Martyn Oliver's speech at the National Day Nurseries Association-Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, spoke at the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Conference 2026 in Liverpool

Strengthening Safety in Early Years: Ofsted's Focus on Accountability, Culture and Child Protection

Recent comments from Ofsted's Chief Inspector at the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Conference have highlighted the importance of maintaining the highest standards of safeguarding across the early years sector.

While recognising that the vast majority of nurseries provide safe, nurturing and high-quality care, Ofsted acknowledged growing public concern following a number of serious safeguarding incidents that have received national attention.

At the heart of the message was a clear reminder that safeguarding must remain everyone's responsibility.

As Ofsted's Chief Inspector stated:

"One child coming to harm is one too many. Several children coming to harm is deeply, deeply unacceptable."

Building a Safer System

Ofsted has announced a number of measures designed to strengthen oversight and improve accountability across the sector. These include:

• More frequent inspections through a new four-year inspection cycle

• Greater scrutiny of safer sleeping and safer eating practices

• Increased use of unannounced inspections where concerns exist

• Enhanced monitoring of notification requirements

• Plans for Ofsted to become the designated whistleblowing body for early years providers

These changes are intended to provide greater reassurance to parents while helping providers identify and address risks before harm occurs.

The Importance of Transparency

A key theme throughout the speech was the responsibility of providers to report significant safeguarding incidents promptly.

Ofsted emphasised that failures to notify the regulator of serious incidents can undermine efforts to keep children safe and may prevent concerns from being identified early.

The Chief Inspector made the position clear:

"You must always notify us when a significant event happens."

Strong safeguarding cultures are built on openness, professional curiosity and a willingness to learn from concerns rather than conceal them.

Moving Beyond Compliance

Ofsted also reflected on the limitations of previous inspection frameworks, noting that a system in which 98% of providers were judged "Good" or "Outstanding" did not always provide enough differentiation between settings.

The new inspection approach aims to provide a more nuanced picture of quality through multiple grading areas, encouraging providers to move beyond compliance and focus on continuous improvement.

Examples of exceptional practice highlighted by Ofsted included strong leadership, effective partnership working, inclusive practice and ongoing self-evaluation.

What This Means for Providers

For early years leaders, the message is clear: safeguarding is not simply about policies and procedures. It is about creating environments where children are consistently safe, staff feel empowered to raise concerns and leaders maintain effective oversight of practice.

The speech also serves as an important reminder that safeguarding should be embedded in everyday decision-making, from supervision and staff training to safer sleeping, safer eating and partnership working with families.

As Ofsted noted:

"When parents drop their child off at nursery, they trust that they will be safe and cared for."

RLB Safeguarding's Reflection

At RLB Safeguarding Ltd, we welcome the continued focus on strengthening safeguarding practice across the early years sector. While serious incidents remain rare, every child has the right to be safe, protected and supported to thrive.

Creating safer environments requires more than regulatory compliance. It relies on strong safeguarding cultures, effective leadership, ongoing professional development and a commitment to reflective practice.

By learning from both positive practice and safeguarding failures, the sector can continue to build settings where children feel safe, secure, valued and able to achieve their full potential.

Join our next free CPD Event-RLB Series: From Awareness to Action: Effective Safeguarding in Early Years book here

Read the press release here