GUIDE
EYFS explained: what early years providers must meet
Every Ofsted-registered childcare provider in England has to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage. Here is what it covers, the ratios it sets, and what changed in 2025.
Last reviewed: 05 June 2026
What the EYFS is
The Early Years Foundation Stage, the EYFS, is the statutory framework that sets the standards every early years provider in England must meet for children from birth to five. It is published by the Department for Education and given legal force under the Childcare Act 2006, and Ofsted assesses providers against it at registration and at inspection. It applies to nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, and school reception classes, anyone caring for or educating young children. There are two versions, one for childminders and one for group and school-based providers, but the standards are the same in substance.
The three parts of the EYFS
The framework is built in three sections. The first is learning and development, what children should be supported to learn and experience. The second is assessment, how you observe and record children’s progress, through everyday observation rather than formal testing. The third is safeguarding and welfare, what you must do to keep children safe and well. For a new provider, all three matter, but the safeguarding and welfare section is where Ofsted’s expectations are most detailed and where most of the recent changes have landed.
The areas of learning and development
The learning and development section sets out seven areas, grouped into prime and specific. The three prime areas, considered most important for early learning, are communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development. The four specific areas, through which the prime areas are strengthened, are literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design. Your activities, your environment, and your record-keeping all have to reflect these areas. Importantly, the learning and development requirements and the Early Learning Goals did not change in the 2025 update, so this part of the framework has been stable.
Ratios, safeguarding, and the 2025 changes
Two things shape an early years business more than the rest. First, the staff-to-child ratios, set by the EYFS and fixed by law: one adult to every three children under two, one to five for two-year-olds (the statutory minimum since September 2023, though many settings choose to staff at one to four), and one to eight for three and four-year-olds. Second, the safeguarding and welfare requirements, which were strengthened in the edition that took effect on 1 September 2025. Those changes formalised the Designated Safeguarding Lead role, introduced two-yearly safeguarding training, tightened safer recruitment, added requirements to follow up prolonged child absences and hold extra emergency contacts, and brought in new nutrition guidance. The direction is clear: early years safeguarding is moving closer to the language and expectations already used in schools.
Under-2s, two-year-olds, three-to-fours.
Three prime, four specific.
Strengthened safeguarding and welfare.
What is coming next
The EYFS continues to evolve. A further update to the framework’s wording is planned for September 2026, subject to the parliamentary process, and the Department for Education has flagged changes around areas including safer sleep. Until any change takes effect, providers should meet the current framework, the edition in force from September 2025. We keep our documentation current with the framework as it stands.
Built to the EYFS, from day one
We build your childcare business and your documentation to meet the current EYFS, the ratios, the learning and development areas, and the strengthened safeguarding requirements, as part of getting you Ofsted-registered.
EYFS questions, answered
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