Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ofsted plans to update its guidance to inspectors on (a) identifying and (b) responding to (i) serious and (ii) repeated safeguarding breaches in early years settings.

The department works closely with Ofsted in our work monitoring and reviewing the safeguarding requirements within the early years foundation stage statutory framework to ensure children are kept as safe as possible.

As announced in the recent Best Start in Life publication, Ofsted will receive additional investment from the department to inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and move from a six to a four-year inspection cycle. It will also receive further investment for inspector training and quality assurance. All these measures will improve safeguarding across the sector.

In November 2025, Ofsted will be implementing their new inspection reporting method, the Ofsted early years report card, and will publish details in a consultation response publication in September 2025. The response will include the updated education inspection frameworks, based on consultation feedback. Ofsted will also provide new operating guidance for inspectors, and inspection information documents. Within these, there will be a focus on safeguarding in the early years.