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By Rachel Lawler

The number of childminders in England decreased by 500 between 31 August and 31 December 2017, according to the latest from Ofsted.

 

The statistics also reveal that the number of early years providers working in non-domestic premises increased very slightly in the same period.

 

There are 80,500 childcare providers registered with Ofsted, which has changed little since Ofsted’s last update but is still a significant decrease from 2012, when there were 96,200 providers.

 

Ofsted rated more than nine in 10 early years providers ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ in the last quarter of 2017. This is consistent with previous years, but is still a 20% improvement since 31 August 2012.

 

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said: “These figures make clear that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are continuing to provide quality, passionate childcare that fosters in our youngest children the curiosity, skills and confidence a lifelong love of learning requires. And this is despite the barrage of challenges the sector currently faces.

 

“That over 9 in 10 settings are achieving Good and Outstanding ratings as they grapple with underfunding and resist the political drift towards schoolification and ever earlier assessment is testament to the dedication and quality of childcare providers in this country.�