Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education)

About

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. We inspect services providing education and skills for learners of all ages. We also inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people.

What we do

Ofsted’s role is to make sure organisations providing education, training and care services in England do so to a high standard for children and students.

Every week, we carry out hundreds of inspections and regulatory visits throughout England and publish the results online.

We report directly to Parliament and we are independent and impartial.

Find out what you must do to register as a childcare provider with Ofsted

There are 4 sets of guides, telling you what you need to do if you want to apply to:

  • Be a childminder
  • Be a nanny
  • Be a nursery or other type of daycare
  • Register on the Childcare Register, if you do not fit into one of the above categories

Each set also has important information for running that type of childcare. This includes:

  • Adding a setting where you can look after children
  • Which people you need to tell Ofsted about, including joiners or leavers
  • Reporting serious childcare incidents such as temporary closures, or a child’s illness or injury
  • Paying an Ofsted invoice

Childminders

To register as a childminder with Ofsted, you will need to be looking after other families’ children in someone’s home. This can be your home, or someone else’s.

You can only have a maximum of 3 adults, including yourself, working at the same time.

Becoming a childminder and running your business

Nannies

You will need to be looking after only 1 or 2 families’ children at the same time in order to be registered as a nanny with Ofsted. This will have to be in one of those children’s homes.

Becoming a nanny

Nurseries and other daycares

You will need to register as a daycare if you will be looking after children aged between birth and the 31 August following their fifth birthday.

You will be doing this in either:

  • A place that is not someone’s home
  • A home where 4 or more people will be working with the children at the same time.

Starting a nursery or other daycare and running the business

Childcare registrations

If you do not meet the requirements for any of the above 3 types of childcare, you might still be able to join the Childcare Register.

This will usually be if you are running a sports club for children or before and after school care.

Joining the Childcare Register and running the business

Who to contact

Telephone
0300 123 1231 General enquiries 0300 123 1231 General enquiries 0300 123 4666 Concerns and complaints 0300 123 4666 Concerns and complaints
E-mail
enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
Website(s)

Actions

Save to shortlist

Last Updated

Last updated: