Guidance

How to object: guidance for childcare providers

Updated 22 October 2026

Applies to England

About objections

If we intend to refuse your application to become a childcare provider, we will tell you this in a letter called a notice of intention. At this stage, you have the opportunity to make an objection to our intention to refuse your application.

Making an objection is your opportunity to give us any information or evidence that you think we have not yet considered. You can also tell us about anything you have done to address the concerns we set out in the notice of intention. If you can show that you have dealt with our concerns, we may decide not to take the action set out in the notice of intention.

Alternatively, we may impose conditions that you must meet in order to register. If we intend to do this, we will also let you know in a notice of intention. You can object to a notice of intention to apply conditions to your registration in the same way as a notice of intention to refuse your application.

If you are currently registered with Ofsted as a childminder or childcare provider, the early years and childcare enforcement policy explains how to object to our intention to cancel your registration or refuse an application to vary or remove a condition of registration.

Letting us know you want to object

If you want to object, you must tell us in writing within 14 days of the date you receive the notice of intention. At this stage, you only need to tell us that you want to object.

You can tell us you want to object by emailing CIE@ofsted.gov.uk. Your email must:

• be sent from the email address you have registered with us
• include your unique reference number (URN)
• state that you want to object to the notice of intention, preferably in the subject line

We will then contact you to establish how you want to make your objection.

If you have not registered an email address with us, you can tell us by post that you want to object. Send your letter to:

Ofsted
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

Your letter must:

• include your URN
• state that you want to object to the notice of intention
• provide the best days/times and details for contacting you

Making your objection

After we receive your intention to object, we will send you a form to complete to tell us how you want to make your objection. You can make your objection:

• in writing
• by telephone or video call
• in person

The objection will usually be dealt with by the senior officer who made the original decision. If this is not possible, another senior officer in your region will do this instead.

Objecting in writing

If you want to make your objection in writing, the form should include your reasons for objecting. You should also include any other information relevant to your objection that you would like us to know.

Objecting by telephone, by video call or in person

If you tell us you want to make your objection by telephone, by video call or in person, we will arrange an objection meeting at a suitable date, time and, where necessary, place. 

If you want to make your objection yourself, you can have someone else with you to provide support and offer you advice. This is called a support person. This person can be anyone: for example, a friend, a neighbour or a relative as outlined. You can also bring your solicitor if you have one.

Alternatively, you can ask someone else to make your objection for you. If a representative makes your objection and you decide not to attend the meeting or telephone/video call, we may need to contact you if any of the information provided is not clear.

The objection meeting is an opportunity for you to give us any further information that you think we should consider before we make our decision.

We will not challenge the information you or your representative give. In the same way, you or your representative cannot directly challenge us about the steps we intend to take.

We will only ask questions if:

• we do not understand the information you give us on the day
• we need you to tell us more about any of the information you give us

If you and/or your representative decide to attend in person, we will show you to a private room where we will hear your objection. If you make your objection by telephone or video call, we will call you or your representative at the time we have arranged with you.

Once you, and/or your representative, are settled and ready, we will:

• welcome you
• ask you to confirm your name and address and, if relevant, the name of anyone else you have brought with you for support and/or advice, or to act as your representative
• confirm that you understand the action we intend to take
• explain that we will take notes when you and/or your representative are presenting your information
• explain that we may ask questions if we do not understand the information you give, but we will not cross-examine you or your representative
• explain how we will tell you or your representative the outcome of your objection

We will then ask you, and/or your representative, to make your objection. You can ask to take a break at any time.

Before the objection meeting, you should tell us about any special facilities or reasonable adjustments you may need, such as easy access to the building, so that we can make suitable arrangements.

What happens after you have presented your objection

If you have made your objection in writing

We will review all the information you provide and make a decision.

If you have made your objection by telephone or video call

We will end the first part of the call so that we can review our notes to make sure we have recorded each part of your objection. This is also an opportunity for you, and/or your representative, to check that you did not forget to tell us about any important point that you wanted to make.

We will call you back after a short time and:

• summarise the main points of your objection
• ask you to confirm that we have understood your objection correctly

You and/or your representative can then raise any points that may have been overlooked.

This is the end of your part in the objection. The meeting will end at this point, and we will review all the information you have provided and make a decision.

If you have made your objection in person

We will ask you and/or your representative to leave the room to allow us to review the information. This is so that we can check our notes to make sure that we have correctly recorded each part of your objection. It is also an opportunity for you, and/or your representative, to check that you did not overlook any important point that you wanted to make.

We will then invite you and/or your representative back into the room. We will summarise the main points of your objection. We will ask you to confirm that we have understood your objection correctly. It is at this time that you, and/or your representative, can raise any points that may have been overlooked.

This then ends your part in the objection, and you and/or your representative leave at this point. We will review all the information you have provided and make a decision.

Making the decision about your objection

The senior officer will consider all the information contained in the notice of intention, which sets out the steps we are proposing, and will consider the information you provided in your objection. They will base their decision only on that information. We will either:

• uphold your objection
• not uphold your objection

How we tell you the outcome of your objection

If you made your objection in writing, we will write to you within 10 working days of the date that the senior officer has arranged to consider all the facts and evidence alongside the information you have provided.

If you made your objection by telephone, video call or in person, we will tell you of our decision as soon as possible after the meeting. This will be within 10 working days of the objection meeting.

We will not tell you about our decision on the day we hear your objection. This is to make sure we have time to consider all the facts and evidence alongside the information you have provided.

The letter/email will include the senior officer’s decision, together with an explanation of how this was reached.

What does the outcome of my objection mean?

Objection upheld

If we uphold your objection, we will continue to process your application.

Objection not upheld

If we do not accept your objection, your outcome will be ‘objection not upheld’. This means we will proceed with the steps set out in our original notice of intention.

We will confirm the decision and the reasons for it, in a written notice called a notice of decision. We may send this with the letter telling you the outcome of your objection or separately.

Appealing your decision

If your objection is not upheld and you disagree with the steps we plan to take, you have the right to appeal against that decision to the external body First-tier Tribunal (Care Standards). You can only do this after you receive the notice of decision.

We will include information about the appeal process in the notice of decision. Information can also be found on our How to appeal page.