While childminding provision decreased significantly, the number of group day care and creche providers remained stable in the same period.
A spokeswoman for Ofsted denied that childminders might be put off from the profession because of the new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements.
She said: "There has been no reduction in the number of childcare places. Ofsted has no evidence to suggest that the EYFS is the reason for the drop in registered childminders."
She said childminders stop working for a variety of reasons including lack of demand and career development. She added that childminders often maintain their registrations even when they are not caring for children and said that at least half of the childminders who resigned last year fell into that category.
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