Since 2024 childminders have had their own EYFS statutory framework, written for home-based care and published alongside the version for group and school-based providers. This EYFS childminder course walks you through what your framework requires, how it differs from the group version, and how to meet it confidently in your own home without turning your living room into a classroom.
Why the childminder EYFS matters
Childminding is not a scaled-down nursery. You offer consistent care from one trusted adult, mixed-age groups that mirror family life and real everyday experiences. When you work alone, every role a nursery shares across a team rests with you: safeguarding lead, key person, curriculum planner and leader. Knowing your framework well is what lets you make those calls with confidence, from taking on another baby to answering a parent’s question.
The childminder EYFS is statutory. It carries exactly the same legal weight as the group framework, it applies to you and any assistants working with you, and Ofsted inspects you against it. The curriculum and the safeguarding standard are the same. What changes is how the requirements are framed for a home setting, and the flexibilities open to you.
What’s in the course
- The childminder’s EYFS: your own frameworkWhy a separate framework exists, what stays the same, and what is tailored for home-based care.
- Learning and development in a home settingThe seven areas through real daily life, the mixed-age advantage, and planning that fits one adult.
- Safeguarding and welfare when you work aloneBeing your own safeguarding lead, referral routes, and safer practice in a home that is also a workplace.
- Ratios, assistants and the childminder flexibilitiesThe standard ratios, documented exceptions, assistants, working with other childminders and other premises.
- Observation, assessment and the progress check at twoProportionate assessment, a clear and honest progress check, and acting early on concerns.
- Policies, paperwork and being inspection-ready at homePolicies you can explain, records that earn their place, and what an inspection conversation covers.
- Assessment10 questions. Pass mark 80%. Resit as many times as you need.
What you’ll learn
- What is identical across both frameworks, including the seven areas of learning and development and the progress check at two, and what is tailored for childminders
- How one ordinary routine, such as baking or the school run, covers several areas of learning at once
- Your referral routes when you have no colleague to consult: local authority children’s social care, the NSPCC helpline, Ofsted and the police
- How your household fits in: everyone aged 16 or over must be suitable, and minded children are never left in the sole care of anyone who is not a registered assistant
- The standard ratios: a maximum of six children under eight per adult, at most three under compulsory school age, and normally only one under twelve months
- How to reason and record ratio exceptions for siblings and continuity of care
- How to write a short, honest progress check for children aged 24 to 36 months, covering the three prime areas
- Which records are required, which policies you must be able to explain, and how to stay inspection-ready all year
Who this course is for
- Registered childminders who want to know their own framework properly
- Childminders thinking about taking on an assistant or working with other childminders
- Childminding assistants, who work under the same framework
- Childminders preparing for an Ofsted inspection
How it works
- OnlineStudy on any device and pick up where you left off.
- 6 short lessonsAbout 45 minutes in total.
- 10-question assessmentPass mark 80%. Resit as many times as you need.
- CertificateIssued when you pass. NFAQ accredited.
Training your team
If you work with assistants or alongside other childminders, you remain accountable for the provision, and everyone caring for the children needs to understand the same framework and routines. Choose the number of learners at checkout, with group rates from 3 learners, or get it as part of the Training Portal for £5 per learner per month. It pairs well with Safeguarding for Childcare Practitioners (Level 2) and The New Ofsted Report Cards: Inspection Ready 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is the childminder EYFS a lighter version of the framework?
No. It carries the same legal weight as the group and school-based framework, with the same curriculum and the same safeguarding standard. It frames the requirements for home-based care and includes flexibilities group settings do not have.
How many children can a childminder care for?
The standard position is a maximum of six children under eight per adult, of whom at most three may be under compulsory school age, and normally only one under twelve months. Your own children count while they are in your care, and exceptions are decided case by case and documented.
Do I need to write daily plans?
No. There is no requirement for written daily plans. You need to know what you intend each child to learn and how your routines deliver it, and be able to explain it.
Do childminders have to do the progress check at two?
Yes. Every child aged between 24 and 36 months needs one, and childminders are not exempt. It is a short written summary for parents of the child’s development in the three prime areas.
What happens if I don’t pass the assessment?
You can resit it as many times as you need until you pass. Your certificate is issued as soon as you reach the 80% pass mark.
Will this help at Ofsted?
Ofsted does not approve training providers. The certificate is evidence you completed the training, and the course prepares you for the conversations an inspection covers: your curriculum, individual children and safeguarding scenarios.
