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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Find a registered childminder
Contact your local council to find a registered childminder - Family Information Service, early years education, childcare and family support in your area
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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
- Sign in to your childcare provider account for Tax-Free Childcare
- Education inspection framework (EIF)
News and communications
- Back to school? HMRC can help with childcare costs
- Education providers resilient as COVID challenges continue
- Drive to reduce the cost of childcare for parents
- More than 500,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare in the last year
- Every child deserves the best start in life
Research and statistics
- Childcare and early years survey of parents: 2021
- Childcare providers and inspections: management information
- Exploring Ofsted inspection data with Data View
- Education recovery in early years providers: summer 2022
- Parental perceptions of childcare in England
Policy papers and consultations
- Publication of statistics on childcare providers and inspections
- Early years childcare fees regulations
- Childminder agencies (CMAs)
- Early years register providers inspection requirements for Ofsted
- Childminder agency (CMA) inspection requirements for Ofsted
Transparency and freedom of information releases
- Consented addresses for childminders and domestic childcare
- Ofsted Inspectors: lists
- Reported COVID-19 notifications by registered early years and childcare settings
- Ofsted Annual Report 2020/21: education, children’s services and skills
- Joiners and leavers in the childcare sector