• Find a children and families services inspection report
• Understanding a children and families services inspection report
• Types of children and families services Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting children and families services
  • Inspecting children's social care
  • Inspecting Cafcass
  • Inspecting children's centres
  • Inspecting and assessing local authority children's services
• Types of children and families services Ofsted regulates
• Regulating children and families services
• Statistics for children and families services
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

Inspecting children's centres

Before an inspection

A team of two inspectors usually carries out an inspection.

We have a self-evaluation form for children’s centres to use to think about their work, what they do well and where they need to improve.

The centre leader should:

• arrange for key people to meet with inspectors
• tell staff, families and interested parties that there is an inspection
• prepare the information and documents required for the inspection.

During an inspection

The inspectors will look at the centre and visit services that work with the centre, such as nurseries.

The inspectors will talk to:

• parents and children
• centre managers
• managers of services that work with the centre
• health visitors, family support workers, employment and training advisers
• members of the centre’s advisory board.

The inspectors will consider whether the activities and services are the right ones for the community and:

• how the centre has decided this
• if they are making a difference to the children and families using the centre.

The lead inspector will hold a feedback session. The feedback will include a provisional inspection grade. The grades are:

• outstanding
• good
• satisfactory
• inadequate.

The inspector will also outline the main things the centre does well and what it needs to improve.

After an inspection

We publish the report on our website within 15 working days of the inspection; if the centre is judged inadequate, we publish the report within 25 days.

There is also a parents summary.

We send the report to the local authority at the same time as it is published. The local authority must make sure:

• the report is given to everyone who needs to see it
• the centre writes an action plan addressing suggested improvements
• the action plan is displayed in the centre, and in places like the family information service or local health centre.