Which education and childcare rules apply to your business

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

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. 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. Records about children and families are personal data that need ICO registration and careful handling.