Ofsted website to publish childcare details

But personal details of childminders and at-home childcare, including addresses, will not be put in the public domain.

Between November 2007 and February this year Ofsted consulted with childcare workers, parents and local authorities on what details from the childcare registers to publish on its website.

Most of the 1,345 respondents agreed more information was needed than was currently published online to help parents get more information about the childcare available.

But childminders and home childcarers objected to their names and addresses being published on Ofsted's website, for security reasons.

As a result of the consultation Ofsted has decided to publish names, addresses, type of provision, time and duration of childcare, number of children registered and other details of all types of childcare except childminders and at-home carers.

It has also decided not to publish the address of settings not accessible to the general public, for example childcare in women's refuges and in some military bases.

Ofsted has not yet decided how much information to publish about complaints and enforcement action against childcare providers.

"We need to consider further the implications of doing so, balancing the interests of providers against the wishes of parents to have as much information as possible," the watchdog said.