How the early years system is organised
Early years education in England covers provision from birth until the end of Reception, with children’s needs and settings changing as they grow. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets requirements for early years providers, while local authorities have a separate role in planning childcare availability. Ofsted registers and inspects early years providers in England, although the inspection route depends on the provider’s legal status. Provision may be delivered by a maintained school, a private or voluntary organisation, or an individual childminder. Rules and funding rates are specific to England and can change.
Ages and phases
From birth to age two, provision combines care with early learning. Babies and toddlers benefit from familiar adults who respond to their signals, establish predictable routines and support communication, movement and sensory exploration. For example, floor play gives a crawling child space to practise movement, while repeated songs and conversation build attention to sounds and words. A setting’s staffing and daily routine need to accommodate individual sleep, feeding and activity patterns.
Age two is a transition point between toddler provision and the pre-school years. The EYFS requires a progress check when a child is between two and three; practitioners use it to summarise development and identify any areas where further support may help. The check can inform conversations with parents and planning for the next stage, rather than marking a formal end to toddler provision.
At three to four, children commonly attend a pre-school, nursery or school-based setting before starting Reception. Play, conversation, stories, early number experiences and opportunities to work with other children help build the confidence and skills needed for a broader group setting. Provision still responds to each child’s development rather than assuming that all children of the same age are ready for identical tasks.
Reception is the first school year, and children are typically aged four to five during it. The class is part of a school, with a teacher and a more school-based daily structure, while learning remains within the EYFS. This phase connects early years provision with later primary education; its routines, adult-led teaching and opportunities for independent play help children adjust to school life.
Who regulates and inspects
Regulation involves national government, Ofsted and local authorities, with responsibilities set out in legislation and the EYFS framework. The main roles are distinct:
- Ofsted: Ofsted registers and inspects early years providers in England, checking whether provision meets applicable requirements and reporting inspection outcomes.
- Department for Education: The Department for Education sets national early-years policy and issues the statutory EYFS framework that providers must follow.
- Local authorities: Under the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities have a duty to secure sufficient childcare for working parents in their area, so far as is reasonably practicable.
- Separate EYFS frameworks: The statutory requirements appear in separate versions for childminders and for group and school-based providers; each version applies to its specified provider type.
Registration and inspection arrangements depend on the setting’s legal form, and school-based provision is overseen through the relevant school inspection arrangements. The statutory framework and regulatory requirements apply in England; they should not be assumed to match those in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Maintained, private and voluntary providers
Provider type affects governance, leadership and the route through which provision is registered or inspected. The EYFS applies to both childminders and group settings delivering early years provision, but school status and registration exemptions can affect oversight.
| Provider | Governance and leadership | Registration and inspection | EYFS application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintained nursery school | A local authority-maintained school, usually with a headteacher and governing body; it provides early education as a school. | Ofsted inspects it as a school. School-based registration exemptions may mean it is not separately registered as a childcare provider. | Follows the statutory EYFS framework version for group and school-based providers. |
| Nursery class in a school | A class within a primary or infant school, led through the school’s headteacher and staff structure. | Inspected as part of the school; whether separate childcare registration is needed depends on the provision and applicable exemptions. | Follows the group and school-based EYFS requirements. |
| Private nursery | Usually operated by a private business, with a manager responsible for daily practice and staffing. | Typically registered with Ofsted on the Early Years Register when registration is required; Ofsted inspects registered provision. | Follows the group-provider EYFS requirements. |
| Voluntary nursery or pre-school | May be run by a charity, community organisation or parent-led group; a manager or committee oversees its operation. | Typically requires Ofsted registration when providing regulated early years childcare, subject to statutory exemptions. | Follows the group-provider EYFS requirements, whether sessions are delivered in a hall or another suitable venue. |
| Childminder | An individual cares for children, usually in the childminder’s home; assistants may help where permitted. | Registration is with Ofsted or, where chosen, an Ofsted-registered childminder agency; the inspection route depends on registration. | Follows the separate childminder version of the statutory EYFS framework. |
A pre-school is a type of group provision, not a separate statutory category: its governance may be voluntary or private, and its registration duties depend on the service it provides. Registration exemptions and inspection arrangements can vary with the provider’s circumstances, so current England-specific requirements should be checked when a setting changes its organisation or provision.
Curriculum and assessment
The EYFS curriculum and assessment requirements apply from birth to the end of the Reception year in England. The statutory framework sets requirements for early years providers, while Development Matters offers non-statutory guidance on putting learning and development principles into practice. Two assessment points help practitioners and families understand a child’s progress: the progress check between ages two and three, and the EYFS Profile at the end of Reception. Each has a distinct purpose, from summarising development in the prime areas to assessing children against early learning goals.
The EYFS and Development Matters
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework is the legal requirement for early years providers in England. It sets standards for learning, development and care, including the educational programmes that shape provision across the seven areas of learning. Development Matters is different: it is non-statutory Department for Education (DfE) guidance, revised in 2021, which practitioners may use to support their understanding and implementation of the framework.
The distinction matters in planning: the framework states what providers must meet, while Development Matters offers practical guidance rather than additional rules or a prescribed teaching programme.
- Statutory requirements: The EYFS framework sets the requirements providers must follow for children’s learning, development and care, including assessment arrangements and safeguarding and welfare standards.
- Educational programmes: The framework describes the learning experiences providers must make available across communication and language, physical development, personal, social and emotional development, and four specific areas.
- Planning: Development Matters offers examples of how children may develop and learn, helping practitioners consider suitable experiences without prescribing a fixed sequence for every child.
- Observation: Its guidance encourages practitioners to notice what children know and can do through everyday activity, then use those observations to inform interactions and provision.
- Responsive practice: Practitioners can use the guidance to consider each child’s interests, strengths and next steps, adapting experiences rather than moving children through age-based checklists.
- Professional judgement: Development Matters supports decisions about teaching and learning, but it is not an assessment framework and does not replace the statutory EYFS requirements.
In practice, providers use the EYFS framework as the required foundation for their provision and draw on Development Matters when it helps them plan responsive experiences. This combination supports consistent expectations while leaving room for practitioners to adapt activities to children’s needs and interests.
Progress check at age two
The progress check at age two is a short written summary of a child’s development in the three prime areas: communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development. An early years practitioner who knows the child prepares the summary, drawing on observations and everyday interactions rather than a formal test.
The check identifies the child’s strengths and any areas where progress may need further support. The provider shares it with the child’s parents or carers, giving them a clear account of development and an opportunity to discuss the child’s learning. It is intended to provide a focused picture at this stage, not a complete assessment of every EYFS area.
EYFS Profile at the end of Reception
The EYFS Profile is the statutory assessment completed at the end of the Reception year for children in England. Reception teachers assess children against 17 early learning goals (ELGs), covering the seven areas of learning. For each goal, the teacher records whether the child is meeting the expected level or is emerging; the profile draws on professional knowledge of the child, observations and work gathered during the year, rather than a single test.
A “good level of development” (GLD) is achieved when a child meets the expected level in 12 of the 17 ELGs. These 12 comprise all the goals in the prime areas—communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development—along with literacy and mathematics. The GLD is therefore a specific measure of outcomes in these areas, not a statement that a child has met every goal across the profile.
Teachers share each child’s profile assessment with parents or carers and pass the results to the child’s next teacher to support transition into Year 1. The results also help schools and local and national authorities monitor outcomes and identify patterns in children’s learning. The profile can inform the next stage of teaching, while its individual judgements retain more detail than the headline GLD figure.
In 2024 to 2025, 68.3% of children in England reached a good level of development, according to the Department for Education’s EYFS Profile results: 2024 to 2025. This national percentage reports the share meeting the defined 12-goal threshold; it does not describe the achievement of every child or every learning goal.
Funding for early education
Funding for early education in England combines funded childcare hours with additional support for some children and families. The schemes have different age, work and disadvantage criteria, so a child’s eligibility for one does not automatically mean eligibility for another. Funded hours are delivered through participating providers, with arrangements made through local authorities. The rules and rates described here apply to England and can change between financial years.
Funded hours
Children in England receive a universal entitlement of 15 funded hours a week once they reach the eligible age of three, continuing until they start school. From 1 September 2025, eligible working parents can access up to 30 funded hours a week from the term after their child reaches nine months. The 30-hour offer includes, rather than adds to, the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds.
| Child’s age | Funded hours available | Access criteria |
|---|---|---|
| From nine months to under three years | Up to 30 hours a week, for up to 38 weeks (1,140 hours a year) | Eligible working parents; no universal 15-hour entitlement for this age group |
| Three and four years | 15 universal hours a week, for up to 38 weeks (570 hours a year) | Available to all children in England in this age group |
| Three and four years, eligible working parents | Up to 30 hours a week, for up to 38 weeks (1,140 hours a year) | Universal 15 hours plus up to 15 additional hours for eligible working parents |
The standard funded year is 38 weeks; some providers let families spread the same annual hours across more weeks, which reduces the weekly number. Ask the provider how its offer is organised, as availability and session patterns differ.
For the working-parent entitlement, each parent in a couple, or the sole parent, generally needs to meet the minimum earnings test, based on at least 16 hours a week at the applicable minimum wage over the relevant period. An individual parent’s adjusted net income must also be no more than £100,000 a year. Applications are made through the government childcare service, and eligibility must usually be reconfirmed every three months.
The universal 15 hours do not depend on a parent’s employment or income. By contrast, the additional hours—and the offer for children under three—depend on working-parent eligibility, so families should check their circumstances and renewal date before relying on them.
Early years pupil premium
The early years pupil premium (EYPP) is extra funding paid to an early years provider to support the learning and development of eligible children. It is not a cash payment to parents, and a setting can use it for resources, staff development or other provision intended to address a child’s needs.
EYPP is aimed in general at children from disadvantaged backgrounds, including some children whose families receive specified income-related benefits, and children who are or have been in local-authority care or have left care through qualifying arrangements. Eligibility is assessed against the applicable rules; families can ask their provider or local authority how to check a child’s status.
For the 2026 to 2027 financial year, the rate is £1.15 per hour for up to 570 funded hours a year. The maximum at that rate is £655.50 per eligible child annually. This supplement is separate from the child’s funded-hour entitlement: it adds resources for the provider rather than increasing the number of hours a family receives. Rates and eligibility rules are specific to England and may be revised for later years.
Other help with childcare costs
Families may be able to combine funded hours with other help, including means-tested support through Universal Credit or employment-linked support such as Tax-Free Childcare. Tax-Free Childcare provides a government top-up towards eligible childcare payments, while Universal Credit can contribute towards qualifying childcare costs for eligible working households.
These schemes have separate application processes, conditions and limits, and their rules can affect whether they can be used together. Eligibility may depend on household income, work, the child’s age and the type of childcare provider; for example, the provider must meet the scheme’s registration requirements. Check the current England rules before budgeting, because thresholds and payment arrangements change over time.
Questions about the English early years system
These answers clarify who oversees early years providers, how two school-based nursery options differ and when childminders follow the EYFS.
Who inspects early years settings?
Ofsted registers and inspects early years providers in England. Its role includes checking registered provision against the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework. The inspection process applies to different types of early years settings, including nurseries and childminders, where they are registered with Ofsted. Ofsted’s registration and inspection responsibilities are distinct from the day-to-day management of a setting, which is carried out by its provider.
What is the difference between a nursery school and a nursery class?
A maintained nursery school is a distinct school run or funded through the local authority and led by a headteacher. A nursery class is attached to a primary school and forms part of that school’s provision. The main distinction is organisational: one is a maintained nursery school in its own right, while the other operates within a primary school. Both provide early education for young children, but their place in the school structure differs.
Does the EYFS apply to childminders?
Yes. Childminders follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) if they are registered with Ofsted or with a childminder agency. The framework applies to their early years provision just as it does to other registered providers. A childminder’s home-based setting does not, by itself, remove the EYFS requirements. The relevant registration route determines how the childminder is registered; in either case, registered childminders must work within the EYFS.