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By Rachel Lawler

The number of childminders operating in the early years sector has fallen by 26% since August 2012, the have revealed.

 

According to the Childcare providers and inspections statistics, the number of childminders fell by 752 between 31 March 2017 and 31 August 2017. In contrast, the number of childcare providers based on non-domestic premises increased by 28 over the same period, and has only decreased by 3% since 2012.

 

Overall, the sector has seen a decline in the number of childcare providers since 2012. While some of this is due to childminders leaving the sector, the government says that some of the decline could be attributed to the fact that schools have been exempt from registering their early years provision for two-year olds since 2015.

 

The latest аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± statistics also reveal that more than 94% of early years providers are now judged to be 'good' or 'outstanding', up from 93% as of March 2017. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said this was a testament to the "hard work and dedication of early years practitioners across the country".

 

He added: "We know that the pressures of delivering the so-called free entitlement without sufficient funding can have a real detrimental impact on the quality of provision, and so it's absolutely vital that the government funds the early years sector adequately if this positive trend is to continue."

 

However, Neil also raised concerns about the declining numbers of childminders, saying: "To lose nearly 15,000 childminders over the course of five years is clearly a completely unsustainable position and it's time the government took action to tackle this decline."

 

He added: "Childminders are a vital source of quality, flexible care and education and will be vital to the long-term delivery of the 30-hour scheme. With some areas of the country already struggling to meet the demand for 30-hours places, now more than ever, we simply cannot afford to be losing experienced, quality practitioners from the early years workforce."