How Ofsted inspects early years now: report cards, grades, the day

Ofsted now inspects early years settings in England against a published toolkit with seven evaluation areas, and there is no longer a single overall grade. Safeguarding is judged met or not met. The other six areas are each graded on a five-point scale, from urgent improvement to exceptional, and the result is published as a report card. The inspection is built around conversations and shared observations with leaders, not a document trawl.

The renewed framework replaced the old early years inspection handbook on 10 November 2025. Ofsted updated the toolkit, operating guide and information page for inspections from 1 September 2026, adding a sharper check on safe sleep, weaning and safer eating. Everything below comes from those September 2026 documents.

What does Ofsted grade?

Evaluation area	How it is graded
Safeguarding	Met or not met
Inclusion	Five-point scale
Curriculum and teaching	Five-point scale
Achievement	Five-point scale
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines	Five-point scale
Children’s welfare and wellbeing	Five-point scale
Leadership and governance	Five-point scale

Before- and after-school and holiday provision (including childminders who only do wraparound or holiday care) are not graded on curriculum and teaching or achievement, because the EYFS learning and development requirements do not apply to them.

What do the five grades mean?

• Exceptional: all the strong standards met, plus the extra standards the toolkit lists for exceptional. Inspectors call Ofsted’s duty desk when it looks likely.
• Strong standard: all expected and all strong standards met.
• Expected standard: all expected standards met, including the EYFS legal requirements. This is where inspectors start.
• Needs attention: expected standard not met, but the breaches do not significantly affect children and there is no concern about your suitability. Ofsted sets actions.
• Urgent improvement: breaches that significantly affect children’s safety, wellbeing or learning, or concerns about suitability. Where children’s safety is at significant risk, Ofsted will consider enforcement action.

Minor inconsistencies can produce “next steps” without lowering a grade. For safeguarding, small administrative gaps you can fix before the inspector leaves, such as an out-of-date policy, need not lead to “not met” if they have no direct effect on children’s safety.

How much notice do you get?

• Group settings: a phone call on the working day before, usually by 10am.
• Childminders and settings that do not run regularly, such as holiday schemes: a call no more than five working days before, to find a day when children are there.
• Without notice: Ofsted can inspect without notice, usually when it has concerns.

The first call confirms who is in charge and books a planning call for later the same day. That call is usually by video, lasts about 30 minutes and has three parts: practicalities, your context and priorities, and the timetable. Ofsted asks you not to record it, but you can take notes. You will be asked where you think you sit on the scale for each area, and about children who are disadvantaged, have SEND or are known to children’s social care.

Group settings can choose a nominee, a member of staff who knows the day-to-day running well and liaises with the inspector throughout. It is optional, and childminders do not need one.

What happens on the day?

One inspector is normal; larger settings may get more. They will not normally arrive before 8am and aim to leave by 5pm. Expect around three hours for a childminder, four hours for a group setting with restricted hours, and six hours for a full-day group setting.

The operating guide says early activities must include:

1. Reviewing DBS records as a priority, and discussing recruitment and paediatric first aid. Childminders are exempt from the DBS review for themselves, assistants and household members.
2. Meeting your designated safeguarding lead.
3. Checking safe sleep, weaning and safer eating are understood and followed.
4. Shared observations with leaders, and talking with children, including at mealtimes, sleep times and arrivals.
5. Case sampling: following a few children closely, usually including children with SEND, those who are disadvantaged or known to social care, and babies. This covers the key person’s knowledge of the child and the progress check at age two.

Around halfway through there is a reflective discussion on emerging evidence. The afternoon brings focused conversations with leaders, the SENCo, staff and apprentices, and, where possible, parents (without staff present). A grading discussion gives provisional grades, followed by final feedback.

What will inspectors ask the manager?

The planning call and leadership discussions cover these themes. The questions are our wording, based on the operating guide:

• What are you proud of here, and what are you working on? Where would you place yourself on the scale for each area, and why?
• What do you want children to know and be able to do by the time they leave?
• How do staff spot children who need extra help, and what happens next?
• Talk me through a recent safeguarding concern, from first worry to outcome.
• How did you check this person was safe to employ?
• How do you know your training changes what staff do?
• How is early years pupil premium spent, and what difference has it made?

What will inspectors ask a room practitioner?

The operating guide lists the topics. Typical questions, in our wording:

• What is this child learning at the moment, and why that?
• What can they do now that they couldn’t a month ago? What comes next?
• Show me how this baby is put down to sleep. What would you do if she rolled over?
• How do you know what texture this child can eat? Who checks the food at lunch?
• What would you do if a child told you something that worried you? What if it was about a colleague?
• How does your manager support you?

Staff are told they do not need to bring documents. An honest “I would check with our DSL, and here is how” beats a memorised script.

The checklist: the day before and the day of

The day before (after the call)

• ☐ Tell parents an inspection is happening. The EYFS requires it (group 3.103, childminders 3.102), and you must let the inspector display a poster explaining it.
• ☐ Choose who joins the planning call. Ofsted encourages group leaders to bring a deputy.
• ☐ Decide on a nominee, or decide not to have one.
• ☐ Before the call, think through your honest grade for each of the seven areas, with one example each.
• ☐ Fill in the factual details Ofsted’s email asks for: numbers on roll, 5-year-olds, hours, staff qualifications, funded children, children with SEND.
• ☐ Have DBS and vetting records ready, including volunteers in regulated activity, and the paediatric first aid list.
• ☐ Know where these are: EYFS policies, accident records, complaints log, referrals to the LADO, children with open social care cases, discrimination incidents, children refused a place.
• ☐ Brief staff: normal day, normal routines, no special activities.
• ☐ Check the sleep room, cots and mealtime seating against the EYFS safer sleep and safer eating sections.

On the day

• ☐ Put up the notice of inspection.
• ☐ Check the register matches who is in the building.
• ☐ Check a paediatric first aider is in every room where children eat.
• ☐ Tell the inspector early about anything that makes today unusual, such as illness or a new starter.
• ☐ Ask for breaks if you need them. The operating guide tells inspectors to check on leaders’ and staff wellbeing throughout.
• ☐ If an admin gap is found, fix it before the inspector leaves if you can.
• ☐ Agree who attends the grading discussion and final feedback.
• ☐ Afterwards, keep the grades inside the team until the final report card arrives.

What happens after the inspection?

Ofsted normally sends a draft report card within 18 working days. You have five working days to point out factual errors. The final version normally follows within 30 working days of the inspection and is published five working days after you receive it. You must give a copy to the parents of children who attend regularly.

You can raise concerns about the inspection during it, through the senior Ofsted contact number given at notification, or through the formal complaints process.

Ofsted says settings do not need to create evidence, presentations or new documents for inspection. Our guide to what Ofsted does not require covers that in detail.