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Pre-school Education: Sleep

Answer

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. The statutory guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

All early years providers are already required to meet the safer sleep requirements set out in the EYFS statutory framework, available at: https://www.nhs.uk/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/.

Ofsted is responsible for inspecting registered early years providers against the EYFS requirements and can take regulatory action where providers fail to meet them.

The department continually reviews safeguarding requirements to ensure children are kept as safe as possible. We are planning to update the wording in the EYFS framework so that the safer sleep requirements are set out directly in the statutory framework, rather than through a link to NHS safer sleep guidance, from September 2026, subject to parliamentary and legislative process.

Ofsted has also announced it will inspect safer sleep practice at every early years inspection. This sits alongside additional investment to strengthen inspection and regulatory activity, including funding to deliver an additional 3,000 unannounced inspections each year, helping to strengthen oversight of compliance with safer sleep requirements.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

13378

Session

2026-27

Subjects

Pre-school education Standards Sleep

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk