Ofsted has announced a series of measures to “reassure” providers ahead of the November roll-out of inspections under its renewed inspection framework.

The inspectorate said there would be fewer inspections than usual in November and December, and these would initially be led by the most senior and experienced inspectors. There will be no inspections in the week before Christmas to allow for further training.

A random sample of providers will be invited to take part in “exit interviews” with His Majesty’s Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver, national director Lee Owston , and senior Ofsted officials to hear about their inspection experience and reflect on the implementation of the reforms.

Ofsted has also announced a series of separate webinars for childminders, group-based provision and out-of-school clubs, setting out the key changes to inspection. Recordings of each webinar will be available on Ofsted’s YouTube channel. The inspectorate is also exploring webinar options for nursery chains.

The inspectorate is also rolling out its “nominees” system, already used to support inspections of further education and skills providers, to the early years from November. Nominees provide contextual information about their setting and strengthen the professional dialogue between inspectors and leaders.

Ofsted will offer a short online training package tailored for nominees in specific remits, providing an overview of the framework and more information on how nominees can work together with inspectors during a future inspection. Nominees, which are not mandatory, should be the individual who knows the setting and children the best. This is a different role from the nominated individual.

“We’re confident that our reforms will deliver an improved system of education inspection, with real benefits for children and their parents,” said Oliver. “But we’re also serious about giving providers the support they need to engage confidently and fairly with the changes, and ensuring a steady and assured start to inspections under the renewed framework. I want to reassure everyone that we’re taking every possible measure to provide a consistent and high-quality inspection experience for all, right from the off.”

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: “Given that our own research identified inspections as the biggest source of stress and anxiety for those working in the early years, we welcome Ofsted’s efforts to reassure those working across the education sector about its commitment to improving the quality of inspection.

“What’s more, with the publication of Ofsted’s response to the inspection reform consultation delayed to September, it is reassuring to see that the rollout of the inspections under the new framework will be phased in gradually, with initial inspections carried out by senior Ofsted staff.”