School Serious Early Years Incident Notification Procedure

This procedure applies where a maintained or academy school in England is a registered early years provider for the relevant provision. It concerns a serious accident, illness or injury to, or the death of, a child while in the provider’s care.

1. Identify whether notification is required

Consider whether the incident involved a serious accident, illness or injury to, or the death of, a child while in the school’s care. Where it does, treat the incident as requiring notification under this procedure.

2. Record the incident and action taken

Record the incident details, the date it occurred, the action taken, and the date on which notification is made. Use the school’s designated incident record: [incident record location].

3. Identify the appropriate recipient

Notify Ofsted or the registered childminder agency with which the provider is registered. The applicable recipient for this provision is [notification recipient].

4. Make the notification

Make the notification as soon as is reasonably practicable and, in any event, no later than 14 days after the incident occurred. Use the approved notification route: [notification route].

5. Retain the notification details

Keep the incident record, the action taken, and confirmation of the notification in [notification record location]. The notification date must be recorded so that it can be considered against the 14-day deadline.