News
Doubts over accuracy as Ofsted figures show slump in providers but rise in places
13 May 2009
Early years organisations have criticised the "unreliable" and "confusing" quarterly statistics, which were published two weeks late.
At 31 March there were 232 fewer full daycare, sessional providers, out-of-school clubs and creches, now categorised as “childcare on non-domestic premises”, than there were at 31 December, but the number of places appears to have risen dramatically by 135,430.
Ofsted admitted the figures may be higher than the “true overall maximum number of places” because they may include duplication for settings that are included on both the Early Years Register, covering children from birth to five, and the Childcare Register, for five to seven-year-olds.
While the latest figures show the number of childminders has dropped for the ninth successive quarter, Ofsted failed to explain how the number of places they offer has risen by more than 10%, the highest ever recorded by Ofsted, even though the number of childminders is at its lowest ever.
Ofsted is currently investigating the possibility that the number of childcare places shown may be higher than the true overall maximum number of places.
(Nursery World, 13 May 2009)
