Nursery World - Making Ends Meet part 6: Saving on staffing costs

In part 6 of our series, we look at how to reduce spending on staffing costs without losing employees and retaining the quality of care. By Leah Jones

A happy and healthy workforce further reduces costly reliance on external staff.

Staffing is the highest cost for early years providers, but without investment in people, quality is likely to take a hit.

Spending on staff accounts for at least three-quarters of costs, according to data from the Department for Education.

‘In every business or organisation I have run in early years, childcare or training, the highest cost has been staffing,’ says James Hempsall, managing director at consultancy Hempsall’s. ‘Not just pay and terms and conditions, but all the additional costs, such as recruitment, sickness, and learning and development. And in all of those experiences, the quality and care of staff has been directly related to the quality and care provided to the service user.’

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