The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey provides estimates of the proportion of childminders1 who are male and female in England. Estimates can be provided of the number and proportion of male and female staff by region for 2006 and 2007, however these data are not available at the local authority level, or for earlier years. Table 1 provides the number and proportion of male and female childminders in England from 1998 until 2007. These data are not available for years prior to 1998. Table 2 provides the number and proportion of male and female childminders in the North West in 2006 and 2007.
1 The data provided refer to the number and proportion of working childminders. Childminders who were registered but not working are not included.
Male childminders Female childminders Proportion of childminders1 Number of male childminders2 Proportion of childminders1 Number of female childminders2 1998 0.5 470 99 92,400 2001 0.5 400 99 71,900 2003 1 800 99 72,100 2005 2 1,000 98 56,700 2006 2 1,200 98 56,700 2007 1 620 99 59,200 1 Proportions may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding. 2 All numbers provided have been rounded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they are greater than 1,000, to the nearest 50 if the number is 100 to 999 and to the nearest 10 if the number is below 100.
Male childminders Female childminders Proportion of childminders1 Number of male childminders2 Proportion of childminders1 Number of female childminders2 2006 1 90 99 6,600 2007 0 30 100 6,900 1 Proportions may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding. 2 All numbers provided have been rounded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they are greater than 1,000, to the nearest 50 if the number is 100 to 999 and to the nearest 10 if the number is below 100. 3 As this survey is based on a sample of providers in England, when the sample is broken down by region the number of childminders interviewed in each region is relatively small. Therefore, this does not mean that there were no male childminders in the north west in 2007, only that no male childminders were selected in the sample of providers within the north west region for the 2007 survey.
(2) how many and what proportion of childminders are part of a local authority childminding network.
In January 2009, there were 72 (48 per cent.) out of 150 local authorities with at least one childminding network which received Government funding to deliver the free entitlement. The DCSF only receives information on the number of childminding networks which receive funding to deliver the free entitlement. Other childminding networks may exist but the Department has no information on these as they do not deliver the free entitlement.
Information on the number of childminders that are part of a local authority childminding network is not collected centrally.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff qualifications that are relevant to working with children and young people. Data on the number and proportion of paid staff in maintained nursery schools holding (a) at least a level 3 and (b) at least a level 5 qualification are shown in the following table. 2007 is the most recent year for which this information is available. Data on the number of nursery staff by qualification level in 2003 are not available.
2007 2006 2003 Proportion of staff (percentage) Number of staff Proportion of staff (percentage) Number of staff Proportion of staff (percentage) At least level 3 83 4,100 80 3,700 78 At least level 5 36 1,800 30 1,500 n/a
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that staff working in full day care in Children’s Centres worked an average (mean) of 34 hours a week in 2007, compared with an average of 18 hours a week for staff in sessional settings. Data for all child care and early years’ providers for each year available are shown in the following table.
2003 2005 2006 2007 Full day care 35 32 33 33 Full day care in Children’s Centres n/a n/a 34 34 Sessional 17 18 17 18 After school clubs 19 n/a 19 18 Holiday clubs 31.5 n/a 27 29 Nursery schools 32.5 n/a 32 31 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes 33 n/a 31 29 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes 28 n/a 29 27 Notes: 1. Children’s centres were included in the survey for the first time in 2006, therefore data are not available for previous years. 2. After school and holiday clubs were sampled differently in 2005 and comparable figures for this year are not available. 3. Early years settings in maintained schools were not included in the 2005 survey.
In 2007 full day care staff in privately owned settings worked an average of 35 hours a week, compared with 27 hours for full day care staff in settings under voluntary ownership. 2007 data for all child care providers available are shown in the following table.
Private Voluntary Local authority School/college Other Full day care 35 27 32 32 34 Full day care in Children’s Centres 35 34 34 33 36 Sessional 18 18 24 20 16 After school clubs 21 16 21 14 19 Holiday clubs 30 26 30 30 29 Note: Data for other providers are not available by type of ownership.
In 2006 full day care staff in privately owned settings worked an average of 35 hours a week, compared with 26 hours for full day care staff in settings under voluntary ownership. 2006 data for all child care providers available are shown in the following table.
Private Voluntary Local authority School/college Other Full day care 35 26 32 33 35 Full day care in Children’s Centres 35 34 34 34 35 Sessional 17 16 20 25 15 Out of school care 26 20 25 19 27 Note: Data for other providers are not available by type of ownership.
Data prior to 2006 are not available for the average number of hours worked per week by staff in child care providers, by ownership of setting. The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the average(mean) number of hours per week that childminders accept children for during term time and during school holidays (i.e. the time open for, but the childminder may not necessarily actually be working the whole time). This information comes closest to representing what a typical weekly shift is for a childminder. Data for each year available are shown in the following table.
Term time School holidays 2003 39 40 2005 43 45 2006 43 45 2007 44 48
These are matters for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies have been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 1 September 2009:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, for response.
Table A shows figures for the number of childminders who have resigned or had their registrations cancelled. Figures showing cancelled and resigned childminders are retrieved from a snapshot of the Ofsted database at the end of each financial year: 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2008-09. Figures showing the total number of childminders are taken from a snapshot of the Ofsted database at the start of each financial year.
Although Ofsted records reasons for cancellation and resignation on an individual basis, the information is not collated under categories, so it is not possible to produce aggregated data from it.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Childminders Cancelled Resigned Total cancelled or resigned Financial year Number of childminders at the beginning of the financial year Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 2003/04 68,165 1,209 2 10,864 16 12,073 18 2004/05 72,386 2,970 4 12,373 17 15,343 21 2005/06 70,182 968 1 9,454 13 10,422 15 2006/07 71,622 3,204 4 9,739 14 12,943 18 2007/08 69,925 2,857 4 11,721 17 14,578 21 2008/09 64,648 1,445 2 10,345 16 11,790 18 Note: Percentages in the total column may not equal the sum of the other columns, because the figures are rounded.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff qualifications that are relevant to working with children and young people. The qualifications are grouped together in the levels that they have been accredited with by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; qualifications at level 6 or above are at degree level. The 2007 survey found that 16 per cent. of full day care settings employ at least one member of staff with qualifications at level 6 or above. The survey also found that 64 per cent. of all staff (child care staff, early years staff and childminders) held at least a level 3 qualification.
(2) how many and what proportion of childminders were deemed inadequate by Ofsted in the 10 per cent. (a) most and (b) least deprived local authority areas in 2008-09;
(3) how many and what proportion of childminders were deemed inadequate by Ofsted in each year since inspections began;
(4) how many and what proportion of day care settings in the 10 per cent. (a) most and (b) least deprived local authority areas were awarded ratings of inadequate following an Ofsted inspection in 2008-09;
(5) how many and what proportion of day care settings were awarded ratings of inadequate following an Ofsted inspection in each year for which records are available.
These are matters for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, will write to the hon. Member and copies of her replies will be placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Miriam Rosen, dated 10 August 2009:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to Ofsted for response. As Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills, Christine Gilbert, is currently on leave, I am responding on her behalf.
Tables A to F below show the inspection grades of day care settings and childminders in Basingstoke since 2003.
The figures for each period are taken from a snapshot of data at the end of each financial year. These data only include providers that were active at this point. Additionally, the figures only count the most recent inspection outcome for each provision at the time of the snapshot, provided their inspection reports had been published or quality assured and not withdrawn from publication.
Please note that the inspection judgements requested cover three inspection cycles. Those inspections carried out in the inspection cycle from April 2003 to end-March 2005 inspected the quality of provision against the National Standards for under-eights and were graded on a three point scale. Those from April 2005 to end-August 2008 were also inspected against the National Standards, but graded on the four point scale outlined in the question. It is not possible to operate a simple read-across approach from a three-to a four-point scale. Care should be taken when interpreting data for ‘childcare on domestic premises’ as the numbers are so small.
There was a further change of inspection framework following the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in September 2008. At this point, Ofsted also changed the way in which we record day-care provision, categorising providers as childcare on domestic and non-domestic premises. These categories broadly relate to the previous category of group day-care provision. The data for September 2008 to March 2009 are presented separately and, as above, it is not possible to operate a simple read-across between inspection frameworks.
Please note that the selection of provision for inspection each year is not random, so care needs to be taken when using the data.
A copy of this reply has been sent to right hon. Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
Good Percentage Satisfactory Percentage Unsatisfactory Percentage Total 2003-04 22 33 45 67 0 0 67 2004-05 93 64 52 36 0 0 145
Outstanding Percentage Good Percentage Satisfactory Percentage Inadequate Percentage Total 2005-06 2 3 40 69 15 26 1 2 58 2006-07 0 0 26 55 16 34 5 11 47 2007-08 8 8 51 50 34 33 10 10 103 1 April 2008—31 August 2008 2 10 7 35 9 45 2 10 20
Outstanding Percentage Good Percentage Satisfactory Percentage Inadequate Percentage Total 1 Sept. 2008—31 March 2009 7 17 17 40 14 33 4 10 42
Good Percentage Satisfactory Percentage Unsatisfactory Percentage Total 2003-04 12 39 19 61 0 0 31 2004-05 26 67 13 33 0 0 39
Outstanding Percentage Good Percentage Satisfactory Percentage Inadequate Percentage Total 2005-06 0 0 12 48 11 44 2 8 25 2006-07 2 8 12 46 10 38 2 8 26 2007-08 2 6 21 62 9 26 2 6 34 1 April 2008—31 August 2008 0 0 5 63 3 38 0 0 8
Outstanding Percentage Good Percentage Satisfactory Percentage Inadequate Percentage Total Non-domestic 3 17 9 50 4 22 2 11 18 Domestic 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0
Please note that percentages are rounded so may not add up to 100 per cent.
Data refer to financial years but is also split for 2008-09 due to the change of inspection framework provision types on the 1 September 2008.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on recruitment and staff vacancies in child care and early year’s providers. Table 1 shows the proportion of full day care providers that were trying to recruit for vacancies in 2007, by type of staff and ownership of the provision. 2007 is the most recent year for which this information is available.
Percentage Private Voluntary Local authority School/college Other Senior managers None 89 87 74 91 100 1 vacancy 9 13 15 9 — 2 vacancies 1 — 4 — — 3 or more vacancies 1 — — — — Supervisory staff None 45 58 24 42 76 1 vacancy 41 39 40 39 24 2 vacancies 12 2 11 14 — 3 or more vacancies 2 — 26 5 — Other paid staff None 45 38 63 42 — 1 vacancy 36 37 6 29 24 2 vacancies 14 19 20 30 57 3 or more vacancies 3 2 10 — 19 Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent. due to ‘don’t know’ responses or rounding.
Table 2 shows the proportion of full day care providers that were trying to recruit for vacancies in 2006, by type of staff and ownership of the provision. Data for previous years are not available in the format requested.
Percentage Private Voluntary Local authority School/college Other Senior managers None 86 88 68 79 73 1 vacancy 13 12 32 17 27 2 vacancies <1 0 0 4 0 3 or more vacancies 0 0 0 0 0 Supervisory staff None 42 49 37 43 81 1 vacancy 44 46 36 48 10 2 vacancies 10 5 13 5 9 3 or more vacancies 3 0 14 4 0 Other paid staff None 51 43 61 53 35 1 vacancy 34 42 14 35 48 2 vacancies 11 13 15 4 9 3 or more vacancies 4 1 10 4 8 Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent. due to ‘don’t know’ responses or rounding.
The number of full day care providers in children's centres who were trying to recruit staff was too low for analysis to be carried out.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the ethnicity of staff in the child care and early years workforce. In 2007 only childminders and early years providers in maintained schools were asked about the ethnicity of their staff. Data on the ethnicity of staff in daycare settings were not collected. Table 1 shows the proportion of staff from white and black and minority ethnic groups by setting in 2007, the latest year for which this information is available.
Proportion of BME staff (percentage) Number of BME staff1 Proportion of staff not from a BME group (percentage) Number of staff not from a BME group Childminders 7 3,900 93 55,900 Nursery schools 12 600 88 4,400 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes 10 5,200 90 47,100 Primary with reception but no nursery classes 2 800 98 37,800 1 All numbers provided have been rounded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they are greater than 1,000, to the nearest 50 if the number is 100-999 and to the nearest 10 if the number is below 100. Note: Figures on the number of staff from a BME group and the proportion and number not from a BME group have been estimated using the figures for the proportion of staff from a BME group and the overall paid number of staff.
Data on the number and proportion of staff in daycare settings from white and black and minority ethnic groups for each year available since 2003 are shown as follows.
2003 2005 2006 Average proportion of BME staff per setting (percentage) 8 10 9 Average proportion of staff per setting not from a BME group (percentage) 92 90 91 Total number of BME staff 8,800 13,550 13,000 Total number of staff not from a BME group 102,300 119,100 130,900 Note: Full day care figures for 2005 and 2006 on the average proportion of staff per setting not from a BME group and the total number of staff not from a BME group have been estimated using the figures for staff from a BME group and the overall number of paid staff.
(2) how many and what proportion of childminders were from black and minority ethnic groups in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008.
The 2007 Childcare and Early Years providers Survey estimated that 7 per cent. of childminders1 working in England were from a black and minority ethnic (BME) background, a total of approximately 3,900 individuals.
Data for each year are shown in the following table.
Proportion of childminders2 (%) Number of BME childminders3 Proportion of childminders2(%) Number of childminders not from a BME group3 2003 13 9,500 86 63,100 2004 7 4,000 92 53,200 2006 6 3,600 93 53,800 2007 7 3,900 93 55,810 1 The data provided refer to the number and proportion of working childminders. Childminders who were registered but not working are not included. 2 Proportions may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding. 3 All numbers provided have been rounded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they are greater than 1000, to the nearest 50 if the number is 100-999 and to the nearest 10 if the number is below 100.
Data for 2008 will be available when the 2008 Childcare and Early Years Providers' Survey is published later this year.
Childminders remain the child carers of choice for thousands of families because of the high quality, flexible and responsive service that they offer, but we are continuing to work closely with sector partners (including the National Childminding Association) to strengthen their professional development and the quality of their provision. We are keen to see a diverse and vibrant childcare sector which includes childminders from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. We will work with Ofsted and the National Childminding Association (NCMA) to look at the factors which are leading to childminders from a BME backgrounds to choose to leave the childminding profession.
Ofsted maintains the new registers established under the Childcare Act 2006. The chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies have been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 8 September 2009:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, for response.
Table A provides figures for the total number of childcare providers registered with Ofsted and the maximum number of childcare places these providers offer in Hampshire and England as at 31 March 2009 and 30 June 2009. These figures represent 100 per cent of the childcare registered by Ofsted. Please note that we do not classify providers as ‘maintained’.
Area Total number of providers registered Maximum number of registered places offered by providers for children under eight 31 March 2009 England 95,926 1,546,900 Hampshire 3,281 48,709 30 June 2009 England 95,535 — Hampshire 3,296 —
Please note that, as of 1 September 2008, the government introduced new arrangements for the registration of childcare providers through the Childcare Act 2006. There are now two registers: the Early Years Register (EYR) and the Childcare Register. The Childcare Register is subdivided into two parts, the compulsory part (CCR) and the voluntary part (VCR). Childcare providers may be registered on any combination of the EYR, CCR and VCR, depending on the age of the children in their care and the type of care offered. Those providers who care for children from birth to the 31 August following their fifth birthday must register on the EYR, unless they are in a category that is exempt from registration. Providers who care for older children who are under eight must be registered on the CCR. Other childcare providers, for example those caring for children over the age of eight, or caring for a child in the child’s own home, are not required to register with Ofsted, but may join the VCR.
Ofsted only sets the maximum number of places for childcare provision registered on the EYR and the CCR. Numbers of registered places therefore indicate the maximum number of children aged under eight that may be present at any one time. The figures are not the number of places occupied, nor the number of children who may benefit from receiving places through providers offering sessions at different times of the day.
The maximum number of places figures as at 31 March 2009 were calculated by combining the maximum number of places recorded individually for both the Early Years Register (EYR) and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (CCR) for each provider. As explained when Ofsted published the March 2009 figures, there is a strong possibility that these figures may be higher than the true overall maximum number of places, due to the duplication of places on both registers for some providers. Ofsted omitted the maximum numbers of childcare places as at 30 June 2009 from the figures published in July 2009, explaining that work was underway to improve the quality of these data. Ofsted will publish the maximum number of childcare places in the next childcare providers and places statistical release in October 2009, and in my Annual Report 2008/09, which will be published in November 2009.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff qualifications that are relevant to working with children and young people. The percentage of paid staff in England holding an overseas qualification for each year available is shown in the following table. Information on the number of paid staff is not available.
Percentage 2005 2006 2007 Full day care <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 Full day care in children’s centres n/a <0.5 0 Sessional <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 After school clubs n/a <0.5 <0.5 Holiday clubs n/a <0.5 <0.5 Childminders n/a <0.5 <0.5 Nursery schools n/a <0.5 <0.5 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes n/a 1 <0.5 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes n/a 0 <0.5 Notes: 1. Children's centres were included in the survey for the first time in 2006; therefore data are not available for previous years. 2. After school and holiday clubs were sampled differently in 2005 and comparable figures for this year are not available. 3. Early years settings in maintained schools were not included in the 2005 survey.
The information requested is shown in the table.
As at end: Government office region August 20082 December 20083 March 2009 June 2009 East of England 7,700 7,400 7,200 6,500 East Midlands 5,500 5,400 5,300 5,300 Inner London 3,400 3,300 3,300 3,300 Outer London 7,300 7,100 7,100 7,000 North East 3,000 2,900 2,800 2,700 North West England 7,200 7,000 6,900 6,200 South East England 12,300 12,000 11,800 11,700 South West England 5,900 5,700 5,600 5,500 West Midlands 5,500 5,400 5,200 5,100 Yorkshire and the Humber 5,900 5,700 5,600 5,600 England 63,600 61,900 60,900 60,200 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not add up due to rounding. 2. Latest position before new arrangements were introduced in September 2008. 3. First position since new arrangements were introduced in September 2008. Source: Ofsted
New Registers, the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register (including its Voluntary Register), were introduced under the Childcare Act 2006 as part of the Government's reforms to simplify early years regulation and inspection. From 1 September 2008, Ofsted started to record providers in line with these new legal requirements.
The 2007 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that the average proportion of male staff working in full day care settings in England was 2 per cent. In total, there was 2,900 male staff working in full day care settings in England. Data for each year available are shown in the following table.
Average proportion of male staff per setting (%) Total number of male staff1 2001 2 1,900 2003 2 2,000 2005 2 2,500 2006 2 2,500 2007 2 2,900 1 All numbers provided have been rounded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they are greater than 1,000, to the nearest 50 if the number is 100-999 and to the nearest 10 if the number is below 100.
Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006 places a new duty on all local authorities to secure—so far as is reasonably practicable—sufficient child care to meet the needs of parents (in particular those on low incomes or with disabled children) in their area.
Local authorities are also legally required to secure a free Government-funded early education place (currently for 12.5 hours per week over a minimum of 38 weeks per year) for every three and four-year-old in their area. The offer will be extended to 15 hours per week, delivered more flexibly to better suit families' needs, by September 2010. From September 2009, most local authorities, including Coventry, are offering the increased entitlement to 25 per cent. of their most disadvantaged three and four-year-olds, as part of the phasing in of the full extension by 2010.
In addition, the Department is working with Government offices to support all local authorities to roll out an offer of free, Government-funded, early learning and care to 15 per cent. of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds in their area from September 2009.
Gloucestershire local authority was allocated £671,770 capital funding for workplace nurseries in 2008-09. This formed part of the main capital block of the Sure Start, early years and child care grant and contributed to the authority’s total allocation of £7,167,636 in that block.
Funding in this block is not ring-fenced and the authority has the freedom to decide how much to spend on each area supported by the grant, in line with local needs and priorities.
Local authorities claim their capital funding quarterly throughout the year and should only claim for what they have spent. The Department then makes adjustments based on audited returns. The audited returns for 2008-09 are not yet due, and therefore we do not have information on how much has been spent by authorities in that year.
The Department allows the carry-forward of unspent capital annually until the end of 2010-11 financial year.