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<p>The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare nationally. The
key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient
to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data currently shows that
the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained
broadly stable at 1.3 million places since August 2015.</p><p>Officials from the department
also discuss sufficiency of provision in regular conversations with local authorities.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring
sufficient childcare places in their area. The department has not been made aware
by any local authority of any current sufficiency problem. Durham Council, which holds
the statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare in Easington, is not reporting that
these closures will affect their ability to fulfil this duty.</p><p>According to findings
from the 2021 childcare and early years providers survey, 7 in 10 group-based providers
reported having spare places in their full day provision and 49% of childminders reported
having spare capacity on average across the week.</p><p> </p>
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