News

Latest Childminder News and Updates

1st March 2026

Here are the latest additions and updates to our Childminder Guides, Childminder Paperwork and other childminder resources.  … read more

Free Creative Steps Magazine Spring 2026 Edition

28th February 2026

New Spring 2026 edition out now! Creative Steps is a unique quarterly magazine providing everyone caring for young children up to age 11 with dozens of fun, creative activity ideas, all designed to encourage learning through creative play. … read more

Early Years News March 2026

27th February 2026

Welcome to March! As early years providers across the country prepare to start their spring activities and put winter behind them, Childcare.co.uk has trawled through the latest information and updates to make it easier for you to get on with the more important job of caring for children. … read more

Ofsted Inspection Report Outcomes

27th February 2026

When we read Ofsted inspection reports, they give us an insight into what is happening during early years inspections. While they should not be considered without context, reports tell us the main areas of practice which are impacting on grades for colleagues, so we can learn from them and maybe make changes to our own provision and ways of working. … read more

Recent Safeguarding Concerns for Childminders

16th February 2026

Child abuse cases are rare across all types of early years settings. Recent Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (previously known as serious case reviews), court cases and high-profile news items highlight failures – but we must remember that they are not commonly occurring when you look at everyday practice and the majority of early years providers offer safe, high-quality care. … read more

Early Years News February 2026

1st February 2026

Welcome to your February 2026 newsletter from Childcare.co.uk. How has the new year been for you so far? We hope to make your work-life balance a little better by putting together the latest information from Ofsted, DfE etc into one easy to browse newsletter. … read more

Childcare.co.uk met with HMRC to talk about childminders, MTD and expenses

19th January 2026

On 19th January 2026, Childcare.co.uk had an exclusive meeting with HMRC to talk about childminders, MTD, expenses and the historic 'childminder agreement'. Here is a summary of things we discussed with HMRC and our understanding of the changes. This is purely a report of our discussion and not accountancy or tax advice. … read more

Childminder Invoicing from January 2026

7th January 2026

Childminders might need to change the way they invoice parents from January 2026. DfE has included a free template on their Early education and childcare funding page. … read more

Growing your childminding business in 2026

6th January 2026

2025 was a tough year for most childminders business-wise. … read more