To think you need to complain to the DfE not your childcare setting if you don't like the new rules?

[Nickyknackered]

From September 2025 the DfE have updated their statutory guidance for Early Years with the changes concerning nutrition, safer eating and attendance especially causing waves amongst parents and their childcare settings.

I'm a childminder and whilst I do provide food for a small fee, I also have to allow parents to provide if they use funding and don't want to pay extra for food. I do raise an eyebrow at some of the things sent for children, and I wouldn't normally have commented before but now I have no choice. Ofsted will grade me on the nutritional standard of the food the children are eating and ask me what I am doing to 'educate' parents if they send poor lunches. I dont want to but what can I do? I dont want a poor grade because parents send unhealthy food.

Children must also be seated when eating, and monitored constantly when eating. I do this anyway but have had to introduce times when parents cannot drop or collect as it will be during meal times. Luckily mine are fine with this but some children arrive eating a late breakfast or a snack and I've had to stop this as I can't sit and watch them finish it whilst other children are still arriving.

Last big one is attendance. I don't mind if you dont want to bring your child personally, as long as you let me know because that's the polite thing to do. However DfE want absences followed up on and monitored and patterns assessed to see if there may be safeguarding concerns behind it. Fine. I somewhat agree as there are some families who do need a closer eye kept on them and it is easier to identify using the same rules for everyone rather than me be accused of 'judging' and singling families out.

If you use government funded hours there will also be some LAs who won't pay the providers if children don't attend regularly enough. I need to be paid so if this puts my income in jeopardy then of course I will raise it with parents.

Ultimately, I just want to get on and do my job peacefully. I know my obligations around safeguarding and the welfare requirements and will always put the children first. I know I have to be regulated by Ofsted and they use statutory guidance provided by DfE. So if this means I have to have the occasional tough conversation then I will. And I will always endeavour to do this sensitively.

If your nursery setting or childminder is doing the same, please know it doesn't come from us!

If your nursery setting or childminder is doing the same, please know it doesn't come from us!

But they will know, because the childminder will tell them about the new Ofsted rules?

It would be a bit odd if they introduced the new rules without telling parents where they came from.

Unfortunately knowing where the rules come from doesn't stop parents complaining or insisting their child is special somehow. There needs to be publicity about big changes like this. Maybe a good use of mumsnet promoted posts. But no they sneak them out and leave providers to take the flack.

But that's not what I said.

I said the parents will know the rule change hasn't come from the childminder, because they childminder will tell them.

My parents will know as I tell them and it's written in my policies. I can't speak for every setting in England, and judging by some of the threads I've read over the past couple of weeks, not all parents do know. I'm sharing this because if parents do want to have their voices heard effectively they should know who decides these things. I'm not saying this because I don't want to hear feedback from them, but if parents think I can actually do anything about it, they are wrong.

I understand where you're coming from OP, dare say you could inform the parents of who makes the rules morning, noon and night and have it tattooed on your enterance door yet I bet your bottom dollar if parents don't like the changes it still won't be the DfE that they'll be sending their complaints to.