Nursery teacher shortage 'risks children's early education'
Adam Offord
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
The education of younger children is being put at risk by a shortage in trained early years teachers across nurseries in England, a charity has warned.
Save the Children said that while all nurseries have staff who are trained to care for children, there is a chronic shortage of 10,000 qualified nursery teachers up and down the country.
It warned that as a result of the shortage, more than 250,000 children are at greater risk of falling behind by the time they reach school.
Research commissioned by the charity found that children in independent nurseries without an early years teacher are almost 10 per cent less likely to meet the expected levels of development when they start school compared with children who do have a teacher, which can leave them struggling with basic skills such as speaking full sentences, using tenses, and following simple instructions.
The effect can also continue into the future, the charity warned, with children who start behind more likely to stay behind throughout their school years and beyond into their work lives.
Gareth Jenkins, director of UK poverty at Save the Children, said: "It's incredibly worrying that so many children in England are at risk of falling behind by the time they start school when we know they don't have to be.
"As a country, we need to start recognising that if we want to give every child the best chance in life - no matter what their background - they must have the support they need to learn, grow and develop in the early years of their lives."
The report, which focused on the private, voluntary and independent providers, also warned that the number of people applying for early years teaching roles has fallen.
Figures taken from the National College for Teaching and Leadership show that the number of people applying for teaching roles fell to 860 last year from more than 2,300 the year before.
Save the Children said that the shortage is being driven by poor salaries, a shrinking number of available positions and a lack of promotion opportunities as nurseries around the country struggle to cope with funding pressures and afford the costs of training and recruitment.
"Nurseries do an incredible job nurturing our children, but many are struggling to afford and recruit the qualified teachers they need to give children this support and support their workforce with more training and development," Jenkins added.
"If the government is serious about creating a country that works for everyone, it's crucial we urgently invest in a qualified teacher for every nursery across the country, giving children the support they need to reach their full potential."
Ryan Shorthouse, director of Bright Blue, said: "The government should abandon extending the early years free entitlement from 15 hours to 30 hours a week for all three- and four-year-olds.
"Instead, it should use this extra funding to attract and retain graduates to teach in pre-school settings, especially in the poorest areas.
"Participation in the early years free entitlement should be compulsory for all three- and four-year-olds, meaning this country will see the start of compulsory education lowered."
