The Early Years Alliance’s (EYA) survey has revealed issues in recruitment and retention in the sector, with 78% of settings struggling to recruit ahead of the rollout of phase two of the funded childcare offer, which aims to expand free entitlements for children under the age of three by September 2025.
The survey, which received 889 responses and was carried out in July, also revealed that staff from 61% of respondents’ settings have left the sector entirely over the past six months.
Half of settings said staffing shortages have had a negative impact of the quality of provision, with 50% also limiting the number of new children they can take on due to shortages.
Over a third of respondents said they are actively considering leaving the sector themselves, with over 80% saying that better pay and feeling valued by the government would encourage them to stay.
This comes as the new Labour government plans to create 3,300 new nurseries in existing primary school settings.
Neil Leitch, EYA chief executive, said: “These educators have been undervalued, underappreciated and underpaid as a result of years of underfunding and polices that have failed to acknowledge the importance of the work they do day-in and day-out.
“As such, we hope that the new government will take urgent action on this crucial issue and work with the sector to develop and implement a comprehensive workforce plan: one that recognises the need to improve retention as well as recruitment and, at long last, tackles the issue of low sector pay. We look forward to working with them to make this a reality.”
In response to the survey, the EYA says it is calling on the government to publish a set of pay ambitions for the early years sector and ensure there are clear and consistent pathways into the profession, paired with funded training and continuous professional development opportunities.
