Early Years News July 2026

Welcome to July - the start of summer and for many providers the joys of the school holidays. This time of year often marks a change in pace for many early years providers as the days are warmer and longer.

The Slow pedagogy webinar from Childcare.co.uk is a reminder to slow down, take things easy and stop to smell the roses. Early years providers typically rush around trying to pack things in and often set ourselves impossible targets, attempting do too much and risking burnout, especially when the weather is extreme. Wellbeing is important - we know that we will soon have changes to manage including Ofsted inspection expectations and updates to the EYFS from September 2026. Now is the time to refocus on ourselves and the children in our care.

Let's look at the latest news and updates in early years…

UKHSA - heatwave guidance

Gov.uk has released heatwave guidance from the UK Health Security Agency for early years providers which can also be shared with parents.

Childminder members have raised concerns about sleeping babies in heatwave conditions and the legalities after 1st September 2026 when the EYFS is updated to include an advisory that sleep spaces should be between 16-20°c. Lullaby Trust has guidance which can be shared with parents.

Ofsted - more frequent unannounced inspections

DfE announced on 23rd June that they are funding Ofsted to carry out 3,000 more unannounced inspections. Childcare.co.uk approached Ofsted to confirm whether the news reports that the unannounced inspections would be for 'nurseries' were correct and Ofsted clarified that all types of settings would be included. Ofsted will carry out the additional unannounced visits each year to improve monitoring of settings. The aim is to risk assess more effectively and identify safeguarding concerns early so they can take action quickly when needed.

Ofsted - preparing for unannounced inspections

You could receive an unannounced inspection at any time, so it's more reason to be ready - to know the EYFS, to know the inspection toolkit, to know what is expected of you during inspection. Childcare.co.uk has guidance and recorded inspection webinars to support you.

There will be a focus on safeguarding compliance. Steps you can take include keeping safeguarding knowledge up to date for you and all staff, ensuring policies are not just written but also followed, maintaining accurate records and creating the safeguarding culture Ofsted are looking for during inspection.

Ofsted and EYFS - updates for reference

The following updates are happening in the coming months:

Inspection frequency - members are asking questions about when they will be inspected. This is the link to the latest / most recently updated guidance from Ofsted, following changes to inspection frequency which were announced by DfE earlier this year.

Safer sleep - Ofsted are already inspecting providers on the new safer sleep requirements which will be included in the EYFS from September 2026. This will be inspected under 'safeguarding', 'children's welfare and wellbeing' and 'leadership'.

There have been some recent updates to safer sleep guidance from DfE - keep an eye on the website page for more information. Also note that Community Playthings, the company that sells 'Dream Coracles', has issued a statement reassuring the sector about its safety and has confirmed they are in discussions with DfE to seek further clarification.

Whistleblowing - in a recent speech, Sir Martyn Oliver announced that Ofsted will become the designated whistleblowing body for early years provision. Further messaging will follow about what this will look like in practice. In the same speech, Sir Martyn stated that Ofsted will be looking closely at patterns of notifications and non-notifications from early years providers and 'cracking down' on those settings which are not reporting concerns. This is one of the ways they are aiming to protect children, following recent high profile safeguarding failures in early years settings.

Screen time - the DfE guidance on screen time usage for parents will be linked from the EYFS in September 2026. It will be included as 'should' in the EYFS, which means providers will need a good reason not to comply. Feedback from recent early years inspections suggests inspectors are already asking providers questions about any changes they might want to make - Childcare.co.uk has a recorded Daily Routines webinar which you might find useful.

Banned breed dogs - legislation will be added to the EYFS from September 2026 to protect children from banned breed dogs. This is already included in the Ofsted registration information which means that, if you want to register as a childminder, you must declare that you do not have a banned breed dog on the premises.

Focus on banned breed dogs

The Department for Education sent an email message to all childminders to update their previous statement about banned breed dogs in childminding settings.

In March 2026, Minister Bailey wrote a letter informing early years settings of amendments that the Department intends to make to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory frameworks later this year including potential changes to ensure that children are suitably protected from banned dog breeds in childcare settings.

DfE stated that a targeted stakeholder consultation was led by the Department for Education with early years and childcare experts, Ofsted, CMAs and animal welfare organisations to discuss different options and the outcome was that the safest thing for children was to, 'Ensure banned breed dogs were not kept or present at childcare settings' because, 'Efforts to keep children and banned breed dogs separated on the same premises were considered too risky due to risk of error / misinterpretation / misunderstanding and concerns on how this would be robustly managed at all times.'

The decision has therefore been made to prohibit childminders from working at any premises where banned dog breeds are present or kept. This will apply to all settings caring for all ages of children (not nannies) and to all dogs which are listed in section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 including XL bully dogs. The changes will apply from 1st September 2026.

Any providers with a banned breed dog should contact Ofsted for more information.

Report - UNICEF and child poverty

A recent report from UNICEF starts with a chilling warning, 'Living in a wealthy country does not guarantee that all children are equally happy, healthy and have the same level of academic and social skills.' The latest edition of the UNICEF Innocenti Report Card series explores how economic inequalities impact children's well-being. The key conclusion is that inequality is not just about income differences - it directly affects children's chances to be healthy, happy and successful. Reducing child poverty and ensuring equal access to resources, services and opportunities are among the most effective ways governments can improve children's well-being.

Early years providers can help reduce the impact of inequality by ensuring all children have access to high-quality learning, health-promoting activities and positive social experiences regardless of family income. You can identify and support vulnerable families early, promote children's emotional well-being, offer inclusive opportunities for learning and play and work in partnership with parents and local services to address barriers that may affect children's development to help narrow the gaps.

Practice - reading crisis

Is there a reading crisis for early years children? The children's laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce believes so. He has highlighted issues where half of children are missing out on bedtime stories. During a recent speech at the Royal Institution hosted by BookTrust, he reported a warning that, 'Currently "close to half of all children arrive at school without having experienced the nightly bedtime story.'

What can we do as early years providers to support them? Cottrell-Boyce suggests parents join the reading rights movement. Providers can signpost the website to parents and suggest books children might enjoy listening to at home.

DfE issues guidance on adapting nurseries ahead of SEND reforms

The Government has issued guidance for early years providers on adapting settings to boost inclusion ahead of reforms to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

From an early years provider perspective, the guidance is about helping settings become more inclusive for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and preparing for wider reforms. In practical terms, it focuses on:

• Strengthening inclusive practice in everyday provision - it encourages nurseries and childminders to adapt routines, activities, and environments so children with SEND can participate meaningfully alongside their peers rather than being separated or excluded.
• Improving early identification and support - it emphasises spotting developmental needs earlier and responding quickly with appropriate adjustments, rather than waiting for formal diagnoses or external assessments.
• Adapting environments and resources - it promotes small, practical changes such as sensory-friendly spaces, clearer visual supports, flexible learning areas, and accessible play materials.
• Upskilling staff confidence and knowledge - it focuses on training and guidance so practitioners feel more confident supporting a wider range of needs - communication, sensory processing, neurodiversity, physical disabilities, etc.
• Stronger partnerships - it reinforces working closely with parents/carers and external professionals (SENCOs, speech and language therapists etc) to create consistent support plans.
• Better use of targeted funding and support schemes - it links to new and existing funding streams intended to help settings make inclusive adaptations and invest in specialist support where needed.

The guidance positions early years settings as part of a broader shift towards a more inclusive system, where support is embedded earlier and more consistently across education stages.

Business - support tools for providers

The Department for Education (DfE) have recently launched a set of business support materials on the Foundation Years webpage to provide practical support around the running of an early years provider business, bringing together guidance on business planning, finance, marketing and human resources in an early years context.

Ofsted blog - common mistakes when registering

Ofsted has released a new blog 'Applying to register with Ofsted - common mistakes and how to avoid them'. It is a must-read for any of our colleagues who are currently applying to register with Ofsted. The tips include, for example, ensuring you apply for the correct role and submitting your application without any mistakes, which can hold up the application process.

Ofsted - speech to nurseries

Sir Martyn Oliver delivered new and updated information for the early years sector during a speech at the National Day Nurseries Association.

Sir Martyn stated that the early years sector was facing increased scrutiny following serious safeguarding incidents and that maintaining children's safety and public trust was Ofsted's top priority. He stressed that while most nurseries are safe and doing excellent work, even a small number of failures are unacceptable because of the potential harm to children.

A major focus of the speech was safeguarding and accountability. Sir Martyn warned that Ofsted was going to "crack down" on reporting - for example, whether nurseries properly reported serious incidents such as unsupervised children or unauthorised access. He made it clear that failing to notify Ofsted when required was illegal and that patterns of non-reporting would be investigated.

Sir Martyn outlined how Ofsted was strengthening oversight. This includes more frequent inspections, a new inspection cycle (first inspection within 18 months of registration, then roughly every 4 years from April 2030) and greater use of unannounced visits to see normal practice.

Alongside enforcement, he emphasised improving quality. Inspectors will pay closer attention to everyday practice such as safe eating and sleeping and these areas more directly affected inspection outcomes. Ofsted also updated its tools and guidance to reflect the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and improve consistency.

Finally, he reassured the sector that most nurseries were providing high-quality care and highlighted the importance of their role in helping children learn, develop and feel safe. He thanked practitioners for their work and reiterated that the goal was a system where no child came to harm and where parental trust was justified.

Report - Social Care Today

A recent report from Social Care Today found that child poverty is increasingly affecting working families, challenging the idea that employment alone protects against hardship. The research showed that nearly three-quarters of children living in poverty in the UK are now in households where at least one parent works, with rising living costs, insecure work, and limited opportunities for income progression contributing to the problem. The report argues that stronger social security, childcare support and better pathways for career progression are needed to reduce child poverty.

Early years providers can play an important role in helping to reduce the impact of child poverty by creating supportive, inclusive environments for children and families. You can identify and respond to emerging needs, signpost families to financial, health and community support services, provide access to affordable meals and enrichment opportunities and build strong relationships with parents to support children's learning and development at home.

Ofsted - designated whistleblowing body for early years

The DfE announced that Ofsted will become the designated whistleblowing body for registered early years provision. This update allows staff reporting concerns about safeguarding or misconduct to receive statutory protected status and a direct, official route for escalation. DfE state that this change addresses long-standing gaps in early years protections. Key details of the announcement include:

• Protected status - previously, whistleblowing in early years settings required reporting to the NSPCC or the Children's Commissioner, as Ofsted was not the prescribed body. This change ensures staff receive legal employment protections.
• Enhanced safeguarding - this expands on the EYFS safeguarding requirements. Providers must have clear procedures for staff to raise concerns without fear of detriment or dismissal.

Ofsted Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver welcomed the DfE's decision in a recent speech, outlining plans to ensure that reporters not only know how to contact Ofsted but are fully supported through the process.

Supporting parents - changes to the SEND system

There are changes to the SEND system set out in a recent Govt white paper which parents of school age children need to understand if they have children who are diagnosed or on the pathway towards a SEND diagnosis.

The Schools White Paper proposes changes to make support for children with SEND available earlier and more consistently in mainstream schools. The reforms aim to reduce delays in accessing help by introducing clearer support plans, improving access to specialist advice, and setting national standards so support is less dependent on where a child lives. The government says the changes will help more children get the right support without needing lengthy assessment processes, although some parents and organisations have raised concerns about how the reforms will be implemented and whether enough funding and resources will be available.

Safeguarding - sharing images online

Do you share images of children online? Do you put photos on social media and cover faces?

According to recent research, reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year. The UK Safer Internet Centre has issued new guidance for schools and early years settings on protecting the identity of children online following reports of schools being targeted by blackmailers who have manipulated images from their websites using AI.

If you do take photos of children you must have parental permission; you must share a copy of your Mobile Phone and Camera Policy with parents that is updated to include details of your policies around how other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities are used in the setting; if you share photos of children online you must have additional parental permission; you must be registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and recognise the scope of UK data protection legislation.

Ofsted - and notifications

Sir Martyn Oliver from Ofsted announced during a speech for NDNA recently that they are watching your notification patterns and are 'cracking down' on how you handle statutory notifications.

This applies to all early years providers - childminders, nurseries, pre-schools etc.

Ofsted offer guidance on what to notify them about - however, that does not stop providers from worrying about what to notify and what to deal with in-house.

The new focus on notification monitoring presents settings with a tricky decision because both patterns of data will be monitored:

• Too many notifications might signal to Ofsted that you are not keeping children safe enough.
• Too few notifications might suggest to Ofsted that you are under-reporting.

What do you need to do? Check the Ofsted notification list - have you failed to notify them about a change, suitability concerns, allegation of abuse against a staff member, serious illness or injury to of a child? Ensure you submit using the Ofsted notification form (not email) within 14 days of the incident (ideally as soon as possible). If you do notify Ofsted, keep a record in case it triggers a compliance inspection or for when your next inspector asks you about it in the future.

UKHSA - serious illness notification

Did you know that if a child is admitted to hospital with what is considered 'a severe illness' requiring 'at least an overnight stay' you will need to notify your UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) Health Protection Team (HPT)?

The HPT will conduct a risk assessment of the situation based on the information provided. The type of illness you might need to notify includes an outbreak or serious or unusual illness for example - E. coli O157, food poisoning, hepatitis, measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), meningococcal meningitis, septicaemia (sepsis), scarlet fever, co-circulating chicken pox (several virus strains during an outbreak), tuberculosis, typhoid or whooping cough.

Interestingly, one of the questions you will be asked during the conversation with your HPT is about the children's vaccination uptake, so you need to ensure you have this information from parents in the child's induction paperwork.

Also note the EYFS requirement to notify Ofsted about serious incidents including when a child is admitted to hospital for more than 24 hours.

You can find more information about when to notify Ofsted here.

Safeguarding - key principles of Prevent

It is recommended that early years providers update their knowledge of Prevent every 2 years. This includes, for example, re-watching the Childcare.co.uk Prevent Duty webinar (for gold members) and reading latest guidance on Prevent.

The Gov.uk Key Principles of Prevent guidance explains how the Prevent duty works as part of the UK's wider safeguarding system to stop people from becoming involved in terrorism or supporting extremist ideology. It makes clear that Prevent is not about targeting any specific group, religion or community. Instead, it focuses on protecting individuals who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism, in the same way safeguarding protects people from other forms of harm or exploitation.

A central principle is early intervention. Professionals are expected to notice signs of vulnerability and act early, using support and guidance before a situation escalates. This often involves working with other agencies and, where appropriate, making referrals to specialist support such as the Channel programme.

The guidance also emphasises that Prevent is a shared responsibility. Schools, healthcare providers, local authorities and other professionals including early years providers all have a duty to consider terrorism-related risks in their safeguarding work and to follow proper procedures when concerns arise.

The guidance also stresses the importance of proportionate, informed decision-making. Any concerns should be handled carefully, based on professional judgement and focused on safeguarding the individual rather than criminalising them.

Monthly group planning for July 2026

This year, Childcare.co.uk monthly group planning is focusing on special days through the month, to build a planning library which can be archived and used in the years ahead.

Always bear in mind that planning should start with the child and what they already know and can do. In most early years settings, a 'book as a hook' is used to spark curiosity and discussions, with lots of open-ended questions, promote critical thinking. Planning can then be delivered at the appropriate age and stage level for the children in the setting at the time.

The themes for July 2026 in the Childcare.co.uk group planning guide cover:

• Underpinning theme - summer at the seaside.
• Week 1 - Tanabata (7th).
• Week 2 - Holidays.
• Week 3 - Moon landing day (20th).
• Week 4 - Tiger Day (29th).

Webinars for July 2026

Childcare.co.uk deliver free weekly webinars for all early years providers. The webinars are then recorded for Childcare.co.uk gold members to watch again at their own convenience.

Webinars planned for July 2026 cover:

• 7th - Audit practice for inspection.
• 14th - Sensory processing (inclusion).
• 21st - holiday - no webinar this week.
• 28th - Invitations to play.

Childcare.co.uk aims to keep up with member requests for new documents, new policies, new articles and blogs etc. If there is any guidance you would like to see on the website that would help you to do your job more effectively, please ask.

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
 

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