Childcare standards falling, Ofsted

About 125,000 children are being left with childminders and nurseries that are no better than satisfactory, Ofsted said in a new report. But while most nurseries and playgroups offer good quality childcare, hundreds of parents have complained that their children are being treated badly.

And some centres fail to teach children the difference between right and wrong, leading to poor behaviour.

For overall care, the proportion of groups judged good or better - including childminders, creches, nurseries and school centres - fell from 61% last year to 57% this year.

Ofsted's chief inspector Christine Gilbert stressed that there had been "many improvements".

"But where provision is inadequate we will continue to monitor those providers and take enforcement action where necessary," she said.

The report, Getting on Well: Enjoying, Achieving and Contributing, was based on inspections of 27,200 childcare organisations between April 2006 and March this year.

It said about one in 12 creches were judged "inadequate". And 7% of extended schools - which run after school clubs and childcare - were also rated "inadequate", despite a major drive from ministers to set up more.

Nearly 1,000 complaints were received from parents, according to the report. Ofsted said these complaints included a baby being left to cry and the baby's emotional needs not being met, as well as a child made to sit alone for a long time while others were allowed to play.

Children ordered to remain silent for long periods also generated gave rise to complaint, as did childminders using racially-abusive language and displaying aggressive behaviour towards children. In one case, a member of staff attempted to take a child home, without the parent's consent.