Childminders leave sector at rate of six-a-day
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
An average of six childminders a day left the sector in the three months ending in March this year, new figures show.
Figures published by Ofsted show that between the end of December 2017 and the end of March this year there were 600 fewer registered childminders. This is a one per cent fall over the three-month period and represents a rate of 6.6 per day.
The figures show that there are now 41,700 childminders registered with Ofsted. Since the end of August 2012 the total number of childminders leaving the profession stands at 15,700, a fall of 27 per cent.
The figures also reveal that the average length of registration is nine years for those leaving between the end of December 2017 and end of March this year. Three quarters of leavers over this period had been registered for more than three years.
Since the end of August 2012 the fall in the number of places offered by childminders has not been so pronounced, decreasing by 11 per cent.
"This means that each individual childminder is offering a higher number of places on average, even though there are fewer childminders and places overall," says Ofsted.
Pre-school Learning Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch described the continuing decline as "incredibly concerning".
"To lose 27 per cent of a workforce over less than six years is simply unacceptable, and it beggars belief that the government has still not seen fit to do anything to tackle this ongoing trend," he said.
"Childminders offer parents a vital source of quality, flexible care and education and the services they provide are absolutely crucial to the sector as a whole, especially at a time when the government is trying to expand the childcare offer in this country.
"As such, we urge the government to finally take some action on this issue - and addressing concerns over excessive paperwork, substantially increasing hourly funding rates, and crucially, removing unfair rules preventing childminders from claiming funding for related children would be a good start.
"As these statistics have made clear, simply ignoring the problem is not going to make it go away."
Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (Pacey) chief executive Liz Bayram has called for action to address the issue, including ensuring childminders receive prompt payment.
"There is action government and local authorities could take now to help stop this decline and Pacey is frustrated by the lack of urgent action," she said.
"Like all small businesses, childminders tell us they need prompt and sustainable payment for the early education entitlement. This doesn't happen for many of them and, with more now delivering funded places, this is becoming a critical concern."
Ofsted's figures also reveal that 94 per cent of early years providers are rated as good or outstanding. This has been consistent since the end of August 2017.
Children's minister Nadhim Zahawi said: "We want every child to have the best start in life, and it's clear from these figures that parents can be confident with the care and support on offer for their children.
"The quality of the childcare providers remains high with more than nine out of 10 rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.
"We want to improve early years education and childcare for every child, regardless of their background. That's why we are spending more on childcare than any other government - around £6bn a year by 2020, including an additional £1bn a year to deliver our free childcare offers."