The Department for Education The regulation of childcare government response February 2014

Align the staffing and qualification requirements for out-of-hours care for children in the Reception class and 5-7 year-olds with those governing the school day. What this means in practice No change for under 5’s – EYFS ratios and qualifications remain No change for over 7’s no statutory ratio – industry standard of 1:10 5 to 7 year olds for the provider, ie. School, to ensure that there are sufficient members of the workforce in place to ensure children’s safety and quality of provision. Industry standard is 1:8

Remove the requirement for out-of-hours providers to meet the EYFS learning and development requirements for those children who are in the Reception class. What this means in practice Providers no longer need to show detailed planning against the areas of learning, assessment against the EY outcomes or the progress children are making in their learning development. Comments In practice most provision was not adhering to this requirement as it was confusing due to the statutory delivery of the EYFS in the reception class. It is however common practice for Reception staff to liaise with those working in after/before school provision to ensure any pertinent information on the children’s learning development and care is noted. This is good practice for all children not just those in the EYFS age range.

Raise the threshold for compulsory registration from two hours to three hours where the care is provided both in friendship and in domestic settings For example a parent can pay a friend to look after children for up to three hours a day in the friend’s own home without the friend needing to register with Ofsted. What this means in practice Extension of informal childcare to 3 hours. This could impact on the sustainability of PVI settings as parents may opt for informal care say from 3.30 to 6.30 rather than formal care in a club. Comments Suggest we monitor impact on sustainability of childcare provision.

Enable providers to register multiple premises in a single registration process. For example a nursery chain can notify Ofsted of its intention to open a number of new settings in a single registration process What this means in practice Easier application process and less paperwork Comments Has been a “want” from the sector for some time

Enable childminders to operate on non-domestic premises for part of the working week. For example a childminder could provide care on school premises from 3-6pm What this means in practice A school, children centre or nursery could allow a childminder to deliver their childcare in premises other than a domestic. Comments This could be a good deal for a childminders as potentially it could reduce overheads, give access to more resources, and increase business through flexible working patterns and offering supply cover.

Remove the requirement for local authorities to approve childminder training – this will open up the market and improve access to training for childminders, including from childminder agencies What this means in practice For the child it could be beneficial in that travel time is reduced however it could be deemed by parents as less beneficial as the child in not be cared for in a home setting and some parents prefer this. Comments Suggest we monitor any take up of this model.

Align the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register What this means in practice Less paper work. Comments Has been a “want” from the sector for some time Rename the GCR to become the Child Safety Register What this means in practice No bearing in practical terms