Quality of childcare continues to be high, says Ofsted

The figures show that more than half (59 per cent) of those inspected were rated as good, while 10 per cent were rated as outstanding. Almost a third (30 per cent) were rated as satisfactory.

When it came to outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, 11 per cent of settings were rated as excellent, 60 per cent as good, 27 per cent as satisfactory and two per cent as inadequate.

Inspectors also looked at the extent to which children felt safe, rating 13 per cent of settings as outstanding, 60 per cent as good, 25 per cent as satisfactory and just one per cent as inadequate.

Catherine Farrell, joint chief executive at the National Childminding Association, said: "It is encouraging to see that 98 per cent of registered childminders are achieving and exceeding inspection standards, proving that the quality of home-based childcare continues to be high.

"In these challenging economic times, it is vital that investment in childminding is sustained to ensure that families can continue to access high-quality, flexible childcare"

Separate statistics published by Ofsted revealed that nearly 500 childminders have left the profession in the past three months.

At the end of September there were 56,710 registered childminders, down from 57,204 at the end of June — a fall of 494. And there were 1,302,476 places at the end of September, compared to 1,303,547 three months ago.