Most nurseries considered 'good'
Around three in 10 childminders and children's nurseries in England could manage only a "satisfactory" rating from officials, although most are described as "good".
A series of Ofstead inspections between September 2008 and June this year also suggested that 2% of childminders and nurseries are "inadequate".
Only one in 10 are deemed to provide "outstanding" services for children, while just over half of those checked (57%) are classed as "good".
Staff and services were judged on whether they met the needs of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. In terms of their ability to keep children safe as well as the children feeling safe themselves, otherwise known as "safeguarding", nearly three in every 10 of the places inspected were deemed, at best, "satisfactory".
Ofstead also said fewer childminders are working in England. At the end of June 57,204 were registered, down from 57,732 in March, which means at least 500 childminders left their profession within the last three months.
The number of available childcare places has also fallen, by 6,300. A total of 1,303,547 places are now available for children, down from 1,309,856 at the end of March.
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