Early Years News August 2026

Welcome to Childcare.co.uk's latest newsletter. We hope you are having a good summer.

Childcare.co.uk has an exciting line-up of professional development opportunities for providers including new webinars about the Ofsted inspection and safeguarding changes and updates as we start the new academic year. Here is a round-up of the latest early years news:

DfE - safeguarding support

DfE has released 2 new sources of safeguarding information - safeguarding training free through the Virtual College online course and new safeguarding pages on the Help for early years providers website.

DfE states that the 'Help for early years providers' website aims to bring together practical advice and resources to support everyone working in early years - for example, how to create a strong safeguarding culture (something Ofsted is focusing on during inspection), supervision, recognising and responding to concerns, safer recruitment and more.

The resources could be a useful starting point for staff meeting discussions or to read as a safeguarding refresher.

DfE - qualifications guidance update

The Early Years Qualifications Requirements and Standards document will be updated to clarify the qualifications that staff must hold to be included in the specified staff: child ratios at levels 2, 3 and 6 of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). These changes will apply from 1 September 2026.

Safeguarding - compliance vs practice

I was asked a deep question recently by a nursery manager about safeguarding - she asked, 'When does safeguarding compliance become performance rather than practice?' Across safeguarding we have policies that say what must happen - but how do we show that it actually happened?

Good leadership isn't measured by the existence of policies. It should be measured by the quality of evidence that the policies generate - audit trails (your own audits, Childcare.co.uk audits and details about changes - and your LA might have an annual audit), documented decision making (not just that something happened but the detail behind it), child-focused as well as secure record keeping, risk assessments (written when necessary), staff supervision records (as relevant) and training beyond the statutory (regular safeguarding refreshers) are some of the ways we can show compliance.

Without these steps in place, compliance becomes difficult to verify. As I reminded our nursery colleague, transparency protects everyone - children, families, leaders and staff in the setting.

Reflection - think about a tricky safeguarding issue in your early years setting - how can you demonstrate that you followed your policy?

Childcare.co.uk provides regular safeguarding refresher training for all members.

DfE - potty training campaign

DfE has added links and resources to the Best start in life website to encourage parents to start potty training their children before they start school.

The information also links to the Starting school website which also includes information about potty training.

Practice - children's behaviour during Ofsted inspection

The subject of children's behaviour during inspection is coming up in recent inspection reports, so I thought it might be useful to look at some of the ways to support children who are finding inspection tricky.

How do you respond when a child pulls, pushes, snatches etc during inspection? Do you jump in straight away to try and resolve it because you are nervous and feeling under pressure? Do you take toys away because that will sort things quickly? Do you start getting frustrated, anxious or even possibly angry that the children are derailing your inspection?

The best way to respond to every challenging behaviour moment is to stop - pause to watch and listen to what is happening and breathe to regulate yourself first. Then think for a moment before doing anything so you are in the best place to respond thoughtfully:

• Look at the environment - is it busy, cluttered or overwhelming? Do you need to quickly tidy?
• Listen to the noise levels - is it getting overwhelming? Do you need to quieten things down?
• Be mindful of the time of day - are children getting hungry or thirsty? Will a meal, snack or water break help?
• Think about children's sensory needs - what do they normally need from you when things are too much? Sometimes, taking a moment and then getting everyone into a different space will help you to regroup.
• Are they getting tired? Do they need to rest with a book or story?
• What is the temperature in the room or outside area? If it's slowly getting warmer, the children might be struggling to regulate.
• Are you trying to pack in too much and show too many things to the inspector? If children feel rushed and pressured, it will show in their behaviour.
• Are constant inspector questions overwhelming everyone? Be confident and ask the inspector to stop for a while to give you an opportunity to re-regulate everyone.

Be curious about why the children are reacting in this way. They are likely confused about why you are not giving them your full attention and feeling cross about the visitor. What do you need to do - in the moment - to help them regulate? If you pause and reflect every time there is a behaviour concern, you will be ready for any issues that might come up during Ofsted inspection.

DfE - apprenticeship rules

Did you know that if you have an apprentice they must be paid 'off the job' time to do their coursework? DfE has updated the off the job training rules for apprentices (4 Aug 2026) to align with the latest 2026 to 2027 apprenticeship funding rules.

Guidance - Birth to 5 Matters update

The non-statutory Birth to 5 Matters guidance has been updated for 2026. After 5 years as the 'go to' curriculum, teaching and assessment guidance for many early years providers, the entire document has been reviewed by the Early Education team, with new sections on sustainability and digital pedagogy, more on SEND and children's agency and wording updates throughout.

The digital pedagogy section complements the latest DfE online safety guidance, reminding us that while there has been a rapid growth in the use of digital media over recent years, it is not always appropriate for early years children. You can read more from DfE about online safety here.

You will also find more links in the Birth to 5 Matters guidance to free supplementary materials and resources which will help with your ongoing professional development.

NCB - school readiness guidance

There has been a flurry of new school readiness websites recently. In addition to the guidance on the 'Starting school' website, the National Children's Bureau (NCB) has also released a page of school readiness best practice advice with links to further resources. Latest school readiness expectations were discussed during the recent Childcare.co.uk School readiness in 2026 webinar which has been recorded for gold members to listen again.

Health and safety - bar vs liquid soap

It is interesting to note some recent changes to the Preventing and controlling infections guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The guidance has been updated to state, in relation to handwashing, 'Bar soap should not be used.' This is because wet soap bars can collect moisture, dirt and microorganisms on their surfaces and multiple people touching the same bar will transfer residues and microbes.

In another update the guidance states, 'Designate a sink for cleaning potties (not a hand wash basin). This should be located in the area where potties are used' - which might be difficult to achieve for childminders who often only have one sink, so you will need to think through how you manage potty cleaning and be ready to discuss it if you are inspected by your local environmental health officer.

SEND - prepare for the new term

As the SENCO for your early years setting, you need to think about preparing for September. You might find this preparation list useful:

• Review the current children's progress - their strengths and any adjustments you need to make. What additional support do they need?
• Read through and update children's files if there are any gaps - be ready for the new term.
• What are the priorities for next term? Make a list - targeted training to support a child, conversations with parents or other settings children attend, observations and assessments, meetings with other agencies or professionals - plot it into your calendar.
• New starter children - what support needs to be in place for transitions? Are there any funding streams you need to access?

Reflect - what worked well last term? What needs to change moving forwards?

Practice - what are 'safe' photos?

As early years providers, we must carefully consider how and where we share images of children. Digital safety awareness is growing and we recognise that basic face-blurring or stickers can often be reversed, while storing photos on personal devices risks data breaches if a device is lost or stolen.

To tackle this, early childhood practitioners are shifting towards safe pedagogical photography - this article discussing practice in Australia is interesting. Advice is that, instead of traditional full-face photos, move to an approach that captures what the child is actually doing and learning, while protecting their identity and preserving the educational focus.

How to take safe pedagogical photos:

• Focus on action - hands using tools, close-ups of discoveries or wider shots of the learning space.
• Protect identity - shoot from behind, at dynamic angles or crop out identifiable features.
• Child agency - always ask the child's permission before taking or sharing a photo and respect a 'no.'
• Review before sharing - check every image to ensure it is necessary, appropriate and aligns with the initial / ongoing permissions received from parents.

CAPT - safer school journey

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has put together a new series of guides for parents and early years providers which aim to make journeys to school safer, including when children become independent and start walking to school on their own.

Safeguarding - babies and safeguarding

Babies don't have a voice which is why we must ensure they are safe.

The Government has published its response to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel's Protecting all vulnerable babies better review.

One message stands out - safeguarding starts before birth. Safeguarding is not about responding to harm - it is about recognising cumulative risk, agencies working together and being confident to ask difficult questions before concerns escalate.

Childminders and nurseries often see pregnant parents - how much attention do you pay them? Your focus should be on welfare and wellbeing for all your parents and children including those who are not yet born.

Safeguarding - whistleblowing update

In the EYFS 2026, whistleblowing is re-worded to widen the scope of the requirement. Instead of just covering safeguarding it will cover any aspect of your provision.

Whistleblowing might refer to, for example, a staff member reporting hidden wrongdoing, poor practice or unsafe behaviour by colleagues or management that puts children at risk or breaks safeguarding rules. However, it also might refer to non-safeguarding related incidents such as financial misconduct, health and safety breaches, data and confidentiality breaches etc. Whistleblowing acts as a vital safeguard for child protection rather than a personal workplace grievance.

You need to recognise the signs of cumulative harm and disguised compliance and notice what is happening. When you see life through the baby's eyes you might just save 2 lives.

DfE - safer sleep update

From 1 September 2026, the safer sleep requirements are written directly into the EYFS. Ofsted has also said that they will check safe sleeping in nurseries and childminder settings as a mandatory part of every inspection. This might mean, for example, the inspector asking to look at your sleep space, talking to you about how you arrange sleep with parents, watching as you visually check children through the inspection and discussing safe sleep with parents.

Are you up to date? Have you made changes you can discuss with your inspector during inspection - for example, changing from prams and buggies to cots and / or floor mats? If you have a Safer Sleep Policy, have you reviewed the information to share with parents? Have you updated your risk assessments?

Note that Lullaby Trust has recently released a new section of the website titled Early Years Hub which hosts guidance and resources for early years providers.

Ofsted - inspection scheduling

Ofsted has said that all early years providers are currently in a 6-year inspection window until April 2030. However, Childcare.co.uk are being informed by members that some routine inspections are taking members by surprise, happening much quicker than they anticipated.

It is important to be ready for inspection - Ofsted retains the ability to inspect without notice where necessary and an inspector could visit you any day to check something, investigate a concern or similar.

You can read their reply in Ofsted's FAQs blog (question 1) about inspection timing changes.

Safeguarding - Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026

The government published an updated version of the safeguarding statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 in March, to be used from September 2026. The updates strengthen expectations around multi-agency working, early help, information sharing, inclusive and anti-discriminatory practice and learning from safeguarding incidents.

Childcare.co.uk has a webinar on the changes planned for 8th September which will be recorded for gold members to watch again.

HMRC - if you employ an assistant

Childminders who employ assistants must comply with HMRC legislation, for example, your assistant must be paid National Minimum / Living Wage - including wages when working outside of their scheduled working hours.

There have been a number of significant updates recently in the Employment Rights Act 2026 - for example, you might need to review your employment contracts to reflect changes to sick pay which must now be paid from day 1 of absence.

Legislation has also been introduced in relation to maternity, paternity and family leave, flexible working and zero hours contracts during 2026. You should check your employment documentation to ensure you have reflected the changes in information you share with your assistant.

UKCMO - physical activity guidance

The UK Chief Medical Officer has released new physical activity guidance for all ages including early years and school children.

The infographics explain 'the shared health benefits of physical activity, where the greatest health gains can be made, and how strength and balance activity can support healthier, more independent ageing.'

Ofsted - healthy eating in autumn

Ofsted has announced that they will be inspecting healthy eating in more detail from September 2026 as part of the revisions to their revised early years inspection toolkit. This will be inspected under 'children's welfare and well-being' but might also come up as part of 'leadership' and 'safeguarding' because healthy eating sits within the EYFS 'safeguarding and welfare' requirements.

Autumn is a great time to introduce young children to a colourful variety of seasonal foods. The DfE's Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance highlights the importance of offering a varied, balanced diet across the week, with foods from the different food groups, while giving children opportunities to experience different flavours, textures and colours. Seasonal menu changes can be a lovely way to introduce children to new foods and keep mealtimes interesting.

Think about making the most of autumn produce such as pumpkin, squash, carrots, sweetcorn, broccoli, apples, pears, plums and berries. Warm dishes like vegetable soups, lentil or bean stews, vegetable pasta, jacket potatoes and fish or chicken casseroles can provide nutritious, comforting meals as the weather gets cooler. Vegetables and fruit can be incorporated in lots of different ways - roasted, mashed, grated, stewed or served as softened finger foods, helping children explore different tastes and textures.

Healthy eating is also about creating positive experiences around food. Give children time to explore unfamiliar foods and avoid putting pressure on them to eat something they don't want. Food preparation and growing activities can provide opportunities to talk about where food comes from, explore seasonal produce and develop children's interest in healthy eating. DfE guidance also highlights food activities as valuable opportunities for learning, relationships and understanding the world around us.

As you plan your autumn menus, remember to consider variety across the whole week, appropriate portion sizes, drinks, allergies and dietary requirements, as well as food safety and choking risks. DfE guidance recommends reviewing menus regularly and introducing new menus several times a year, ideally taking account of seasonal produce.

Data protection - photographs and AI

Safeguarding covers asking parental permission for taking photos of children - but you also need to consider where photos are shared and stored and for how long. A lot of childminders use personal phones and share photos with parents on WhatsApp. While it can raise questions about boundaries between personal and professional communication, it is pretty much seen as 'industry standard.'

However, some photos of childminded children are also shared online, sometimes with little pictures stuck over their faces and this way of sharing is insecure. Once a child's photo is online, it can be changed and manipulated, stolen and misused.

Experts advise you to consider other ways to share information about what children are doing with parents and for advertising purposes - unidentifiable hands and back of the head pictures will focus more on the quality of the activity and less on the child.

NSPCC Learning has further guidance.

Monthly group planning for September 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 to 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 September 2026 in the Childcare.co.uk group planning guide cover:

• Underpinning theme - weather changes.
• Week 1 - back to school.
• Week 2 - all about me.
• Week 3 - Pirate Day (19th).
• Week 4 - Intl Day of Peace (21st).
• Week 5 - Harvest Festival.

Webinars for September 2026

Childcare.co.uk delivers 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 September 2026 cover:

• 1st - Inspection changes 09.2026.
• 8th - Working together to safeguard children update 09.2026.
• 15th - Health and safety update 09.2026.
• 22nd - Ofsted and paperwork 09.2026.
• 29th - Inclusion update 09.2026.

Childcare.co.uk aims to keep members updated and informed and regularly responds to member requests for new training, documents, policies, 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.