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<p>The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places in England
through regular surveys and engagement with early years providers and local authorities.
Local authorities are not currently reporting any imminent sufficiency issues and
we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place,
either this term or since early years settings reopened fully on 1 June 2020.</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 almost half
of childminders (49%) reported having spare capacity on average across the week.</p><p>There
were an estimated 62,000 providers with at least one child aged 0 to 4 years old registered
in England in spring 2021, including 21,300 group-based providers, 9,500 school-based
providers and 31,200 registered childminders. These providers were offering over 1.5
million Ofsted-registered childcare places. Comparable estimates from 2019 show there
were 66,000 providers made up of 21,900 group-based providers, 8,900 school-based
providers and 35,100 childminders. The drop in the number of providers between 2019
and 2021 is largely driven by a reduction in the estimated number of childminders.
The number of group-based and school-based providers was more stable between these
two years. There is no comparable data for 2020 because the 2020 childcare and early
years providers survey was postponed due to COVID-19.</p><p>Ofsted data on movement
in the childcare sector shows that there was minimal change in the number of childminders
and childcare providers on non-domestic premises (group-based providers) between 31
March 2020 and 31 August 2020. Data from the same period in 2021 shows there was a
reduction in the number of childminders from 33,004 on 31 March to 31,957 on 31 August.
The reduction in the number of childminders continues a downward trend, with 14,100
(31%) fewer providers than on 31 August 2015. The number of group-based providers
remained broadly stable across the two years.</p><p>In addition to our regular statistical
collections, during 2020, the department also carried out three waves of the survey
of childcare and early years providers and COVID-19. In all three waves, the majority
of providers reported being open at the time of the survey with a small minority being
temporarily or permanently closed.</p>
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