CIW Inspections Explained: What Welsh Parents Need to Know

If you are looking for childcare in Wales, you will come across CIW inspection reports rather than Ofsted ones. Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) is the independent regulator responsible for inspecting and registering childcare and play services across Wales, and it works quite differently from Ofsted in England. This guide explains how CIW inspections work, what the four themes and ratings mean, and how to use inspection reports when choosing a nursery or childminder.

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CIW and Ofsted: the key differences

If you have moved to Wales from England, or if you are reading advice written for an English audience, it is worth understanding that CIW and Ofsted are separate organisations with different inspection frameworks. CIW operates under Welsh legislation (the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 and the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010), while Ofsted operates under English law.

The most visible difference for parents is in how results are presented. Ofsted recently moved to a report card system with five grades across multiple areas. CIW has used a four-theme, four-rating system for childcare since April 2019, with each theme receiving its own separate rating. There is no single overall grade in either system, which means you need to look at the detail rather than relying on a headline judgement.

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The four themes CIW inspects

Every full CIW inspection of a childcare or play service assesses the setting across four themes. Each theme receives its own rating, so a nursery might perform strongly in one area and less well in another. Here is what each theme covers.

Wellbeing

This theme looks at the children themselves: how happy and settled they are, how confident they feel, and whether they have a genuine sense of belonging at the setting. Inspectors observe whether children are engaged and interested in what they are doing, whether they form positive relationships with staff and other children, and whether they are developing independence appropriate to their age.

In practical terms, an inspector assessing wellbeing will watch how children behave during free play, how they react at transitions (such as moving from indoor to outdoor activities), and whether they seem comfortable approaching staff for help or reassurance.

Care and development

This theme focuses on the quality of care that staff provide and how effectively they support children's development. Inspectors look at whether staff understand and follow the relevant regulations and standards, whether they plan activities that support children's learning and progress, and whether they respond to children's individual needs.

Key things inspectors consider include: the quality of interactions between staff and children, whether activities are age-appropriate and purposeful, how staff manage behaviour, and whether children with additional needs receive appropriate support. Staff qualifications and training also come into play here.

Environment

This theme covers the physical setting: the building, outdoor spaces, equipment, and resources. Inspectors assess whether the environment is safe, clean, and well-maintained, but also whether it is stimulating and supports children's play and learning. A tidy but unstimulating room will not score as well as one that is thoughtfully set up with accessible, varied resources.

Inspectors also look at how space is organised. Are there quiet areas for children who need a break? Is there enough room for active play? Are outdoor spaces used well? The quality of the environment matters because it directly shapes children's experiences throughout the day.

Leadership and management

This theme examines how the setting is run. Inspectors look at whether the person in charge has a clear vision for the service, whether policies and procedures are effective and followed in practice, and whether there is a culture of continuous improvement.

Staffing is a big part of this theme: whether ratios are met, whether staff are properly supervised and supported, whether there is a commitment to ongoing professional development, and whether the setting actively seeks and acts on feedback from parents. Record-keeping and compliance with regulations also fall under this heading.

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The four ratings

For each of the four themes, CIW awards one of four ratings. These have been in use for childcare and play services since April 2019.

Rating	What it means
Excellent	Exceptionally strong practice across this theme. The setting goes well beyond what is required and demonstrates outstanding quality.
Good	Strong, consistent practice that fully meets or exceeds the national minimum standards. Children benefit from a high standard of care in this area.
Adequate	The setting meets the basic requirements, but there is room for improvement. Care is acceptable but not yet consistently strong.
Poor	Significant shortcomings in this area. The setting is not meeting the required standards and must take action to improve.

A few things to note about these ratings:

Good is genuinely good. Unlike some grading systems where the middle grade feels like a consolation prize, a Good rating from CIW means the setting is doing well. The majority of Welsh childcare providers sit at Good or above. In CIW's most recent annual report (2024-25), 80% of all inspection ratings awarded across childcare and play services were Good or Excellent.

Adequate is not a failing grade, but it is a signal. A setting rated Adequate in one or more themes is meeting minimum requirements but has clear areas for improvement. If you are considering a setting with an Adequate rating, it is worth reading the full report to understand exactly what the inspector found, and asking the setting what they have done about it since.

Poor triggers action. A Poor rating means CIW has identified serious concerns. The setting will be expected to make improvements quickly, and CIW will follow up. In 2024-25, CIW issued 373 Priority Action Notices across all services, though this was a 41% reduction from the previous year, suggesting standards are improving.

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How CIW inspections work in practice

Understanding the inspection process can help you interpret reports more meaningfully.

Types of inspection

CIW carries out two types of inspection: full inspections and focused inspections. Full inspections cover all four themes and result in ratings for each. Focused inspections look at specific areas of concern or follow up on previous findings, and may not cover every theme.

Most inspections are full inspections, planned as part of CIW's regular schedule.

Inspection frequency

CIW changed its inspection intervals in 2024. The maximum gap between inspections is now five years for settings that are performing well. For services that need to improve, the maximum interval drops to two years. Between scheduled inspections, CIW holds quality meetings with providers to discuss progress and support improvement; 154 of these took place in 2024-25.

Are inspections announced?

CIW inspections are generally unannounced. However, for childminders and open access play provision, CIW will normally telephone about a week in advance to confirm operating times and availability. This is a practical step to make sure the inspector does not arrive on a day the childminder is not working. If CIW cannot reach the provider by phone, the inspection goes ahead regardless.

For nurseries and day care settings, inspections are unannounced.

What happens on the day

During an inspection, the inspector will:

• Observe children and staff throughout the session, looking at interactions, routines, and the quality of play and learning
• Speak with the person in charge about how the setting is run, how they plan for children's development, and how they handle safeguarding
• Talk to staff about their roles, training, and understanding of the children in their care
• Review relevant documentation, including policies, registers, and any records required by regulations
• Consider the physical environment, both indoors and outdoors

The inspector gathers evidence across all four themes and forms their judgements based on what they see, hear, and read on the day.

After the inspection

The inspector writes up their findings and sends the report to the provider within 25 working days. The provider then has 10 working days to comment on factual accuracy. After this, the report is published on the CIW online directory, where anyone can read it.

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How to read a CIW report

CIW reports are publicly available and free to access. You can find them on the CIW online directory or through ChildcareHub's search, where we link directly to inspection reports for Welsh providers.

Here is how to get the most from a report.

Start with the ratings table. Each report shows the rating for each of the four themes at a glance. This gives you a quick overview, but do not stop there.

Read the written findings. The narrative sections under each theme are where the real insight lies. An inspector might rate a setting Good for Care and Development but note that planning for older children could be more challenging, or that staff would benefit from additional training in a specific area. These details help you ask better questions when you visit.

Check the date. As with any inspection system, reports are snapshots. A report from three years ago may not reflect the current state of the setting. Staff, management, and even the physical premises can change significantly between inspections. If the most recent report is more than two years old, it is worth asking the setting directly how things have developed since.

Look for patterns across themes. A setting with consistent Good or Excellent ratings across all four themes is likely well-run overall. A setting with mixed ratings (say, Excellent for Wellbeing but Adequate for Leadership and Management) may have specific strengths and weaknesses worth exploring during a visit.

Note any Priority Action Notices or areas for improvement. If the report mentions specific actions the setting must take, check whether enough time has passed for those changes to have been made, and ask the setting about their progress.

Search for nurseries in Wales: Browse CIW-registered nurseries and childminders on ChildcareHub and read their latest inspection reports in one place.

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Joint inspections with Estyn

Some childcare settings in Wales receive joint inspections from CIW and Estyn (the education inspectorate for Wales). This applies to regulated non-school settings that provide funded early education for three and four-year-olds.

In a joint inspection, CIW assesses the care elements while Estyn evaluates the quality of education. The resulting report covers both care and education, giving parents a fuller picture. If the nursery your child attends offers the funded early education entitlement, you may see a joint inspection report that covers more ground than a standard CIW report.

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Funded childcare in Wales

While this guide focuses on inspections, it is worth noting that CIW registration is a requirement for providers offering funded childcare places in Wales. The two main funded schemes are:

Flying Start provides 12.5 hours of free childcare per week for eligible two-year-olds (2.5 hours a day, five days a week). The programme has been expanding significantly, with over 13,400 children offered places in 2024-25. For full details on eligibility and how to apply, see our guide to funded hours in Wales.

The Childcare Offer for Wales provides up to 30 hours per week for working parents of three and four-year-olds, made up of 10 hours of early education and up to 20 hours of funded childcare.

Both schemes require providers to be CIW-registered, so checking inspection reports is a sensible step even when the childcare is funded.

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What CIW registration means (and does not mean)

All childcare providers in Wales who look after children under 12 for more than two hours a day must register with CIW. Registration means the setting has met the basic legal requirements to operate: it has suitable premises, appropriate staffing, relevant policies, and has passed the necessary checks.

Registration alone does not tell you about quality. It is the floor, not the ceiling. That is what inspections and ratings are for. A registered setting that has never been inspected (because it is very new) has met the entry requirements but has not yet been independently assessed in action. If you are considering a newly registered setting, visit in person and ask detailed questions about their approach.

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Next steps

CIW inspection reports are one of the best tools Welsh parents have for assessing childcare quality. Here is how to put this knowledge into practice:

• Search for CIW-registered nurseries and childminders on ChildcareHub, where you can browse by location and see inspection ratings at a glance
• Read our guide to funded childcare hours in Wales to understand what financial support is available
• Use our childcare calculator to estimate costs in your area, including the impact of funded hours
• Check our choosing a nursery checklist for practical questions to ask when you visit a setting