and nurseries identify and support pupils who face barriers to learning and/or their wellbeing. So, how does this affect the UK’s early year settings?
Under Ofsted’s new legislation, nurseries are expected to adopt stricter guidelines on how to operate. With strong focus on inclusion and safeguarding, settings must change their standards to keep their doors open.
Julie Grace is an early years professional who has worked in the sector for 20 years. She has her own nursery setting in Doncaster and was an early years Ofsted inspector for 3 years.
She said: ‘There were a lot of changes. The majority was very much around safeguarding, and as a provider, you totally understand that. It’s very much around how we recruit staff and making sure that the recruitment is done properly from start to finish.’
The Ofsted framework also created a dedicated evaluation area for inclusion. This means that inspectors will assess support for disadvantaged children, provision for children with SEND and work with children known to childcare, all under a direct and visible specific area.
Julie said: ‘So, we have quite a few children looked after in alternative care. Before this, we needed to do a personal educational plan for all our children, but only when they became three. Now that has completely gone. So, we need to do a personal educational plan for any looked after child for any age they come in. So that’s sort of an example of how things have changed and the impact that it has on our personal setting.
‘It’s very much around making sure that your policies and procedures are clear. The biggest thing as a provider is to ensure that every single person who works within the building including students and apprentices, are clear with the expectations.’
Andrew Richard is an early years provider in Scunthorpe. He reacted to the changes the requirements will have on North Lincolnshire settings.
He said: ‘An Ofsted inspection will have more of an emphasis on inclusion. So, an inspector will ask for information about a child with special education needs and see how they’re cared for and how the staff interact with them throughout the day. Settings must make sure they’re ready and confident to provide the information necessary.’
Ofsted’s requirements are constantly changing and adapting to ensure the best quality care of children in early years setting. However, with these fast-coming changes, there may be some limitations for settings to be able to keep up.
Grace said: ‘We are quite limited with our funds. So, with regards to government funding that we receive for children that do need this additional support, it’s very limited and nowhere near the same as what schools receive. So, in fairness, we are doing everything that a school does, but with very little funding.
‘As soon as these children go to school, the funding does jump up massively. So, it’s something that’s a little bit of a grey area again, but it shows the difference that we’re making to these children’s lives. However, we are limited to what we can do with regards to making sure that we’ve got the manpower to be able to manage all these roles.’
Richard said: ‘I’ve got an extra member of staff who’s not in ratio that will be primarily with SEND children. I still need to pay that wage out of the standard funding we get so that’s the main negative for me as a business.’
Still, nurseries are doing their best to quickly uphold the requirements and add the guidelines into their handbook.
‘As far as the children attending, I would say it makes an impact on all of them because all my team are going to follow the same policies and procedures which will impact on them and their safety’, Grace said. ‘The requirements set a minimum standard for settings and it’s something we must follow.’
Grace continued to say: ‘It’s not had a massive impact on my setting because we were doing it anyway. But I do truly think that that will make a huge difference to some of these children that could potentially slip through the net.’
As of 2025, routine inspections are in a four-year window so settings must be able to show what they have done to adopt any new Ofsted guidelines. New settings will be inspected within 18 months of registration.
This framework aims to improve the quality care of children in early years settings. The guidelines set the standards of care expected by early years providers. This will aim to improve the overall quality care in the UK.
Andrew Richard on inclusion changes:
