Written question asked by Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 8 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 January 2026. It was answered by Olivia Bailey (Labour) on Thursday, 29 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Pre-school Education: Inspections

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to strengthen the Ofsted inspection process for early years settings to improve child safety outcomes.

Answer

Through our Best Start in Life strategy, we are investing in raising the quality, frequency and consistency of early years inspections to improve child safety outcomes. We continually monitor and review requirements to make sure children are kept as safe as possible.

Ofsted began inspecting under the revised Education Inspection Framework on 10 November and settings now receive an Ofsted report card following an inspection which will provide a much clearer and broader picture of their performance. From April, Ofsted will receive further investment to improve inspection quality and consistency through stronger quality assurance and targeted inspector training. We are also funding Ofsted to inspect all new providers within 18 months of opening and move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the current six-year window. We will also work to introduce reporting on nursery chains to address issues spanning across groups of providers.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 104457
Session: 2024-26
Related items: Giving every child the best start in life
Monday, 7 July 2025
Command papers
House of Commons
House of Lords
Subjects: Children Inspections Pre-school education Safety Ofsted
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Pre-school Education: Inspections

Secondary information

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