Childminders – there were 37,000 providers, down by 600 since 31 December 2019 (1,300 left the sector and 700 joined). Childminders offered 227,100 places, an average of 6.5 each. There are now 11,000 fewer childminders than on 31 August 2015.
Childcare on non-domestic premises – there were 27,600 providers, up 100 since 31 December 2019. These providers offered 1.1 million places, an average of 45 each.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said, ‘To date, the government has done nothing to address the fact that we are losing hundreds of providers from the sector every month.
‘And of course, it's important to remember that these figures only cover up to 31 March, so we are yet to see just how devastating an impact the lack of government support for the sector, during the coronavirus outbreak, will have on the number of childcare providers closing down.
‘If the government wants to reverse this shameful trend, it must urgently commit to both a short-term transitional funding scheme and a long-term plan for the sector which ensures that early years providers are able to deliver quality and affordable care and education without sacrificing their own financial sustainability.’
Inspection outcomes
The proportion of providers judged good or outstanding at their most recent inspection has remained unchanged (96 per cent). However, there has been a slight shift to a higher proportion of providers judged good (79 per cent) and a lower proportion of outstanding (18 per cent) since December 2019. 22 per cent of childcare on non-domestic premises providers were judged outstanding at their most recent inspection, compared to 15 per cent of childminders.
Routine inspections are currently suspended because of coronavirus.
