• Find an early years and childcare inspection report
• Understanding an early years and childcare inspection report
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting early years and childcare
  • Inspecting registered early years providers
    • Before an Early Years Register inspection
    • Early Years Register self-evaluation form and guidance
    • During an Early Years Register inspection
    • After an Early Years Register inspection
  • Inspecting registered childcare providers
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted regulates
• Regulating early years and childcare; applying to be a provider
• Safeguarding children
• Children's centres
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

After an Early Years Register inspection

After the inspection, the inspector writes a short report which will include:

• the grade that the inspector gave you at the end of the inspection
• a brief summary on the quality of your service and overall how well it supports the children you look after
• a brief summary on how well you manage your service
• a brief summary on how effective any improvements have been since your last inspection
• what, if anything, must now be done to improve the quality of your service
• where applicable, details about:
  • whether or not you comply with Early Years Register requirements, and any action which is needed to make sure you do,
  • or, rarely, other enforcement action, such as cancellation of your registration.

If you are also on the Childcare Register, the report will also have a judgement about compliance with the requirements of that register and any actions needed to make sure that you do comply.

The inspection report

Soon after the inspection we will send you your report, which you should check to make sure you agree that it is factually correct.

We publish all inspection reports on our website within 20 days of the end of the inspection. You must give a copy of the report to each parent of the children you look after, and to anyone else who asks for a copy.

Inspectors use a four-point grading scale to make judgements. This is:

• Grade 1: outstanding – exceptional and way above the norm
• Grade 2: good – strong, and children are well cared for
• Grade 3: satisfactory – sound, but could be better
• Grade 4: inadequate: category 1 – weak and giving cause for concern, likely to improve without external help and support
• Grade 4: inadequate: category 2 – poor, needing urgent attention. Giving cause for concern and unlikely to improve without enforcement action, and help and support from external agencies.

If we judge your setting to be inadequate, either category 1 or 2, we will tell your local authority (this is your local council). This may affect your eligibility for funding.

Outstanding providers

Outstanding providers are entitled to use the special Ofsted outstanding provider logo on a range of communications, from their stationery to their website. If you are judged outstanding, we will send you a pack after your report appears on our website.