In October 2021, the Alliance launched a survey on staff recruitment and retention in the early years sector in England.
The survey received 1,395 responses from nurseries, pre-schools and some childminding settings, and revealed that:
84%
said they were finding it difficult to recruit suitable new early years staff
50%
had had to limit or stop taking on new children due to a lack of sufficient staff over the six months prior to the survey
61%
of those who had experienced staffing shortages over the previous six months said that it had had a negative impact on quality
35%
were actively considering leaving the early years sector
In response to the findings, the Alliance called on the government to:
- Determine and publish a set of pay ambitions for the early years sector in England, setting out what it considers to be suitable salary ranges for each role level in the sector – and to ensure that early entitlement funding is set and maintained at an adequate level to enable early years settings to meet those salary expectations.
- Value and promote the early years sector as an education profession.
- Ensure there are clear and consistent routes into – and pathways through – the sector, alongside funded training and CPD opportunities,
Supporting resources
