Nursery World - Ofsted: Early years inspections to move to 'six-year window'

Ofsted has set out plans to change the inspection cycle for early years providers, so that all nurseries, pre-schools and childminders will be inspected within six years of their last inspection.

In future, all early years providers will be inspected at least once every six years

Early years inspections will move to ‘a six-year window’, as part of a move by Ofsted to a new, ‘more proportionate and flexible approach’ to inspecting nurseries and childminders that will prioritise the inspection of providers rated less than good.

Under previous arrangements inspections could fall at any point within a four-year cycle. In some instances, inspections could occur at the start of one cycle, and towards the end of the next – potentially resulting in an eight-year gap between inspection visits.

Routine inspections of nurseries and childminders have been suspended since March, interrupting the last early years inspection cycle and creating longer periods between routine inspections. When inspections under the education inspection framework (EIF) resume.

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