Children's centres

Sure Start Children's Centres provide a range of services for children and their families from pregnancy right through to when a child goes into reception class at primary school. The services are aimed at improving a child’s health and well-being, including readiness for school and the families economic well-being through education and employment.

For further information go to the GOV.UK children's centres page.

Our inspections began in the summer term 2010.

In April 2013 we changed the way we inspect children’s centres. We inspect centres in two ways. None of these inspection arrangements prejudice the way in which local authorities choose to organise their children’s centres locally. The definition of a ‘centre’ is set out in legislation and English local authorities have a duty to make arrangements, so far as is reasonably practicable, for sufficient provision of children’s centres to meet local need. It is for each local authority to determine how to meet this duty.

Children’s centre group
- If two or more centres share leadership and management and integrated services across an area in one local authority we will inspect them as a children’s centre group.
- A children’s centre group will have one inspection and one inspection report.
Single centre
- A single centre does not usually share leadership with other centres and may not offer integrated services.
- A single centre may work on its own or with other centres.
- We may inspect a number of single centres in a geographical locality simultaneously in the same week, but each centre will have its own inspection report.

Inspectors consider how each centre:

helps families with young children access services, including those families who find it difficult or are unwilling to do so
improves the well-being of young children and their families.

Children's centres

Connect to Ofsted

Annual Report 2011/12