Quarterly figures published by Ofsted show that the number of registered providers fell by an average of 0.4 per cent between June and September 2004.
Childminding and pre-schools were particularly affected. The number of childminders dropped from 72,700 to 71,900 during that period.
But the National Childminding Association said that this was not part of a wider trend and predicted that the number of childminders would rise. Chief executive Gill Haynes said, 'Statistically, 800 out 72,000 is not significant, considering the natural turnover in the whole of the childcare workforce.
'We are not picking up any trends from any part of the country at large. We'd expect these figures to stabilise and grow in the light of the ten-year strategy, because childminding has been given such a central role in delivering the strategy.'
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