Register with Ofsted
The Ofsted registers
It's important to know the age range of the children you want to provide care for. This is because Ofsted have different registers and requirements depending on the ages of children you will care for:
- the Early Years Register - to provide care only for children aged 5 and under
- the Childcare Register - to provide care only for children aged 5 to 7 years
- both registers to provide care for children of any age under 8
- the Voluntary part of the Childcare Register - to provide care for children aged 8 years and above. Registration for this age group is not compulsory but if you join, you will get a certificate and the parents of the children you care for may be able to access other types of financial support
Legal business structure
It is important to know what type of legal business structure you will be. For example you can register as a sole trader, limited company or partnership.
If you are looking to set up an Early Years Voluntary or Community run 'non for profit' business then you might consider being:
- an Unincorporated association
- a Charitable trust
- a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
- a Charitable Company
The Ofsted registration process
You must register with Ofsted if you want to be paid to look after children aged under 8 for more than 2 hours a day in England.
The registration process can take anywhere between 3 months and 12 months depending on your project. The Ofsted Guide to Registration Handbook has everything you need to know about applying to become a registered early years or childcare provider in England. There is also an Ofsted Pre-registration Briefing which you may find useful.
The Ofsted Common Inspection Framework details what the inspector will look for when they come and visit you at your premises. The Early Years Inspection Handbook has specific details for Early Years.
If you provide care for children under 5 years old, you will need to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework requirements and demonstrate a good knowledge of this at the time of registration. Having arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities is essential and more details about this can be found in paragraph 3.67 of the framework.