This section applies to staffed play provision only. For information and further resources about play area and playground inspections, visit the sections on health and safety and insurance.

Staffed play provision that caters for children aged from birth up to 31 August following their fifth birthday must normally register on the Early Years Register. Ofsted inspects all settings on the Early Years Register, and these areas have a duty to ensure they meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework requirements for welfare, as well as learning and development.

The EYFS is designed to be a flexible and inclusive framework, accommodating the needs of individual children and different approaches. It allows practitioners to make professional judgements about the pace at which individual children should progress, and does not seek to prescribe or standardise day-to-day practice across settings.

However, if you believe that elements of the EYFS learning and development requirements are in conflict with the teaching principles within your space, and a majority of parents agree, you can apply for exemptions or modifications from the EYFS. Parents may also apply for their children to be exempted where their own philosophical or religious convictions are in conflict with the EYFS learning and development requirements.

Settings that offer staffed play provision to children from 1 September following their fifth birthday to eight years old must normally be on the Childcare Register. Registering is free if the organisation is registering on the Early Years Register at the same time.

Open access settings (where children are free to come and go) do not need to be on the Childcare Register. However, if they cater for children from birth up to 31 August following their fifth birthday they must register on the Early Years Register.

Settings that are exempt from registration on the Early Years Register may wish to be on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. This is to show that they meet its welfare requirements, and to allow parents to claim tax credits.

Settings that care for children for periods of less than two hours a day or fewer than 15 days a year do not have to register. If they provide fewer than 15 days per year, settings must inform Ofsted in writing in advance.

Settings that are on the Childcare Register only, not the Early Years Register, may be inspected but the inspection will only look at compliance with the registration requirements.

If you are unsure whether you have to register, or have any other registration queries, call the Ofsted helpline on: 08456 404040.

Local authorities will offer training on the EYFS or can direct you to more information locally. Play associations may also be able to offer advice on the implications of EYFS on staffed play provision. It is worth keeping an eye on the Play England and SkillsActive websites for further briefings.

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