Guidance for early education and childcare providers - Coronavirus

Risk assessment template

We have developed an exemplar risk assessment plan to help you to identify possible risks faced in opening to additional children or re-opening following a closure period. It provides suggestions and considerations of protective measures to mitigate these risks. This sample document has been considered for a larger childcare provision but also includes points that will be relevant for the whole sector. 

The intention is for this to be used as a sample template and it is for you to amend, edit, adapt and reflect upon to open your provision in a safe and secure way with clear protective measures in place. We hope you find this useful in promoting a safe return to work.

• Risk assessment template for Early Years providers (Word 87KB)

Early Years bulletin

Stay up to date with our Early Years bulletin for Northamptonshire nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders or out of school provision. It aims to keep all staff in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) informed of relevant information to support them in their work.

• Sign up to receive the Early Years bulletin

Coping with anxiety and promoting wellbeing

During the current coronavirus pandemic, early years providers, practitioners and children will be facing challenges and changes to their individual lives. Feelings of worry, anxiety and concern for our health and the health of others may be experienced. Feeling anxious is a perfectly natural reaction to some situations and is something everyone may experience at times.

There are lots of ways you can try to help cope with anxiety and minimise stress to help you look after your mental health and support the wellbeing of others around you.

We have put together articles to help support you at this time:

• Spotlight on - managing children's anxiety (Word 56KB)
• Spotlight on - looking after staff wellbeing (Word 57KB)

Keeping in touch with parents or carers whose children are at home

We have produced a set of guidance documents aimed at staying connected with children and families during a full or partial closure of your provision, due to an outbreak of COVID-19 as advised by Department of Education and local health protection teams. They can also be used to keep in touch with a family self-isolating as advised by NHS Test and Trace.

This guidance is designed to assist early years providers to continue to support the learning of children and help parents and carers provide a positive learning environment at home. It is particularly important that providers keep in touch with children with an Education and Health Care Plan and vulnerable children for safeguarding purposes.

• Keeping in touch guidance - Staying connected (PDF 147KB)
• Keeping in touch guidance - Vulnerable children (PDF 121KB)

• Keeping in touch guidance - Children with an Education and Health Care Plan (PDF 167KB)  

See Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP)'s COVID-19 safeguarding arrangements:

• During the current Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to reassure you that NSCP are doing their utmost to maintain business continuity and remain committed to safeguarding children and young people in the county.
• If it is an emergency and you think that a child may be in immediate danger please contact the emergency services directly by calling 999.
• If you need to contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) to make a safeguarding referral, please telephone 0300 126 1000.
• If you need to contact Social Care urgently during the evening, at night or at the weekend, please telephone the out-of-hours team on 01604 626938.

Application of thresholds

See temporary guidance while services are established during this critical period

• Coronavirus - Gov.uk
• Business support
• Early years and childcare: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Important changes: EYFS disapplications and modifications

During a period of intervention related to COVID-19 from 26 September to 31 August 2021:

• if the government confirms that an area will be subject to COVID-19 related requirements or restrictions and those restrictions prevent an early years provider from meeting the prescribed requirements of the EYFS, the disapplication document below, with the exception of the EYFS profile assessment disapplication, will be automatically applied. These will begin immediately and will last throughout the period of the restrictions (as governed by the regulations or direction).
• A two week transition period once the restrictions are lifted is being applied.
• Early years foundation stage: coronavirus disapplications – Gov.uk
• Interim visits: registered early years providers - Gov.UK

January 2021: Ofsted phased return to inspection

Ofsted will carry out a programme of assurance inspections from the start of the spring term. These inspections will confirm whether or not a provider is meeting the early years foundation stage (EYFS) requirements.

Assurance inspections will be proportionate and risk-based. Providers will be prioritised based on the length of time since their last inspection, and any other relevant information. These assurance inspections will not result in a judgement of quality, therefore will result in 1 of 3 possible outcomes: met, not met with actions or not met with enforcement.

Routine graded inspections will resume in the summer term of 2021. For further details see guidance on the Government website:

• January 2021: registered early years providers – Gov.uk

Carrying out Childcare Register inspections  

Ofsted's agreement with the government is to inspect 1 in 10 providers on the Childcare Register each year. Inspection of provision registered only on the Childcare Register (either or both parts) is a compliance inspection. It is not to make judgements about the quality of the provision but to make sure that the provider is complying with the requirements of the register. Therefore the outcome of these inspections will be: met, not met – actions or not met – enforcement action. For further details read

• Carrying out childcare register inspections - Gov.UK

• Facebook - DfE
• Ofsted updates

• Register for funded early years education and childcare
• Use of free early education entitlements funding during coronavirus - Gov.uk

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children's social care - Gov.uk

Following analysis of the complaints received from various sources, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published an open letter and advice highlighting practices in the early years sector it considers unfair contrary to consumer law.

Whilst the CMA recognises that during the crisis most nurseries and daycare businesses are trying to do the right thing under unprecedented circumstances and pressures, at the same time consumers (parents) deserve to have their rights protected. This work is not meant to disrupt any agreements fairly and mutually agreed between parents and early years businesses, but is intended to provide clarity on how consumer law applies to COVID-19 disruptions.

The CMA is therefore asking providers to consider their contracts and arrangements with consumers and take any necessary steps to ensure they comply with the law.

• CMA open letter to the early years sector - Gov.uk
• Nursery and early years sector: COVID-19 restrictions and consumer law advice - Gov.uk