• 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
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted regulates
• Regulating early years and childcare; applying to be a provider
  • About the two early years and childcare registers
  • Registration not required
  • Before the registration process as a childminder
  • Registering as a childminder
    • Completing your application to be a childminder
    • The visit - part of registration for childminding
    • Your certificate for childminding
  • After registration as a childminder
• Children's centres
• Safeguarding children
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

The visit - part of registration for childminding

The visit is a key part of the registration process if you are applying for the Early Years Register.

We may register you very soon after the visit so you must have everything ready for the visit, including being clear about how you will meet all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

To help you prepare for your visit, use our Early Years Register: preparing for your registration visit guidance. It has space for notes that you can refer to during your visit; you do not have to give your booklet to the inspector.

The visit for applicants for the Early Years Register

We visit the premises that you plan to use. The inspector uses the visit to:

• check your identity, premises and equipment
• assess your
  • suitability as a childminder
  • your ability to deliver all of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage with which you must be familiar
• assess how you will help children to make good progress with their learning and development while they are in your care
• assess how you will meet safeguarding and welfare requirements.
• interview you; the interview includes checking that you will be able to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage; checking the premises to see if they are suitable; checking any policies and procedures, and checking your risk assessment

At the end of the visit the inspector will tell you about the next steps, including whether you are ready to be registered. Once we have completed the visit we will tell you as soon as possible if we have decided to register you as a childminder.

The visit for applicants for the Childcare Register

We do not usually visit or interview you unless there is a reason to do so arising from the checks we carry out.

We will register you if our checks have found you to be suitable and you have confirmed to us that you will meet all the requirements of registration at all times..