By Zara Smith, Coram PACEY Writer
As a childminder or home-based childcare provider, getting to know your local area is one of the best ways to make sure your setting meets the needs of the families you care for. When you understand what’s happening around you, who lives nearby, what childcare already exists, and what families value, you can shape your provision to ensure it truly reflects and supports your community.
What does local context mean?
Your local context is the picture of the community where you work. It includes things like the types of families living nearby, how many young children there are, where local schools are, and what other childcare options are available to families in the local area. Understanding this picture helps you plan care and learning that feels relevant, meaningful and connected to children’s everyday experiences.
Why does understanding your local context matter?
Taking time to understand your local context has real benefits. It allows you to tailor your provision to meet local need—for example, by offering flexible hours if many families in the area work shifts. This awareness also supports your business planning, helping you identify gaps in childcare provision or spot opportunities for growth.
Building this understanding strengthens relationships with families, who appreciate that you recognise their circumstances and the community they live in. It also helps you plan your curriculum and activities so that children learn through experiences that are both familiar and meaningful.
Additionally, under the Education Inspection Framework, Ofsted inspectors look for evidence that you understand how your setting connects to the community and the unique role it plays locally. They may ask questions such as:
- What do you know about the families and community around you?
- How do you use that knowledge to plan your curriculum and activities?
- How does your setting meet the needs of local children, including those who may be disadvantaged or have special educational needs?
- How do you review and adapt your practice as the community changes?
Being able to answer with real examples from your practice shows that you’re thoughtful, reflective, and closely connected to your local area.
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Finding out more about your area
There are simple and practical ways to learn about your local context.
A good starting point is the Ofsted: explore an area tool. This interactive map shows where childcare providers are based, their inspection outcomes, and the types of provision they offer. It is useful for spotting patterns and understanding what services already exist, where your service fits in, and identifying any gaps that you might fill.
Through this tool you can also access key demographic data about your local area such as levels of children from income-deprived families, levels of childhood obesity and tooth decay, number of children receiving EYPP, numbers of children with English as an additional language and the number of children with SEN and EHCPs. This information can help to shape your practice, inform your curriculum and enrich your practice.
Another valuable source of information is your local authority’s early years or childcare sufficiency reports. These contain data and insights about local family needs and levels of childcare demand. Talking to parents, schools, and local community groups can also provide first-hand insights into what matters most to families. Finally, joining local networks or online forums helps you share experiences with other providers and stay informed about local developments.
Putting your local knowledge into practice
Understanding your local context helps you to reflect the diversity of your community in your curriculum through selecting books, resources and experiences that mirror the cultural and linguistic identities of the children you care for, making learning more relevant to them. Inclusive practice where children see their backgrounds represented, fosters self-esteem and supports children’s personal, social, and emotional development and lays a foundation for lifelong engagement with their community.
Once you’ve built a clear picture of your community, think about how to bring that understanding into your everyday practice. For example:
- If your area has a strong farming community, you might plan visits to local farms or create small-world play inspired by tractors and crops.
- If many families use public transport, you could set up role play about taking the bus, teaching children about road safety and community awareness.
- In an area with a strong cultural mix, you might celebrate local festivals and cook dishes from different backgrounds to reflect the diversity of your families.
- If many parents work shifts, you could offer flexible drop-off times or wraparound care to suit their needs.
- Where there’s limited outdoor space, you might make use of local parks, libraries or nature reserves to broaden your provision.
These small but thoughtful adjustments show that your setting is rooted in its community. They also help children make meaningful connections between their home life, your setting, and the world around them—something Ofsted is keen to see.
The reflective practice and self-reflection are excellent ways to maintain and continually improve the quality of your practice. For those who prefer to use a written tool to support their self-reflection and evaluation the revised Coram PACEY Self-evaluation form may be beneficial. During the inspection planning call Ofsted will ask you where you see yourself and your setting against the 5 point-scale of each evaluation area. Recording this information on the evaluation form may support your practice as well as being a handy reference for these conversations during the inspection process.
Building on what you learn
Your local context isn’t static—it changes as families move in and out, new housing is built, or local services evolve. Keeping an eye on those changes helps you stay responsive and relevant. Revisiting your local knowledge regularly, and reflecting on what it means for your provision, will keep your practice fresh, engaging, and in tune with the community you serve.
