A sample page of the actual document
Opening checks catch the three things that shut a setting down: operating below statutory ratio (wrong staff mix, or counting someone whose paediatric first aid has lapsed), a physical hazard in the rooms or garden, and a food or allergy failure that harms a child. Done in order before the first child arrives, these checks protect children and keep the setting clear of Ofsted enforcement.
Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework for Group and School-Based Providers (DfE, in force 1 September 2025): staffing ratios and qualifications (Section 3, paras 3.29 to 3.48), paediatric first aid (para 3.26 and Annex A), food and drink and safer eating (paras 3.48 to 3.50), attendance records, and administering medicines (parental consent). Food Standards Agency chilled storage guidance (fridge 5°C best practice, 8°C legal maximum under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013; freezer at or below -18°C).
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What’s on it
Everything that matters, nothing that does not. Here is the full list, exactly as it appears on the template.
Good to know
From September 2025, students, apprentices, and volunteers can only be counted in your staffing ratios if they hold a current paediatric first aid certificate, not just qualified staff. Many settings still count placement students in ratio without checking this, which means they may be running below statutory ratio without realising; one missing certificate can put the whole room out of compliance.
Source: Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework for Group and School-Based Providers (DfE, in force 1 September 2025): staffing ratios and qualifications (Section 3, paras 3.29 to 3.48), paediatric first aid (para 3.26 and Annex A), food and drink and safer eating (paras 3.48 to 3.50), attendance records, and administering medicines (parental consent). Food Standards Agency chilled storage guidance (fridge 5°C best practice, 8°C legal maximum under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013; freezer at or below -18°C).
Good to know
Opening checks catch the three things that shut a setting down: operating below statutory ratio (wrong staff mix, or counting someone whose paediatric first aid has lapsed), a physical hazard in the rooms or garden, and a food or allergy failure that harms a child. Done in order before the first child arrives, these checks protect children and keep the setting clear of Ofsted enforcement.
From September 2025, students, apprentices, and volunteers can only be counted in your staffing ratios if they hold a current paediatric first aid certificate, not just qualified staff. Many settings still count placement students in ratio without checking this, which means they may be running below statutory ratio without realising; one missing certificate can put the whole room out of compliance.
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This checklist stops the two failures that close kitchens: food sitting in the danger zone (8 to 63 degrees C) long enough for bacteria to multiply, and staff working from memory instead of a record an Environmental Health Officer can read back. A weak opening compromises food before the first order; a rushed close lets fridges drift, pests settle, and yesterday's record go unsigned.
A proper opening check, done before the first customer or the first food is touched, is your strongest defence against a poor Food Hygiene Rating, a customer falling ill, or an enforcement notice. The Environmental Health Officer scores how well you manage safety every day, not just on inspection day, so a signed daily record that proves you check temperatures, allergens and sickness exclusion is what protects the rating and the business.
A closing checklist stops the overnight failures that trigger enforcement notices, voided insurance claims, and food poisoning: fridges drifting above 8C unnoticed, hot food cooled too slowly, gas left on, fire exits blocked, and cash left out. These are the specific things an EHO inspector or an insurer's loss adjuster looks for, and the closing record is the proof you did them.