Ï㽶ÊÓƵapp

Early years providers can appoint someone who is not a member of their governing body to act as their nominated individual under certain circumstances, Ofsted has confirmed.

 

Nominated individuals, who act as primary points of contact with Ofsted on application and registration matters, must be able to properly represent and act on behalf of their organisation, and so have historically been governing body members.

 

However, Ofsted has now clarified that registered providers can appoint ‘an officer’ of their organisation to act as the nominated individual, provided that they have a strategic role and can act appropriately on behalf of the registered setting. This means someone who holds a position of authority in the organisation, and has the relevant knowledge, experience and seniority to be held responsible and accountable for all matters relating to the setting’s Ofsted application and registration.

 

According to Ofsted, it is likely that this flexibility will mainly apply to larger organisations, who have a number of early years settings under a single registration. Ofsted remains responsible for deciding whether or not a chosen nominated individual is suitable for the role.

 

The inspectorate has also confirmed that, while it is still only able to communicate with the nominated individual on legal matters related to the registration (such as suspension, cancellation, legal notices, or staff related concerns), settings can appoint two additional named contacts, one of whom may be the manager of the setting, who can communicate with Ofsted on general matters relating to the setting.