Nursery World - Policy Guide: Children and Families Act 2014

A guide to the 241-page Children and Families Act, which became law on 13 March 2014.

Key areas covered under the Act:

Childcare sector

Schools and childcare providers can now set up childminder agencies. The agencies are designed to ‘support childminders with training and business advice while providing parents with easier access to high-quality childcare’ according to the Government. Childminders who are signed up to these agencies will not be individually registered and inspected by Ofsted, instead, the agency itself will receive a grade.

The act paves the way for nurseries and childminders to request an Ofsted inspection outside the inspection cycle for a set fee.

This change came after lobbying from the sector, prompted by the Government’s intention to use only good or outstanding nurseries for two-year-olds on its free early years education scheme.

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