Opinion: Editor's View - Cheapness isn't everything when it comes to nursery care

And it is true that everything from hotels to books and CDs is now subject to rating and comment from the general public online. Personally, I will risk buying a CD that has received good user reviews, but hotel bookings I am more wary about. The descriptions on websites such as Trip Advisor of hotels I've visited are sometimes unrecognisable as being the same place. Anyone who has looked at the sites where children rate their teachers will have been horrified by the cruel, gratuitous comments that are left there by anonymous pupils.

And for nurseries? There would seem to be several pitfalls in opening up childcare provision to this sort of assessment - misunderstandings about good practice, parents or former staff with grudges, and so on. Nurseries already feel upset when they believe they have been unfairly criticised by Ofsted, but comments by the public could lead to further trouble.

Many years ago, when Tony Blair had not long been in power, he came up with the idea for a star rating system for nurseries that was quietly dropped after protests.

The notion of price comparison on the new website, too, seems unwise. There are so many different variables that make up a setting's fees. There are issues of funding and subsidy, the level of staff qualifications, the rent ... Good childcare is not cheap, and this website may encourage the idea that cheaper is better, ultimately acting against improving quality.