Laying out its priorities until 2027, the inspectorate states that “thousands [of staff members] have left the sector since the first lockdown in 2020, while those who have stayed are often struggling to get by on low wages”.
“There has also been a drop in the number of childcare providers. At the start of the pandemic there were just over 75,000 registered providers, but that has since dipped below 70,000, with childminders accounting for the bulk of the reduction,” it adds.
The new strategy lists giving all children “the best start in life” among its eight key priorities over the next five years.
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