Early Years News 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.

New from Childcare.co.uk

There were a number of new arrivals on the Childcare.co.uk website for 2026 including:

• The 2026 free Childminder Organiser
  
• The 2026 Childminder Diary
  
• The 2026 Childminder Budget Planner
  
• Monthly professional development CPD guides
  
• Guidance on how to complete your invoicing to comply with DfE funding changes.

HMRC – loss of wear and tear

HMRC confirmed to Childcare.co.uk recently that childminders who move into making tax digital (MTD) from April 2026 will lose their entitlement to claim 10% wear and tear. Wear and tear has been an allowable expense for the last 13 years, enabling childminders to offset some of the damage caused to their homes by childminded children.

The loss of wear and tear will be felt strongly by those who are being moved into MTD (not for partnerships or limited companies) and Childcare.co.uk is spearheading a campaign to keep the wear and tear allowance.

Ofsted – published report cards

The first batch of the new report cards have been uploaded onto the Ofsted inspection report system. These are from inspections in November and December 2025 and some from January 2026. If you want to search for childminder inspections, you need to:

• Change the category to ‘childcare and education’
• Change the sub-category to ‘childminder’
• Change the ‘sort by’ filter to ‘latest’

Ofsted – childcare register inspection

When you look through the inspection reports on the Ofsted system, you will see some Childcare Register only reports. If you are registered on the Childcare Register only, you might receive a call from Ofsted to undergo a compliance inspection. Ofsted inspect 10% of Childcare Register only providers every year and will also inspect if there are complaints about the provider.

The Childcare Register (compulsory register) sets out minimum requirements for provision. When reading reports, we note that the following issues come through regularly when a provider has been graded as non-compliant:

• No Complaints Policy – to comply with the Childcare Register, you must have a written Complaints Policy that is shared with parents. Childcare.co.uk has a sample complaints policy and record form.


• Lack of safeguarding training – while there isn’t a 2-year requirement for training like in the early years register (EYFS), safeguarding training must be completed regularly. You must know, for example, who to contact if you have a concern about a child or staff member and what to do if a child makes a disclosure. Childcare.co.uk offer regular safeguarding training opportunities and your Local Authority will have training available.


• Lack of paediatric first aid certificate – you must not let this lapse. It is a 3 yearly requirement for all registers.


• Poor medication and / or accident record keeping – check your forms share the correct information with parents and detail all medications / accidents on the premises or outings.


• No water available – set out a table with cups and a jug of fresh water for children to help themselves. Teach them to put the cups in the sink or to stack them on the table in a different place.


• No Safeguarding Policy or Safeguarding Policy not well written. Childcare.co.uk has a sample safeguarding policy ‘addendum for the childcare register’ for gold members to access.


• Lack of insurance cover – this often happens when providers are taking a break but the Childcare Register, like the EYFS, states that you must maintain your insurance cover to stay registered. Childcare.co.uk gold member benefits include insurance for all the registers (ages of children) – you must opt in.


• No understanding of what to notify Ofsted about – for example, changes to health and people living on the premises. Ofsted has further guidance.


• Health and safety risks – hazards are different for older children and you must keep all children safe and healthy while they are in your setting. If you find a daily, weekly or ongoing checklist useful to monitor ongoing health and safety, there is nothing stopping you from using one.


• Lack of age-appropriate activities – set up a craft table, space for reading and homework, somewhere for children to play board games together etc and deploy staff so they can support children’s behaviour.


• Unhealthy food – while the DfE statutory guidance on nutrition is not applicable for older children it can be used helpful guidance.

Ofsted has guidance on how they carry out Childcare Register compliance visits that you might want to read.

Registering as a limited company

Childcare.co.uk has received a number of enquires recently from members who are considering changing the status of their childminding from sole trader to limited company. This is possibly a result of concerns from childminders who will be moving to making tax digital in the future because MTD does not currently include limited companies or partnerships.

This changing to a limited company guidance (recently updated) will help you with the process.

NHS – healthy lunch boxes

The NHS healthier families website has added some new healthy lunchbox resources which you can share with parents to support them when they bring packed lunches into the setting.

The resources include recipes and guidance on healthy eating, including advice to follow the Eat Well nutrition guidance for ages 1 – 5 years.

Lullaby Trust – campaign for Gigi

Lullaby Trust is a national charity which campaigns on safe sleep for babies and children.

Lullaby Trust state, ‘We are working to ensure that every early years professional is aware of and can access the information, resources and training that we offer, and that enables them to keep babies safe.’

The tragic death of Genevieve ‘Gigi’ Meehan’s at nurser in 2022 from asphyxia and stress after being left tightly swaddled, face down and strapped to a beanbag for over an hour by a nursery worker in Stockport, has resulted in the need for more discussion about safety in early years settings.

There is free training available in the new campaign information alongside resources and posters for all early years settings and to share with parents.

Childcare.co.uk also has a recorded Safer Sleep webinar.

Safer internet day

Safer Internet Day is on Tuesday 10th February 2026.

There are a range of resources including slides, activities and tips for different ages of children on the UK Safer Internet Centre website for the theme this year which is ‘exploring the safe and responsible use of AI’ and using the AI responsibly. You can also test your own AI knowledge with some quizzes and share information with parents to support their knowledge of using AI and children’s home learning.

Childcare.co.uk also note that the use of AI is an emerging theme during inspection with some members commenting that they have been asked questions about how they use AI in the setting. You might want to think through some answers if you are due inspection.

Government – SEND support

On Friday 16 January, the Secretary of State for Education announced a £200 million investment to upskill staff in every early years setting, school and college on SEND and inclusion.

This investment will support more children and young people with SEND to thrive, with access to new tools and training. The government aim is that inclusive practice will become the standard, with excellent practice shared across the county. As part of this offer, the government has announced a new national website to provide free, accessible training focused on inclusive practice, child development and practical strategies for supporting children with SEND as soon as their education journey begins.

DfE – funding payments for childminders

The DfE Best Start in Life commitment announced in July 2025 stated that, ‘We will work with local authorities and others to ensure that, where they want to, childminders and other early years providers are paid monthly for the funded hours they provide, making their income more stable.

In an update to this statement, DfE have recently announced that, from October 2026, Local Authorities must offer monthly payments to early years providers who request them, including childminders. This is good news for those childminders who are struggling to manage random payments that arrive through the term.

Ofsted – inspection FAQs

Ofsted has written a new blog to answer some frequently asked questions about their new inspection framework. There is more detail on the pre-inspection planning call, how they view the context of your setting and how they evaluate settings with no children on roll (also in the inspection toolkit).

Unfortunately, they are still unable to answer the most commonly asked question – when they will schedule your inspection when they move from 6 – 4 yearly inspection windows from April 2026.

DfE – the National Education Nature Park

As Childcare.co.uk has reported in the past, childminders are not included in the requirement to have a written Climate Action Plan and to work with parents and the community to promote sustainability – the requirement was removed for childminders after concerns were raised about how much extra paperwork it would place on the sector.

However, if you do want to get involved, there are lots of initiatives in place including the national education nature park which has a useful guide for EYFS providers.

Childcare.co.uk also has a climate change page on the website to support members and lots of resources and a Sustainable Living Goals recorded webinar.

DfE – The National Year of Reading 2026

Are you and parents involved in the 2026 National Year of Reading?

Every early years setting should set aside time for and protect at least one small group reading session for all of the children every day. There are lots of online resources on the National Year of Reading website to support you including toolkits and webinars. Your local authority and local library might also be holding some sessions for children in the area, and you could chat to your local colleagues and share reading sessions or meet up at a local bookshop to explore the sights and smells of new books.

You might also want to share some of the resources with parents, to encourage them to protect nightly bedtime reading for their children. The resources and encouragement to read links well with the new Ofsted early years inspection toolkit aim to ‘promote children’s enjoyment and develop their love of stories, rhymes, songs and books’ and support a love of reading, including at home.

Ofsted – context

As we have noted in previous newsletters, Ofsted are putting a lot of focus on the ‘context’ of the setting during inspection.

Members have asked for more information, so Childcare.co.uk has a new Ofsted Context blog which will help you when preparing for this part of inspection.

Government – do you have CCTV?

The early education minister Olivia Bailey, when speaking in the House of Commons recently, stated that the government is considering the mandatory use of CCTV in early years settings as part of its review into safeguarding practices. This is in response to a former nursery worker admitting child sexual abuse and other safeguarding reviews which highlight poor or dangerous practices that have led to child deaths over the years. The government is not including childminders in their discussions. However, all early years providers must ensure their practice is secure and there is a strong ‘culture of safeguarding’.

This raises the question – What is Ofsted looking for when they talk about a ‘culture of safeguarding’?

• Everyone is responsible for keeping children safe.
• You must have a strong written Safeguarding Policy.
• You must share your Safeguarding Policy with parents.
• Safeguarding must be embedded into day-to-day practice.
• You must know how to recognise child protection concerns.
• Your Safeguarding Policy must state how you follow up concerns.
• You must record and report concerns promptly.
• You should know your Local Safeguarding Partners (LSP) safeguarding priorities.
• Your statutory safeguarding training (‘basic’ and DSL) must be up to date.
• You should do regular safeguarding refresher training.
• Safeguarding must be a key part of recruitment, induction and supervision.
• Children must be listened to and their voices valued.
• Children’s welfare and wellbeing must be a key part of your practice – health and safety.
  
• You must comply with the safeguarding and welfare requirements in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
  
• You might use the Ofsted early years inspection toolkit ‘safeguarding’ section as an audit.
  <
• Whistleblowing must be part of your practice.
• You must record attendance and follow-up if a child is not brought.
• Children are taught about their feelings and how to keep themselves safe in age-appropriate ways.
• Online safety is part of practice and information is shared with parents.
• Induction and ongoing paperwork includes safeguarding references – safe eating, safe sleeping etc.

Government – Employment Rights Act

There are lots of changes coming for employees under the Employment Rights Act.

One of the changes that might affect you if you are an employer (assistants for childminders and staff for early years settings) is in relation to statutory sick pay (SSP).

At the moment, if your assistants or staff earn up to £125 / week they are not entitled to SSP and if they are entitled, they have to wait 3 days to claim from the 4th day of being off sick.

That’s changing from April 2026 – the thresholds will be removed so no matter what your assistants or staff earn or the hours they work, they will be entitled to SSP from day 1.

SSP is £118.75 / week for up to 28 weeks.

If you have an assistant / staff, you will need to update your policies, staff handbook and payroll from April 2026. You will find more information about changes in the Employment Rights Act from ACAS.

Ofsted – the day/s before inspection

You’ve completed the Ofsted and childcare register webinars on Childcare.co.uk and you feel informed about your inspection processes.

Then you’ve had the introductory phone call from your inspector, received the email and talked to your inspector during the longer inspection planning call. You have an inspection day – for group settings, the following day and for childminders an agreed day up to 5 days in advance.
Ofsted inspection guides

What next? Everyone will have their own priorities, but you have limited time so these are some of the areas you might want to focus on –

• Take a breath – you need to have a positive mindset.
• Talk to your team if you have assistants or staff – ensure they feel calm and ready.
• Have a quick tidy up and check your spaces are clean and well organised.
• Check your displays are tidy and up to date.
• Read through your safeguarding policies – the answers to inspection questions should be there.
  
• Ask parents for some feedback for the inspector.
  
• Set out your paediatric first aid certificate, ICO registration, safeguarding training records and any other documents you want the inspector to see.
• Make notes (if you need them) about children’s next steps and progress. You will want to showcase this during your inspection.
• Be ready to talk about your self-evaluation and action planning for the future.
• Prepare food and get things out for ready inspection day – one less thing to worry about.
• Inspection is about the children – be ready to talk about your amazing day-to-day practice.

Don’t make changes to your normal routines and activities – keep to what you do every day. Trust your practice to carry you through.

Childcare.co.uk has guidance to support you.

Childcare.co.uk - monthly CPD

Have you seen the new monthly CPD from Childcare.co.uk?

January CPD encouraged you to think about the Ofsted inspection changes. Childminder feedback states that a lot of colleagues have used the Ofsted early years inspection toolkit as an audit to ensure their provision is compliant with the new expectations.

In February the CPD focus is on child development – you must understand typical child development so you can effectively observe, assess and plan for each child’s progress.

Childcare.co.uk has noted that a lot of Ofsted inspection reports refer to lack of self-evaluation and action planning in early years group settings and for childminders. These CPD opportunities, alongside webinars and audits of your provision, will allow you to demonstrate to your inspector how you are constantly aiming for improvement.

Small group activities for March

What are you planning to engage your children in March 2026? Ofsted state that ‘activities are not enough’ and you need to know why you are planning the toys, games, books, activities, songs and rhymes etc.

The Childcare.co.uk planning for March complements previous planning guides which include using a ‘book as a hook’ and planning themes to support learning. In 2026, the guides are focusing on special days in the early years calendar.

Planning for March will focus on:

• Overarching theme – baby animals and birds as we prepare for spring.
• Week 1 – St David’s Day.
• Week 2 – Mothering Sunday.
• Week 3 – St Patrick’s Day.
• Week 4 – Water play theme linked to World Water Day.
• Week 5 – Easter.

Childcare.co.uk – free webinars for March 2026

Childcare.co.uk offers regular opportunities for early years providers to access free webinars on Tuesday evenings at 7pm. The webinars planned for March include –

• 3rd – Scaffolding learning – there are many different ways to deliver the early years curriculum. Scaffolding is a valuable way to teach as you play.
• 10th – Fundamental movement skills – Ofsted state that early years providers must ‘explicitly teach’ fundamental movement skills.
• 17th – Mathematics – Ofsted state that we must ‘explicitly teach’ mathematics.
• 24th – Resilience – linked to the personal, social and emotional development area of learning, resilience is often raised as a concern when teachers talk about school readiness.
• 31st – Responding to inspection – the new Ofsted early years inspection toolkit is a new way of managing inspection. Providers who have had inspections under the new framework state that inspection feels and looks different and providers need to be ready to tackle the changes.

More information and resources

Childminder Guides

Childminder Paperwork

Childminder Policies

Childminder Organiser

Childminder Diary

Childminder e-books

Childminder Budget Planner

Safeguarding Quick References Cards

COEL Quick Reference Cards

Health & Safety Toolkit

Information Sheets for Parents

Early Years Safety Blog

Activities Ideas & Resources

Childminder Insurance
 

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. Don’t forget to save it, so you can reference the information later or signpost it for colleagues who have questions. You are welcome to share this page on social media. Also read our previous newsletters

Thank you for being part of the Childcare.co.uk community.