---

Children: Day Care

Answer

Information on the number of child care places available in England and the North East from 1997 to 2009 is shown in the following table. Information is not available below local authority level.

Table 1: Number¹ of childcare places² for children under eight years of age, position at 31 March each year, 1997 to 2009
	England	North East region
1997	1,230,400	³—
1998	1,326,100	³—
1999	1,480,400	68,300
2000	1,569,200	68,800
2001	1,670,600	67,700
2002	4—	4—
2003	1,281,300	51,600
2004	1,415,700	60,500
2005	1,468,300	62,400
2006	1,537,800	66,600
2007	1,551,100	69,800
2008	1.549,100	68,19.0
2009	1,346,100	54,100
¹ Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
² 1997-2001—Data Source: Children's Daycare Facilities Survey—total includes day nurseries, playgroups and pre-schools, childminders, out of school clubs, and holiday schemes.
2003-08—Data Source: Ofsted—total includes full day care, sessional day care, childminders, out of school clubs, and crèche day care.
2009—Data Source: Ofsted—total includes childminders, childcare on non-domestic premises, childcare on domestic premises and home child carer.
³ Data not collected due to transfer of responsibility from LAs to Ofsted.
4 Accurate local authority level information is not available.

Local authorities were responsible for the registration and inspection of children's day care facilities from 1997 to 2001. Responsibility transferred to Ofsted from 2003 and correspondingly, the categories of childcare changed from day nurseries, playgroups and pre-schools, childminders, out of school clubs and holiday schemes to full and sessional day care, childminders, out of school clubs, and crèche day care. Therefore, data from 2003 are not directly comparable with data prior to 2002.Data were not collected for 2002 during the transfer of responsibility to Ofsted. Due to changes in legislation Ofsted have changed the way they publish statistics on registered childcare providers and places. From 1 September 2008, Ofsted started to record providers in line with new legal requirements using the categories of childminders, childcare on domestic premises, and childcare on non-domestic premises. This change means that the total numbers of providers and places (excluding childminding) shown in its returns up to and including August 2008 and from December 2008 onwards (the last under the old system, and the first under the new system) are not directly comparable.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

502 c422-3W; 301932

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Childcare

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk