EY: Amendments following removal of Overall Effectiveness judgements from maintained schools and academies: DfE

See update from the Department for Education:

Following the removal of the Overall Effectiveness (OE) judgement for maintained schools (including maintained nursery schools) and academies, we are writing to update you on plans to reflect this change in the regulations governing the free childcare entitlements and how this relates to local authority powers around the withdrawal of funding. Currently, the regulations enable local authorities to refuse to make arrangements with, or terminate funding for, an early years provider (other than a maintained school) who receives an OE judgement of ‘inadequate’ for the universal or working parent entitlements or ‘requires improvement’ for the disadvantaged 2-year-old entitlement. 

For maintained schools and academies inspected after 2^nd September 2024, for which Ofsted will not have awarded an OE judgement, we intend to bring forward amendments to the regulations in late autumn 2024 and to amend the statutory guidance in the new year.  Where a school does not receive an OE judgement, we intend to: 

• replace the current references to the ‘inadequate’ OE judgement with the Ofsted categories of concern of ‘requires significant improvement’ or ‘special measures’,   

• replace the current references to the ‘requires improvement’ OE judgement with a reference to ‘requires improvement’ for the early years provision judgement. 

There are no changes to Ofsted grades for childminders or Private, Voluntary and Independent providers at this stage. As now, the regulations and statutory guidance will continue to refer to OE judgements for these providers, and for all schools whose most recent inspection report includes an OE judgement. 

Childcare regulations amendments following removal of OE judgements from maintained schools (including maintained nursery schools) and academies