Nursery World - DfE flags up changes to the code of practice

Ministers will consult in the next few weeks on the criteria that early years settings will need to meet in order to qualify for nursery education funding, as part of the consultation on the regulation of early education.

Speaking at an International Centre for the Study of the Mixed Economy of Childcare (ICMEC) seminar at the University of East London, Ann Gross, director of early years at the Department for Education, said that the aim would be to streamline the Code of Practice to take out the prescriptive detail but keep the focus on quality and maintaining diversity in the sector.

Ms Gross said, 'We will shortly be consulting on a basket of eligibility criteria that providers of the free entitlement will need to meet to receive funding.'

She said that this could include, for example, Ofsted grades and inspection reports, as well as levels of staff qualifications and whether settings are in a quality assurance scheme.

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