Childcare and early years
Finding childcare, running a childcare business, financial support, data collection, local authority obligations.
Services
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Find an Ofsted inspection report
Search for Ofsted inspection reports for childminders and childcare providers, schools, colleges, further education providers, children and families services
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Find free early education and childcare
Check if your council offers free early education and childcare
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Find a nursery school place
Apply for a place in a nursery school for children under 5 through your local council
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Unpaid parental leave
Employer and employee guide to unpaid parental leave - eligibility, how much leave can be taken and notice periods
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Early years foundation stage
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5
Guidance and regulation
- Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework
- Development Matters
- Universal Credit childcare costs
- Education inspection framework (EIF)
- Early years qualifications achieved in the United Kingdom
News and communications
- ‘Back to work Budget’ supporting people to return to the labour market
- 405,420 families saved on childcare costs with Tax-Free Childcare
- Thousands of families to benefit from local support in rollout of Family Hubs
- Boost your childcare budget this half term
- Urgent Safety Alert issued for baby self-feeding products
Research and statistics
- Childcare providers and inspections as at 31 August 2022
- Early years inspections: statistical commentaries 2022 to 2023
- Childcare providers and inspections: management information
- Children’s Health in Northern Ireland 2019/20
- Children’s Health in Northern Ireland 2020/21
Policy papers and consultations
- Childcare: regulatory changes
- Publication of statistics on childcare providers and inspections
- The best start for life: a progress report on delivering the vision
- Childminder agencies (CMAs)
- Early years register providers inspection requirements for Ofsted
Transparency and freedom of information releases
- Consented addresses for childminders and domestic childcare
- Ofsted Inspectors: lists
- Data on providers that have left the Early Years Register
- Reported COVID-19 notifications by registered early years and childcare settings
- Ofsted Annual Report 2020/21: education, children’s services and skills