Collection
Early years inspection: guidance and resources
Find guidance on how Ofsted inspects early years settings – for inspectors, providers and staff.
What happens during an early years inspection
Information for early years providers and staff
The below documents are for providers and staff. Please note that the ‘Early years inspection: toolkit, operating guide and information’ page includes some guidance that is for inspectors. We publish this for transparency.
Guidance for inspectors
Education inspection framework
This document explains why we inspect early years providers (and other educational provision), including the legal requirements.
Inspector training
Glossary
Updates to this page
Published 11 February 2026