Registration Visits

All providers before they can provide early years care have to register with Ofsted, this requires the applicant to go through a series of checks and vetting to ensure they are suitable. An inspector will do a registration visit at an agreed time with a potential provider to interview you and the manager where there is one; 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. The inspector may set actions that have to be completed before registration can commence and will set appropriate conditions for the registration, including the number of children you may care for. Once Ofsted have the results of checks, completed the visit and any actions are completed a decision will be made regarding the registration outcome.

Prospects Early Years Inspection Service undertakes some investigation visits to providers when a concern or a complaint has been made to Ofsted. Prospects do not make any decision as to whether a complaint made about a provider should be upheld or not.

Investigation visits are to establish whether or not the provider remains suitable to continue to be registered as an early years provider. Our role is to establish whether a registered person is meeting the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, the requirements for registration on the Childcare Register and make a recommendation to Ofsted on whether a person remains suitable or fit for registration or whether someone is providing care for which registration is required.

Further information can be obtained on the Ofsted website and by referring to the Compliance Investigation and enforcement handbook

 www.ofsted.gov.uk/ciehandbook

Who we inspect

Prospects Early Years Inspection Service undertake visits to a wide range of providers who are registered to provide services under the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage or who are registered on the Childcare Register. These providers include child minders, preschools, day nurseries, after school clubs, holiday play schemes, and children’s centres.

Prospects Early Years inspection Service also undertake registration visits to providers who wish to become registered providers of early years services.

Where we inspect

Prospects Early Years Inspection Service has a contract with Ofsted to inspect providers in the north and midlands in England. This area stretches from Hertfordshire and Essex in the south east to Shropshire in the west, the North West and up to the Scottish borders. This area covers approximately 55000 providers who are all inspected at least once in an inspection cycle.

Changes of Conditions to Registrations

After a provider has registered with Ofsted, things may change that are on the registration certificate and to the provider. This may require Ofsted to complete additional, checks, interviews or inspections after receiving the information and the issuing of a new certificate of registration.

Many changes to providers registrations can take place with and without a further visit from an inspector, these can include changes to names of the registered person, new household members and changes to the buildings.

If you need to change anything about your registration you MUST contact Ofsted as many aspects of the changes must be recorded.

At a visit with an inspector providers are able to discuss any variations to their registration and the inspector will clarify with providers how to proceed.

Please see pages 86- 98 and appendix G of the Registration and Suitability handbook for further details regarding changes to conditions of registration.

Prospects Early Years Service

Key People

Strategic Leadership

Early Years Inspection Senior Managers

Other Early Years Managers

Ofsted Early Years Inspection

Childcare Register

Inspection Visits

Inspectors Code of Conduct & Expectations

Events

Medway Childminders

Web Links