On 9th September 2025, the DfE published confirmation on the changes to how Ofsted inspections will work for schools and nurseries from 10th November 2025.
If you’re a nursery manager or owner, you’re probably wondering: What does this mean for me? How will inspections feel different? And when do these changes kick in?
In this blog, we break down the 14 new Ofsted framework changes for the early years sector. As always, we’ll keep things clear, simple, and practical, so you can feel prepared without drowning in government jargon.
In this article:
14 new changes to Ofsted inspections for nurseries
From November 2025, when inspections resume under the new Ofsted framework, school leaders and nursery managers will see big changes.
The single headline judgments (like “Good” or “Outstanding”) are gone, replaced by report cards, new grading scales, and more contextual feedback.
Let’s go through each of the changes one by one.
1. Ofsted’s new 5-point scale
Instead of the familiar four grades (“Outstanding”, “Good”, “Requires Improvement”, “Inadequate”), Ofsted will now use a 5-point scale:
- Urgent improvement (lowest)
- Needs attention
- Expected standard (midpoint)
- Strong standard
- Exceptional (highest)
For nurseries, this means inspection outcomes should feel less binary. A setting doing well but not perfect won’t automatically be labelled as “requires improvement”, instead, they may sit at “expected standard” or “strong standard”.
This change in the EYFS Ofsted update is designed to reduce stigma while still showing parents and professionals a clear picture of quality.
2. Ofsted report card
One of the most talked-about reforms in the September 2025 Ofsted update is the move to Ofsted report cards.
Each nursery (along with schools and other providers) will now get:
- A colour-coded card showing their grade in each area
- A short narrative summary to explain the reasoning
- Contextual data (like deprivation, SEND levels, or size of setting)
This means parents won’t just see a single label, but instead a snapshot of the strengths and areas for development. For nurseries, this could be helpful in showing the effort you put into supporting children with additional needs or those from disadvantaged backgrounds. There’s a chance to be recognised for the unique aspects that make your nursery fantastic.
3. The new Ofsted evaluation areas
The new Ofsted framework has six evaluation areas (plus safeguarding, which is judged separately).
The Ofsted areas for evaluation for schools and nurseries are:
- Leadership and governance
- Inclusion
- Curriculum and teaching
- Achievement
- Attendance, behaviour, (and routines*)
- Children’s welfare and well-being* (schools are personal development and well-being)
- Leadership and governance
Early years specific
4. Safeguarding inspections
Safeguarding will now be reported as a separate category on the Ofsted report card, rather than being embedded within leadership or other evaluation areas. For nurseries, this is a big shift, it puts safeguarding front and centre for parents, staff, and regulators.
What does this mean in practice?
Safeguarding will be graded simply as “met” or “not met”, with a clear narrative to explain the decision.
If safeguarding is judged as “not met”, this will be highlighted prominently and will trigger regulatory action to ensure children’s safety and well-being. Inspectors will look at how effectively your nursery identifies, records, and responds to concerns, and whether all staff are confident and competent in safeguarding practice.
For nursery managers, this makes it more important than ever to keep safeguarding procedures robust, consistent, and well-communicated across the whole team. Being confident in answering Ofsted’s questions around EYFS safeguarding is a non-negotiable for all of your nursery team.
5. Inspection toolkits
Alongside the changes to the inspection process, Ofsted has released new toolkits (or operating guides).
These are tailored by phase (schools, FE, early years) and explain:
- What inspectors will look for
- How evidence will be gathered
- What counts as “expected” versus “exceptional”
For nurseries, the Early Years Inspection Toolkit is a key document for all of your nursery team to know about. It details exactly how inspectors will assess safeguarding, inclusion, curriculum, achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, and leadership and governance.
6. Focus of inspections: barriers to learning
Another big change is Ofsted’s renewed focus on inclusion. Inspectors will be paying particular attention to disadvantaged children (EYPP funded), children with SEND, and children known to social care.
The toolkit makes it clear that inspectors want to see nurseries identifying needs early, reducing barriers, and putting support in place quickly. This is also mentioned heavily in the recently released Children’s Commissioner Report 2025. The focus on early intervention and providing children with the greatest chance of a successful education is a key responsibility for early years practitioners and schools alike.
It’s less about ticking boxes and more about answering:
What is it like to be a child in this nursery?
This is a phrase that was mentioned in the Ofsted consultation and proposed changes that were released in February 2025.
We can also see this will be included as a heading on the report cards that schools and nurseries will receive following their inspection. The inspectors will get a broad range of evidence to fill in this section, including interacting with children and observing them throughout the inspection days.
The message coming through all the new processes and focuses highlights that the inspections are child-progress and outcomes-driven. Inclusion is therefore a sure thing for Ofsted themes to prepare for.
7. More transparency and context
Nursery leaders have long argued that one-word grades don’t tell the whole story, and the latest changes from Ofsted seem to have listened to this.
The new reports will include:
- National context data (so parents can compare fairly)
- SEND and deprivation figures
- Narratives alongside school results
For nurseries in more challenging areas, this means recognition of your context, not just your outcomes. And if the Children’s Commissioner’s report suggestion of ‘inclusion premium’ is introduced (either as a reformed pupil premium or as an additional funding stream), schools and nurseries with higher levels of deprivation might just get a little extra financial help.
8. Early years inspection frequency: moving from a 6-year to a 4-year cycle (from April 2026)
Big change here: Ofsted will increase the frequency of routine inspections for regulated early years settings by moving from a 6-year cycle to a 4-year cycle, from April 2026.
The intention is to give families more up-to-date assurance that settings are safe and suitable, while giving providers more regular contact and feedback to support improvement.
Although this isn’t totally new information, this change of inspection frequency was shared in the government’s Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life strategy.
What this means in practice for private nurseries:
- Expect your next routine inspection to fall within a 4-year window once the new cycle begins in April 2026
- If Ofsted identifies issues (for example, any area graded “needs attention” or “urgent improvement”), inspections can be more frequent to check progress and secure improvements
Manager tip: build the 4-year rhythm into your professional development plans (self-evaluation, CPD planning, stakeholder feedback) so you’re continually inspection-ready rather than “gearing up” after long gaps.
Practitioners often appreciate having the chance to practise answering questions frequently asked during an EYFS Ofsted inspection.
9. New timeline for first inspections of newly registered EYFS providers: 12–18 months (from April 2026)
From April 2026, Ofsted will bring forward nursery initial Ofsted inspections so they take place within 12 to 18 months of registration. Halving the current timeframes, which is currently up to 30 months.
The move responds to frustration from both new providers and parents about the lengthy wait times before a first inspection.
What this means if you’re opening a new nursery:
- Plan for your first full inspection within 12–18 months of registration.
- Use your first year to evidence consistent practice across the evaluation areas so the “first look” reflects typical day-to-day quality.
- If any evaluation area is graded “needs attention” or “urgent improvement”, expect reinspection within 12 months or 6 months, respectively, alongside proportionate regulatory action to secure compliance.
10. The Ofsted timetable and timeframe
Ofsted has committed to making inspections happen within a clear and reasonable timeframe, recognising how disruptive long inspection days can be for both providers and inspectors.
So what will this look like in practice?
- Notification calls will still usually come the day before an inspection, giving you time to prepare.
- Inspection days will be capped: the new operating guides (toolkits) set out clear guidance on when inspectors can arrive and the latest times they should leave. For example, school inspectors will now be expected to finish the first day of inspection by 5pm, and Ofsted is exploring whether the second day can end earlier.
This change aims to reduce stress and fatigue, while ensuring inspections focus on evidence that matters and impacts children’s development. For nursery and school leaders, this should mean less paperwork, more observation, and more professional conversation, all within a working day that doesn’t stretch into the evening.
11. The Ofsted inspection process
The process itself should feel different. We often speak to nursery managers who mention their inspection was surprisingly pleasant and the inspector was thoughtful and easy to work with. This should become the norm, Ofsted has promised:
- Collaborative inspections: inspectors will have professional discussions with you, not just about you.
- Context-informed: inspections will recognise your local challenges and intake (early years settings will have the number of places shared in their data context alongside the report card to show the ‘capacity and nature’ of the provision).
- Consistency: all inspectors will be trained to use the new toolkits in the same way.
- Supportive roles: nurseries can nominate a person to help manage information during the inspection.
- Extra inspectors: more inspectors will attend larger or complex settings.
- No extra workload: documents already used in daily practice are enough.
- Higher quality assurance: inspections will be reviewed more rigorously.
- Better complaints process: providers will have clearer routes to challenge errors.
12. Support for “needing attention” nurseries
Under the new Ofsted framework, an evaluation area will be graded as “needs attention” when the expected standard is not met because weaknesses or inconsistencies in practice are having a negative impact on children. This can be either across the whole nursery or for particular groups (for example, children with SEND or those in receipt of EYPP).
For nurseries and other early years settings, Ofsted’s role as the regulator means the approach is slightly different from schools. Here’s what you can expect:
Clear actions: if an evaluation area is judged “needs attention”, Ofsted will set out precise actions for early years leaders to address weaknesses. These actions are designed to provide a practical framework for improving and ensuring the safety, well-being, and learning of children.
Distinction from ‘urgent improvement’:
- If breaches of EYFS requirements exist but they don’t significantly compromise safety, well-being, or learning, and there are no concerns about the setting’s capacity to improve, the evaluation area will be graded as needs attention.
- If breaches do significantly affect children’s safety, well-being, or learning, or if there are concerns about leadership capacity or suitability, the evaluation area will be graded as urgent improvement.
More frequent inspections: nurseries that receive a “needs attention” grade will be reinspected within 12 months. If any area is judged “urgent improvement”, reinspection will take place within 6 months.
Regulatory action: as always, Ofsted can also take proportionate regulatory steps to ensure compliance with EYFS statutory requirements, especially where risks to children’s safety are identified.
Monitoring and moderation: alongside the inspection cycle, Ofsted may carry out monitoring visits to check progress and provide oversight of improvements, although there is not much information on what this might look like in practice yet.
13. Ofsted: Explore an area
A new element in inspections is “Ofsted: Explore an area”. We don’t know too much information on this yet, but it’s due to begin in November, so we’ll share more on it when it’s released!
The concept of the Ofsted: Explore an area is to allow inspectors to dive deeper into a particular theme, such as:
- SEND provision
- Speech and language development
- Welfare and well-being routines
The aim is to share good practice nationally and spot systemic issues early. As nurseries are the experts in child development and building those foundational skills, we hope to see more recognition of the excellent ways many nurseries run their provisions via this concept.
14. Increased Ofsted inspectors
Finally, Ofsted is investing in more inspectors to increase capacity and improve the quality of inspections. In the guidance, this only relates to state-funded schools, so we wouldn’t expect to see two inspectors in nursery Ofsted visits unless your site is particularly large or complex.
The aim is to make inspections run more smoothly and deliver greater consistency and reliability across school visits. For schools, Ofsted has confirmed that an extra inspector will be added to every full inspection team for one day. This extra pair of hands is designed to:
- Free up the lead inspector to focus on engaging meaningfully with leaders, coordinating their team, and quality assuring the process.
- Provide leaders with a regular point of contact, helping to reduce stress and ease any anxiety during the inspection.
- Allow the wider inspection team more time to gather evidence and focus on the detail of their evaluations.
Final thoughts
The September 2025 Ofsted reforms are the biggest shake-up in years for nurseries and schools. While change always brings uncertainty, there are lots of positives, like more transparency, more support, and a bigger focus on inclusion and well–being.
For nursery managers and owners, the best step now is to:
- Familiarise yourself with the Early Years Inspection Toolkit
- Reflect on the six evaluation areas in your own self-evaluation
- Prepare your teams by focusing on day-to-day practice, not paperwork
If you’d like to get updates about all things early years straight to your inbox, including DfE guidance, Ofsted updates and EYFS activities, sign up for our Blossom Blog.
