Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors

The framework is underpinned by the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). We are committed to ensuring that children grow up loved, safe and respected.

Children’s rights are central to every aspect of their care, play, learning and education. Every child should be loved, safe, respected, and supported to achieve their potential.

UNCRC principles

This framework considers four general principles of children’s rights:

Non-discrimination: children are protected from discrimination and treated fairly.

Best interests of the child: when making any decision, adults must do what is best for children rather than themselves. This includes governments and businesses.

Survival and development: children must be supported to grow up into what they want to be without harmful interference.

Respect for children’s views: children have opinions that must be taken into account in all the things they care about.

National standards

Every setting is required to meet The Health and Social Care Standards.We are also dedicated to keeping The Promise and The Pinky Promise made to care-experienced people and their families.

The framework contains quality indicators that focus on specific areas of practice. They will help you identify strengths in the ways you are currently working. They will also highlight ways to improve outcomes for children and their families.

Self-evaluation will help you explore your progress, development, and practice. The self-evaluation process uses evidence to reflect on achievements. It will also help you develop action plans for improvement.

The process of self-evaluation is part of a wider quality assurance approach. It requires a cycle of reflection based on the following three questions:

1. How are we doing?
2. How do we know?
3. What are we going to do now?

It is important for self-evaluation to be manageable. You should consider which areas you wish to assess and why. Use evidence to support your analysis.

Self-evaluation can also be a forward-looking assessment. Consider any factors that might affect your ability to improve. Such factors might include staff changes, restructuring, or funding cuts.

The Care Inspectorate has statutory obligations under section 53 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 to carry out inspections of all ELC and school-aged childcare settings that are registered with them.

The Care Inspectorate will inspect all children’s services whether or not the setting delivers the funded entitlement for ELC. The aim of inspection is ensuring all children, whatever their age or setting type, have the highest quality care, play and learning experiences.

HM Inspectors of Education have powers to inspect schools and educational establishments under section 66 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. This includes powers to inspect ‘nursery schools’ and other settings that are providing funded ELC to children, which may be nursery or childminding settings. HMIE support improvement and provide public accountability and assurance on the quality of education to children, their parents/carers and Scottish Ministers.

Inspections of education are carried out by His Majesty’s Inspectors. Excellence, equity and steps to close the poverty-related attainment gap remain important priorities of their work. The work of HM Inspectors is underpinned by the drive to ensure that every child experiences high-quality education.

As well as providing assurance, HM Inspectors share evidence and innovative practice about education to support services to improve and inform the development of educational policy and practice.

Both inspectorates will retain their current roles and responsibilities. The Care Inspectorate will continue to inspect all ELC settings, including childminders and school-aged childcare settings, whether or not they provide funded ELC. Education Scotland will inspect settings providing funded ELC (other than childminders).

Both the Care Inspectorate and HMIE will use the framework for the inspection of ELC. This includes inspections they undertake independently of each other and when they work together as part of a shared inspection of ELC.

Having a shared framework will enable both organisations to work more closely together, using their professional expertise to evaluate the quality of the care and education.

The Care Inspectorate will apply this framework within their inspection and regulatory role to ensure all elements of funded or unfunded ELC, childminding and school-aged childcare receive the highest standards of care and learning.

HMIE inspections will continue to evaluate the quality of children’s educational experiences and major changes in the education system. The framework has distinct quality indicators for the inspection of education. HMIE will use these quality indicators to inspect settings providing funded ELC (other than childminders).

The Care Inspectorate has core assurances that they inspect against at every inspection. An element of the core assurances is safeguarding. HMIE will continue with their safeguarding arrangements as part of their inspections.

Both organisations will continue to promote a culture of self-evaluation and quality improvement.

The six-point scale is a tool for evaluating the quality indicators. It is used by His Majesty’s Inspectorate, and the Care Inspectorate for reporting on the outcomes of inspections. Local authorities and other governing bodies may choose to use it for the purpose of national and/or local benchmarking across a number of settings.

It is not necessary for individual settings to measure themselves against the six-point scale although they may choose to do so to help assess and understand their performance.

The Care Inspectorate will retain the term ‘adequate’ for the time being, in order to align with the National Standard and Education Scotland will retain the term ‘satisfactory’. Where an adequate evaluation has been made, the Care Inspectorate will revisit the service in the following inspection year.

Level 6 'excellent': outstanding or sector leading

An excellent grading means that this aspect of the setting’s work is outstanding and sector leading. The experiences and achievements of all children are of a very high quality.

This represents an outstanding standard of provision which exemplifies very best practice. It is based on achieving equity and inclusion.

Settings show a deep professional understanding which is worth sharing to support system-wide improvement. It implies that very high levels of performance are sustainable and will be maintained.

Level 5 'very good': major strengths

'Very good' means that there are major strengths in this aspect of the setting’s work. There are very few areas for improvement and any that do exist do not significantly diminish children’s experiences.

An evaluation of very good represents a high standard of provision for all children and is a standard that should be achievable by all.

There is an expectation that the setting will make continued use of self-evaluation to plan further improvements and will work towards improving provision and strive to raise performance to excellent.

Level 4 'good': important strengths with areas for improvement

An evaluation of good means that there are important strengths within the setting’s work yet there remain some aspects which require improvement.

The strengths have a significantly positive impact on almost all children. The quality of experiences is diminished in some way by aspects in which improvement is required.

The setting should seek to improve further the areas of important strength, and also take action to address the areas for improvement.

Level 3 'satisfactory/ adequate': strengths just outweigh weaknesses

An evaluation of satisfactory means that strengths in this aspect of the work outweigh the weaknesses. It indicates that children have access to a basic level of provision.

Strengths have a positive impact on children’s experiences. Weaknesses are not important enough to have a adverse impact. They do constrain the quality of children’s experiences.

Satisfactory or adequate performance may be tolerable in particular circumstances. For example, where a service or partnership is not yet established, or are in the midst of major transition. Continued performance at satisfactory/adequate level is not acceptable.

Improvements build on strengths. They should address elements that do not contribute to positive experiences and outcomes for children.

Level 2 'weak': important weaknesses

An evaluation of weak means that there are some strengths but there are important weaknesses within this aspect of the setting’s work.

These weaknesses, either individually or collectively, are sufficient to diminish children’s experiences. Improvements should be made as a matter of priority. Without improvement the welfare or safety of children may be compromised, or their critical needs not met.

Weak performance requires action. Structured and planned improvement must be made by the provider or partnership. This should demonstrate clearly that sustainable improvements have been made.

Level 1 'unsatisfactory': major weaknesses

An evaluation of unsatisfactory will apply when there are major weaknesses in critical aspects of performance which require immediate remedial action to improve experiences and outcomes for children. It is likely that children’s welfare or safety will be compromised by risks which cannot be tolerated.

Those accountable for carrying out the necessary actions for improvement must do so, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that children are protected, and their wellbeing improves without delay.

In almost all cases, this will require support from senior managers in planning and carrying out the necessary actions to effect improvement. This will usually involve working alongside other staff in other settings or agencies.

Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate will begin to use the new framework for inspection from September 2025. 

With help from stakeholders, we have compiled some frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Care Inspectorate website. Answers address some of the points raised with us so far. We will keep these FAQs updated as new questions arise.

This framework replaces both How good is our early learning and childcare and A quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare.

There will be a transition period as settings move away from using the existing frameworks. This will allow settings to become familiar with its content and structure.

You may continue to use the existing framework until you are ready to adopt the new framework.

Both inspectorates will engage with settings to support them to become familiar and confident in using the new framework for self-evaluation.

The final version of the framework will be formally launched in autumn 2025.