JOB AD

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 07:12:34 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

2026 EYFS/EARLY YEARS TOOL KIT

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 02:51:42 GMT

Parent Corner

EYFS 2026: What Every Early Years Provider Needs to Know

A new year of stronger safeguarding, safer practice and greater professional accountability

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) continues to provide the foundation for high-quality education, care and development for children from birth to five. From 1 September 2026 , important updates to the EYFS statutory framework came into force for childminders and group and school-based providers in England.

The 2026 changes place particular emphasis on safeguarding, safer sleep, safer eating and weaning, children's welfare, suitability of adults working with children, and responsible use of screens . At the same time, Ofsted has updated its Early Years Inspection Toolkit so that inspection reflects these strengthened statutory expectations.

What has changed in the EYFS 2026?

The changes do not completely rewrite the EYFS. Instead, they strengthen and clarify important areas of existing practice, particularly around children's safety and welfare.

1. Safer sleep is now explicitly within the EYFS

One of the most important changes is that safer sleep requirements are now written directly into the EYFS statutory framework rather than relying on providers to refer to separate guidance.

This means settings must be able to demonstrate that staff understand and consistently implement safe sleeping arrangements for babies and young children.

Providers should review their:

Safer Sleep Policy
Baby sleep risk assessments
Individual sleep arrangements
Staff training
Sleeping records and monitoring
Communication with parents
Arrangements for babies who have additional or individual sleep needs

Ofsted has also strengthened its inspection expectations around safer sleeping. Inspectors will look for evidence that statutory guidance is understood and implemented in practice.

2. Safer eating and weaning

The 2026 inspection toolkit gives greater attention to safer weaning and eating practices .

For babies and young children, mealtimes are not simply about nutrition. They are also safeguarding matters. Staff need to understand choking risks, appropriate food textures, individual dietary requirements, allergies and safe supervision.

Settings should therefore ensure that staff understand:

Age-appropriate food and textures
Choking prevention
Allergies and dietary requirements
Safe weaning
Appropriate supervision during meals
Safe food preparation and storage
Individual children's nutritional needs

Ofsted will consider safer weaning and eating within children's welfare and wellbeing and leadership and governance .

3. Banned dog breeds and childcare premises

The 2026 EYFS changes introduce stronger restrictions concerning banned dog breeds.

Registered childcare must not be provided from premises where a banned dog breed is kept or present, subject to the specific registration requirements that apply to the provider.

This is particularly important for childminders and childcare providers operating from domestic premises. Providers should review their premises, risk assessments and arrangements for visitors and household members.

4. Stronger safeguarding and DBS expectations

Safeguarding remains at the heart of the EYFS.

The 2026 framework strengthens requirements relating to allegations of harm , suitability and criminal-record checks. Enhanced DBS checks are required for volunteers, including supervised volunteers, and new employees must not start employment before receiving their required check.

This means that recruitment should never be treated simply as an administrative exercise.

Providers should ensure they have robust systems for:

Recruitment → References → DBS → Suitability → Induction → Safeguarding training → Ongoing supervision

The responsibility of leaders is not simply to collect documents but to create a culture where children are protected and concerns are acted upon promptly.

Children's screen use

Technology is now part of children's everyday lives, and the 2026 EYFS introduces a requirement for providers to have regard to screen-use guidance for early years settings .

The focus is not simply on banning screens. Providers should consider whether technology is appropriate, purposeful and supports children's learning, communication, development and wellbeing.

Settings should review:

Their screen-use policy
Children's access to digital devices
Staff use of mobile phones
Digital safeguarding
Balance between screen experiences and active play
Outdoor learning and physical activity
Online safety

The key question should be: Does this technology improve the child's experience, or is it replacing something more valuable?

The 2026 Ofsted Early Years Inspection Toolkit

The EYFS changes are closely connected with the updated Ofsted Early Years Inspection Toolkit , which inspectors began using from 1 September 2026 .

The toolkit forms part of Ofsted's renewed inspection framework and replaced the previous Early Years Inspection Handbook from November 2025.

The 2026 toolkit places particular emphasis on safeguarding, children's welfare and wellbeing.

Ofsted has added further detail concerning:

Practitioners' responsibilities to protect children from harm
Safer sleeping
Safer eating and weaning
Safeguarding
Inclusion and SEND
Teaching mathematics
Children's vocabulary
Personal Education Plans
Leadership and governance
DBS arrangements
The impact of poor care practices on safeguarding

Importantly, providers must meet both the relevant EYFS requirements and the toolkit's grading standards when inspectors evaluate whether the expected standard has been achieved.

What does this mean for early years settings?

The message for 2026 is clear: compliance must become embedded practice.

It is no longer enough to have a beautiful policy sitting in a folder. Leaders and practitioners need to be able to demonstrate that policies are understood, implemented and reviewed.

Every setting should consider carrying out a 2026 EYFS Compliance Review covering:

Safeguarding and child protection
Safer sleep
Safer eating and weaning
DBS and staff suitability
Recruitment and induction
SEND and inclusion
Behaviour and children's wellbeing
Curriculum and teaching
Observation and assessment
Mathematics teaching
Outdoor learning and physical development
Screen use and digital safety
Risk assessments
Parent partnerships
Leadership and governance

Preparing for 2026 and beyond

The EYFS 2026 changes should not be viewed simply as another compliance exercise. They provide an opportunity for settings to reflect on what really matters: Are our children safe? Are they thriving? Are they learning? Are their individual needs understood? Are practitioners confident and competent?

For leaders, the priority should be creating a culture of continuous improvement rather than preparing for inspection only when Ofsted calls.

A strong setting should be inspection-ready every day because good practice is embedded in everyday experiences.

The 2026 EYFS therefore brings an important message to the early years sector:

Safeguarding, welfare, learning and development are not separate responsibilities. They work together to give every child the best possible start in life.

As early years professionals, our responsibility is to keep learning, keep improving and keep putting children at the centre of everything we do.

At Beulah MINI Academy Consult Ltd, we believe that high-quality early years practice is built through professional knowledge, reflective practice, strong leadership, effective safeguarding and continuous professional development.

Together, we are raising a Beulah generation.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

duda-owner-ionos@ionos.com (Duda Owner IONOS) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 02:51:41 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.

3be0880ddc7d42d49ad7cc7b4ba0b3b1

JOB AD

This is a subtitle for your new post

2026 EYFS/EARLY YEARS TOOL KIT

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic