The number of childcare places in England rose by 2,086 in the first three months of 2011 compared with the previous quarter, according to the latest Ofsted statistics. The total number of registered places is 1,300,929.
The Registered Childcare Providers and Places report shows that the increase was driven largely by a surprise boost to the number of childminders, by 318 from January to March. There are now 1,404 more childminding places than at the end of 2010, with each childminder offering an average of 4.4 places.
It is the second quarter in a row that childminder numbers have increased after being in decline for several years. In the last quarter of December 2010 the number of childminders grew by 173.
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