Education & Training

Which education and childcare rules apply to your business

Education and childcare businesses are regulated by what they do and who they serve. Early years and out-of-school childcare register with Ofsted in England; independent schools register with the Department for Education; higher education providers register with the Office for Students; driving instructors join the DVSA's ADI register (Great Britain-wide; Northern Ireland has the DVA's separate register); domiciliary care and social work have their own regulators. Find your provider type below, then follow the route that matches.

UK-wide
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UK-wide

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Regulation in this sector follows the activity. Caring for children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day for payment generally requires Ofsted registration in England (with parallel regulators in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Schools, colleges, universities, training providers and driving instructors each have their own registration gateway. Domiciliary care and social work sit with the care regulators. Across all of them run the same supporting duties: enhanced DBS checks for work with children or adults at risk, safeguarding policies, insurance, and data protection for records about children and families.

Where to start

  1. 1

    Nurseries, pre-schools, childminders and out-of-school clubs

    Follow "Start and Register a Childcare Business", "Register as a Childminder in England" and "Comply with the EYFS Statutory Framework" for Ofsted registration, the EYFS frameworks, ratios and funding — then the childcare safeguarding and inspection guides.

  2. 2

    Holiday clubs and wraparound care

    Follow "Register Holiday Clubs and Out-of-School Care" for the Childcare Register, exemptions and staffing.

  3. 3

    Independent schools, tutors, training providers and driving instructors

    Follow "Run a school, training or instruction business" for DfE independent school registration, Office for Students registration, the APAR apprenticeship register and the DVSA ADI register.

  4. 4

    Apprenticeship training providers

    Follow "Becoming an apprenticeship training provider" for APAR routes, funding rules and Ofsted inspection of providers.

  5. 5

    Domiciliary care and social work services

    Follow "Social care registration and regulators" and "Run a care home or other residential care service" — personal care in people's homes is CQC-registered in England; social workers register with Social Work England.

  6. 6

    Childcare funding and entitlements

    Follow "Childcare Funding Entitlements: A Guide for Providers" for the working-parent entitlement, Tax-Free Childcare and charging rules.

The regulators by nation

Childcare regulation is devolved: Ofsted registers childcare in England; Care Inspectorate Wales registers childminding and day care for children under 12 in Wales; the Care Inspectorate registers childminding and daycare of children in Scotland; and in Northern Ireland childminding and day care register with the local Health and Social Care Trust's early years team. Education regulation is also England-specific in this guide — the devolved administrations run their own school registration and inspection systems.

What sits alongside registration

Whichever route applies: work with children is regulated activity, so staff in regulated activity need enhanced DBS checks with barred-list checks (PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland); the EYFS frameworks set safeguarding expectations for childcare, and Keeping Children Safe in Education applies to schools and colleges; providers must carry appropriate insurance, including employers' liability if anyone is employed; and records about children and families are personal data that need ICO registration and careful handling.

Official sources

The registration gateways for education and childcare.