THE majority of registered childcarers in York are "good" according to new data from the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted).

Ofsted's Local Authority Early Years Profile shows that of the 207 childcare providers inspected in York between April 2005 and June 2007, 0.5 per cent were judged to be outstanding, 61.8 per cent were good, 34.8 per cent were satisfactory and 2.9 per cent were inadequate.

The profile provides information about the quality and standards of childcare, as well as nursery education provision in York.

Coun Carol Runciman, the executive member for children's services at City of York Council, said the report was tremendous news.

She said: "I'm delighted and I want to congratulate everybody concerned.

"I have visited a lot of registered childcare providers in York and everything I have found shows that everybody is working very hard and well as a team which is how you get successful childcare."

Coun Runciman added standards were also kept high by council officers in the Early Years team, who visit registered carers to monitor standards.

Ofsted has also today published a national report on the state of childcare, Getting On Well: Enjoying, Achieving And Contributing.

The report focuses on how registered childcare providers are helping children to achieve well, enjoying their learning and make a positive contribution.

More than 62 per cent of childcarers inspected in York between April 2005 and June 2007 were judged to be good at helping children in their care to enjoy and achieve. Inspectors found 8.7 per cent of childcare providers to be outstanding and 29 per cent were satisfactory. None was inadequate.

The Getting On Well study concluded 3.4 per cent of childcare providers in the city were outstanding and 63.3 per cent were good at helping children in their care to make a positive contribution. It reveals 31.9 per cent were judged satisfactory and just 1.4 per cent were judged inadequate.

The profile also includes breakdowns of the judgements for the other two outcomes for children which childcarers are graded on: staying safe' and being healthy', as well as a judgement on how well childcarers are organised to promote the outcomes for children.

The report found the overwhelming majority of registered childcare providers in England are satisfactory or better at supporting children to achieve well and enjoy their learning and development.