Showcase Magazine Summer 2026 - Flipbook - Page 2
Summer 2026
NURSERY NEWS
Safer Sleep in Early Years – Updates April 2026
On the 20th of April 2026, the Department for Education, in
collaboration with the Lullaby Trust, published updated safe
sleep guidance. The updated guidance applies to all early
years settings and plans to be included in the updated Early
Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework expected in
September 2026. The tragic death of Genevieve Meehan has
been widely referenced in conversations around safe sleep and
child safety. Genevieve died at nine months old after being
placed face down on a beanbag at a nursery in Cheadle
Hulme. In January 2026, her parents delivered a letter to
Downing Street calling for stronger legal protections to help
prevent similar tragedies. Read more on page 17 and here.
Ofsted to Inspect Early Years More Frequently
On 14 April 2026, Ofsted announced that it will move from a
six-year to a four-year inspection cycle for early years
providers as part of the Department for Education’s (DfE)
Best Start in Life Strategy, which came into effect in April
2026. All providers on the Early Years Register will be
inspected at least once by March 2030 and then every four
years thereafter, with higher-risk settings inspected more
frequently. Newly registered providers will now receive their
first inspection within 18 months instead of 30 months, and
the change will be phased in across the sector to ensure all
providers are aligned by 2030, aiming to give parents more
up-to-date information about quality and safety.
Read more here
New AI Tool Helps Parents Access Childcare
The government have announced the rollout of GOV.UK Chat,
a new AI-powered feature built into the GOV.UK app
designed to help parents quickly access information about
childcare funding, benefits and family support. The tool
allows users to type questions in plain language and receive
instant, official answers drawn directly from government
guidance. It is aimed at simplifying access to complex
information. Many families are still missing out on support
they are entitled to, with hundreds of thousands of eligible
households in England not yet claiming funded childcare
hours worth up to £8,000 a year.
Read more here
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