Registered childcare is provided by a person who acts as a childminder or who provides day care and is registered by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) or its equivalent if you are resident in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland:
SCOTLAND - Care Inspectorate: http://www.scswis.com/
WALES - Estyn: http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/ (Local authority Nursery schools and some independent schools nurseries) OR
Care and social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) - http://cssiw.org.uk/find-a-care-service/service-directory/?lang=en (childminders)
NORTHERN IRELAND - Education and Training Inspectorate - http://www.etini.gov.uk/index/inspection-reports/inspection-reports-pre-school-centre-and-nursery-school.htm
Most independent / private schools in England are not required to be inspected by OFSTED, and this includes any nursery / early years education they provide. However, they are still required to be inspected / regulated and the body that carries out this regulation is the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) which is a government approved body. Private nursery schools can be considered as eligible childcare provision as they are inspected by the ISI.
Registered childcare can cover:
- Registered nurseries
- Registered childminders
- Play Groups
- Early Excellence Centres
- After School / Holiday Play Schemes that include children under the age of 8
Childcare can also be provided by:
- Out of school hours childcare provided by the school on the school premises.
- A nurse or domiciliary worker provided by an agency registered under the Domestic Care Agency regulations 2002 (this is normally for a sick or disabled child or children in the child?s own home).
- An approved foster carer - the childcare must be for a child who is not being fostered by that foster carer.
Some childcare providers are exempt from registered with Ofsted, or are not required to be registered separately.
For example, some nursery schools / providers are no longer required to hold a separate Early Years registration with Ofsted if:
- they are providing care to children aged 2 and over, and
- the childcare is run directly by the school, and
- at least one of the children that attends is a pupil of the school