The number of registered childminders in England has dropped by more than 4,000 in the past year and by 8,400, or 11.5 per cent, in the past four years. Moreover, according to the inspectorate, the level of good childminding has fallen while the level of inadequate childminding has risen, bucking improvements in general across other childcare settings (see p4). This is a major cause for concern. Local authorities' childcare sufficiency assessments consistently highlight a demand for...