Maintaining quality is not a checklist. It is a dynamic, reflective process that balances statutory compliance with aspirational practice, ensuring each child is given the very best start in life.

As an experienced Ofsted Inspector, I have seen that the foundations of quality in early years lie in creating environments where children feel nurtured, safe, and inspired to thrive. Quality in early years isn’t a standard to meet; it’s a promise to every child’s future. A child who feels secure, cared for, and respected can explore, engage, and learn with confidence. Meeting their basic hierarchy of needs in partnership with parents, such as nutrition, hygiene, and emotional wellbeing, provides the platform from which children flourish. Programmes such as healthy nutrition schemes or daily toothbrushing are not simply ‘add-ons’; they are essential in building lifelong habits that underpin achievement.

Our sector is not built on resources alone but on heart, courage, and belief. Passionate educators change lives one child at a time, and central to sustaining quality is the workforce. The strongest nurseries are built upon staff who combine passion with professional knowledge, supported by clear career pathways. We don’t just recruit talent; we grow it from apprentices to leaders. While professional development is key, the heart of quality rests on warm, responsive practitioners who understand the power of interaction. Scaffolding learning, stepping in at the right moment to extend thinking, then stepping back to encourage independence is an art that comes from training, reflection, and deep understanding of child development.

The environment is equally vital. High-quality provision flows with the rhythm of the day and adapts seamlessly to individual needs. Reflexive practitioners evaluate in the moment, adjusting practice to ensure every child feels valued and included. Children should not simply experience quality; they should shape it through their voices, choices, and curiosity. The statutory framework of the EYFS sets the minimum expectations, but true excellence emerges when settings strive to go above and beyond. Drawing on cultural capital, community resources, and professional partnerships allows nurseries to create distinctive, ambitious offers that reflect their identity and the needs of their families.

Safeguarding underpins every aspect of quality. Safeguarding is everyone’s practice, every day, not a policy on a shelf. Children thrive when they are safe, and practitioners who embed safeguarding into every decision create the conditions for growth, trust, and stability. True quality reaches every child, especially the most disadvantaged, quality means equity. It means seeing potential where others might see barriers and ensuring that no child’s future is written by their postcode.

Finally, quality is strengthened through collaboration and advocacy. By working with health visitors, speech and language therapists, or social workers, practitioners use every available tool to help children and families succeed. Maintaining quality in early years is not the job of one leader, one inspector, or one nursery. It is a collective promise we make to children to see them, to hear them, and to champion them every single day.

At Nursery Management Show London 2025, Corinna Laing will speaking as part of the panel Maintaining Quality in a Growing Nursery Business.