Latest Ofsted statistics: PVI nurseries are high quality and delivering more places
Ofsted’s latest statistical release, the first since they moved to the new inspection framework in November 2025 shows the quality and significance of the PVI nursery sector.
Unsurprisingly the sector continues to expand as a result of the Government expansion and PVI nurseries are at the heart of that, now offering 3% more places in more than 400 additional settings.
Around 90% of private and voluntary providers – including childminders – are achieving an expected standard or better for each evaluation area, with 94% achieving this standard for children’s welfare and wellbeing. Almost half of settings inspected received a “strong” grading for ‘behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines’.
Schools with early years provision compare less favourably and are less likely to meet the standards than the private and voluntary sector.
Fewer than 1% of nurseries inspected from November 2025 to March 2026 received an exceptional grading for any evaluation area. ‘Inclusion’, and ‘leadership and governance’, were the only evaluation areas graded as exceptional.
Tim McLachlan, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said:
“We are pleased to see the positive impact the PVI nursery sector is making, with a 3% increase in the number of high-quality early education places that give children the best start and help families to work. This is despite significant staffing and financial challenges which continue to beset the sector.
“Parents can have confidence in the quality of our sector with these inspection statistics showing that around 90% of nurseries and pre-schools are meeting the expected standards or doing better, in some inspection categories that’s as high as 94%.
“Earlier this year, NDNA highlighted the challenges that early years settings face in being able to demonstrate that their setting is worthy of the top ‘exceptional’ grading. We feel that Ofsted could do more to enable settings to achieve this and make it clear what they expect to see in an ‘exceptional’ nursery.
“Ofsted’s figures back up NDNA’s initial analysis that schools with early years settings are less likely to reach the expected standard than PVI nurseries. These figures emphasise PVI nurseries’ quality and suitability to educate and care for our youngest children.”
The following proportion of settings were ‘expected standard’ or better for each evaluation area:
- 93% inclusion
- 90% curriculum and teaching
- 91% achievement
- 94% behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
- 94% children’s welfare and wellbeing
- 89% leadership and governance
The ‘behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines’ evaluation area had the highest proportion of ‘strong standard’ grades (45%).
Here are some of the main findings:
- Across there sector there str 59,700 childcare providers, down by 720 (1%) since 31 March 2025 mostly due to a fall in childminders
- 46,600 (78%) Ofsted-registered childcare providers were on the EYR
- 1.31 million childcare places were offered by providers registered on the Early Years Register (EYR), up by (2%) 26,500
- 1.16m places offered by nurseries and pre schools, up by 3% (30,500)
- 27,900 childcare non domestic premises (nurseries and pre schools) – up by 1% (410)
Inspection findings:
- Since 10 November 2025, there have been 2,050 inspections of providers on the EYR
- Between 1 September 2025 and 30 September 2025, 1,340 inspections were carried out under the original EIF
- 2,850 (84%) were full inspections, 24% were first inspections
- 290 (9%) inspections without notice.
- Of the 1,510 inspections of childcare on non-domestic premises providers, 230 (15%) were without notice.
- 570 registration visits – nurseries and pre schools
- 7,270 regulatory events
- 98% met their safeguarding standards
In over half (52%) of full inspections, the grades matched. The most common scenario was where all 6 evaluation areas were graded ‘expected standard’, accounting for 27% of all full inspections.
You can find the full statistics here:
Childcare providers and inspections as at 31 March 2026
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