September is always busy. New children settling, new starters learning the routines, the autumn term calendar filling up. So it would be easy to have missed that a new version of the EYFS statutory framework came into force on 1 September 2026, on top of everything else.
Most of it is clarification. A handful of changes, though, alter what you must do on an ordinary day, and inspectors began checking them from the same date. If your policies were last updated for the 2025 reforms, these are the parts to look at now.
Safer sleep is written into the framework itself
Until now the EYFS pointed you towards NHS and Lullaby Trust guidance on sleep. The rules now sit in the framework, and for children under two they are specific:
- Children are placed on their back in their own separate sleep space on a firm, flat surface.
- Babies aged 12 months and under must only be placed to sleep in a cot.
- Cots must not contain toys, pillows, bumpers, wedges, straps or extra blankets.
- Where blankets are used, the child goes feet to foot with the blanket tucked in below the shoulders.
- Babies under six months must have an adult in the same room for every sleep.
- Sleeping children must be checked frequently and always be within sight and hearing of staff.
The framework also gives a recommended room temperature for babies of 16 to 20°C. If the only thermometer in the baby room has been on the windowsill since 2019, now is a good time to replace it.
The practical test is the one Ofsted will apply: walk the sleep room at a quarter past one and see whether every cot matches the list. We covered the build-up to this change in June, in safer sleep guidance is being strengthened, and our Safer Sleep and SIDS Awareness course covers the risk factors, sleep checks and how to talk to parents about sleep at home.
Nobody starts before their check comes back
The recruitment rules have tightened in two ways. First, you must not let a new member of staff or a volunteer begin working at the setting until you have received their enhanced criminal records and barred list check. Starting someone on a “supervised” basis while the DBS is pending is no longer an option.
Second, volunteers now need an enhanced check as well, including supervised ones. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 removed the old exemption for supervised unpaid work. The only exception left is for supervised volunteers who help occasionally, such as a parent coming on a trip, and even that does not cover overnight stays or personal care.
Students on placement, regular parent helpers and the grandparent who reads stories every Thursday are the ones to think about. The framework also sets out in detail how references must be taken up: no open references, none from family members, and never collected by the applicant. Our Safer Recruitment course has been rewritten for the September 2026 framework and walks through each of these checks.
The threshold for telling Ofsted has dropped
You must now tell Ofsted, or your childminder agency, about any allegation of harm or abuse by anyone living, working or looking after children at the premises. The previous threshold was serious harm. You have 14 days, and failing to notify without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence. More allegations will now meet the bar, and managers who were used to judging whether something was “serious enough” need to reset their instincts.
You must also tell staff clearly what they have to disclose about themselves, including arrests, charges, cautions and court orders, whether these happened before or during their employment.
Screens, and one unexpected rule about dogs
Providers must now have regard to the Department for Education’s screen use guidance for early years settings. In short, it says to avoid screens for under-twos except in exceptional situations like a video call with a parent. For two to five year olds, it recommends keeping screen time short and purposeful, with an adult alongside. Registered childcare also cannot take place on any premises where a banned dog breed is kept or present, including the XL Bully type. That matters most for childminders and for settings on shared sites.
Where to start this week
Update your sleep, recruitment, allegations and screen use policies, then check that practice matches them. A short team briefing is the quickest way to make sure everyone knows what has changed. For practitioners who are due their two-yearly safeguarding update, the Safeguarding Refresher (Early Years) covers the current requirements.
Recruitment checks that meet the September 2026 framework.
Safer Recruitment has been rewritten for the new EYFS, covering DBS and barred list checks for staff and volunteers, references and the records you must keep. It comes with an NFAQ-accredited certificate.
Most of these changes are small, and together they show where the Department for Education and Ofsted are focusing: sleep, safer recruitment and reporting concerns early.
This article was published in September 2026 and reflects the EYFS statutory framework in force from 1 September 2026. Always check GOV.UK for the current version. It is not legal advice.