EYFS September 2026: What Actually Changed, and What Nursery Managers Need to Do Now

The updated EYFS statutory framework came into force on 1 September 2026. The DfE published it on 13 July, which left most settings about seven weeks to catch up over the summer.

None of the changes rewrites how you teach. Almost all of them are about safeguarding, suitability and notifications. That's the part of the framework where a gap doesn't lead to a "could do better". It leads to a safeguarding "Not Met" under Ofsted's new report cards.

Here's what changed, what it means on the floor, and a checklist you can work through this week.

The six changes at a glance

• Safer sleep is now written into the framework itself.
• Banned dog breeds (including XL Bully types) must not be on the premises at any time.
• The reporting threshold has dropped: you now notify Ofsted of allegations of harm, not just serious harm.
• Volunteers need enhanced DBS and barred list checks, and nobody new starts before their check is back.
• Staff must disclose more: arrests and charges, not just convictions and cautions.
• Screen use: providers must have regard to the DfE's new guidance on children's screen use.

1. Safer sleep is now explicit

The expectation to follow safer sleep guidance isn't new. What's new is that it now sits in the main body of the EYFS, so there's no ambiguity about whether it applies to you.

What to do:

• Check your sleep policy against current safer sleep guidance (the DfE's and the Lullaby Trust's). Cover sleep position, cot and mat set-up, bedding, and how often sleeping children are checked.
• Make sure sleep checks are recorded consistently, with times and initials. An inspector asking "how do you know?" should get an answer from the records, not from memory.

2. Banned dog breeds: no exceptions

The framework now states that dogs covered by section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, including the XL Bully type, must not be kept or present on the premises at any time. A personal exemption certificate doesn't change that.

This will matter most to childminders and home-based settings. Group settings should still check it: think about staff bringing dogs to work, family dogs at on-site accommodation, and visitors.

What to do: add a line to your visitor and premises policy, and tell staff directly.

3. "Harm", not "serious harm"

Providers must now notify Ofsted (or their childminder agency) of any allegation of harm or abuse by a person looking after children. Before, it was only serious harm.

This is the change most likely to catch settings out. It moves the judgement call, and more allegations will now need notifying.

What to do:

• Update your safeguarding and allegations policy wording.
• Brief your DSL and deputy DSL on the new threshold. If in doubt, notify.
• Check that your incident and concern records make it easy to show when you knew and when you reported.

4. Volunteers and new starters: checks come first

The previous exemption for supervised volunteers has gone. Now only volunteers who help on fewer than three days in any 30-day period, with no overnight or personal care, are exempt. Everyone else needs an enhanced DBS with barred list check before they start.

Also, new employees can no longer start work before their check has come back.

What to do:

• List every volunteer, student placement and regular helper, and check who now needs a check.
• Build the DBS wait into your recruitment timeline. If checks are taking three or four weeks, your start dates need to reflect that, especially in a tight staffing market where you're tempted to get someone on the floor quickly.
• Keep a single record of each person's DBS number, issue date and check date. That's the first thing an inspector will ask for.

5. Wider staff disclosure

Staff, and people you're about to employ, must now disclose arrests and charges, not just convictions and cautions.

What to do:

• Update your staff handbook, contracts and suitability declaration.
• Get every current staff member to re-sign an updated declaration, and add it to your induction pack for new starters.

6. Screen use guidance

Providers must now have regard to the DfE's guidance on children's screen use in early years settings. In summary:

• No screens for under-2s, except for things like video calls with family.
• No more than an hour a day for 2- to 5-year-olds.
• Children shouldn't use screens on their own.
• AI-enabled toys should be avoided until there's more evidence.

What to do: write or update a short screen use policy, and check what's actually happening in each room. This is about children's screen time. Staff using tablets to record observations is a separate question, but keep those devices out of children's hands.

Also worth noting

• Notifications: group and school-based providers must now tell Ofsted about changes to anyone aged 16 or over living or working on domestic premises used for childcare.
• Qualifications: the Early Years Qualifications Requirements are being updated to clarify the Level 2 English requirements.

How this fits with Ofsted's new report cards

Since November 2025, Ofsted has inspected early years settings under its renewed framework:

• A five-point scale: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement.
• Separate evaluation areas, including a new inclusion judgement.
• Safeguarding judged simply as met or not met.

That's why these changes matter more than their length suggests. Most of them are safeguarding requirements, and safeguarding is pass/fail.

The encouraging part is that Ofsted has been clear it doesn't want "inspection theatre". The EYFS itself has long said assessment shouldn't mean excessive paperwork or pulling practitioners away from children. So the goal isn't more paperwork. It's records that are complete, current and easy to find: DBS checks, sleep checks, incident and concern logs, and staff declarations.

Your 10-point checklist for this term

• Sleep policy checked against current safer sleep guidance
• Sleep checks recorded consistently (time + initials)
• Premises/visitor policy updated for banned dog breeds
• Safeguarding and allegations policy updated: "harm", not "serious harm"
• DSL and deputy DSL briefed on the new notification threshold
• Every volunteer and regular helper reviewed for DBS requirements
• No new starter works before their DBS check is back
• Updated suitability declaration re-signed by all staff (arrests and charges)
• Screen use policy written and shared with each room
• One place where staff records, DBS dates and incident logs can be found in under a minute

A final thought

Most of these changes aren't hard to do. They're easy to forget, especially in September, with new starters, settling-in sessions and funded-hours admin all landing at once.

If your records live across paper folders, spreadsheets and someone's inbox, now is a good time to pull them together. That's what we built BloomKidz for: one place for your registers, observations, rotas, compliance and parent communication. It's free for UK nurseries until the end of 2026. If you'd like to see it, you can book a demo.

What change is your setting finding hardest to implement? We'd like to hear from you.

This article summarises the DfE's published changes and is not legal advice. Always check the full EYFS statutory framework and your local authority's guidance.

Sources: DfE, Help for early years providers: Changes to the EYFS framework from 1 September 2026; Ofsted, Education inspection framework for use from November 2025; NSPCC Learning, EYFS framework 2026: summary of changes.