‘Generations of talent being lost through lack of investment in early years workforce’

The Sutton Trust and Centre for Research in Early Childhood report warns that ‘generations of talent are being lost through a lack of investment in the early years workforce, which risks widening inequality in society.’

The report, which analyses progress on the recommendations from the 2012 Nutbrown review and assesses the current state of play in relation to the development of a quality early years workforce, highlights the drop in numbers taking up places on Early Years Teacher course and the high level of staff turnover mainly due to low salaries and lack of career benefits.

The authors put forward five priority areas for urgent action to lift the life chances of the youngest and most disadvantaged children, they are:

• A vision for the workforce - including a restatement of the importance of achieving a well-qualified, high status and better rewarded profession to achieve a world class early years service.
• Access to qualifications – barriers to accessing entry level (1-3) qualifications should be addressed urgently to encourage new recruits into the sector, with a view to establishing a Level 3 qualification as the benchmark for the sector.
• Access to professional development – Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which follows on from initial training, needs to be a requirement for all staff throughout their careers and be properly funded and the current barriers to access addressed.
• Graduate leadership – incentives for graduate leaders to be employed in all early years settings should be reinstated through a ‘Leadership Quality Fund’, but especially for those working with less advantaged children and those with particular needs.
• Pay and conditions of employment – disparities on pay, conditions of employment and status across the maintained and private sectors must be addressed and funding levelled up.

The report comes after research by the Sutton Trust warned that many early years providers are facing closure due to the financial impact of Covid-19, which will likely have repercussions for children’s early development and learning and their parents’ ability to access the workforce.

Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust and chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said, ‘The early years workforce should be given the pay and training they deserve. First and foremost, we need a clear vision for the early years workforce that addresses disparity in pay amongst staff and provides them with adequate development and qualifications. 

‘Investing in the people who work in our early years sector will bring benefits to all young children – but particularly the most disadvantaged – for years to come.'

Speaking on behalf of the Early Years Workforce Commission, Julie Hyde, executive director of education and training at CACHE and NCFE, said, ‘This report is the first step in establishing how the sector has evolved since Foundations for Quality was published in 2012, and outlines what must be done now to support the sector and protect those who work within it.’

Professor Cathy Nutbrown, author of the Nutbrown Review, added, ‘ I welcome this report and hope that it will stimulate the policy developments which bring about urgently needed change. A highly qualified, early years workforce, requires vital investment in the future, we cannot afford the consequences of failing yet again to fund high-quality provision for young children and appropriate qualifications and renumeration for those who work with them. The solutions are clear. What is needed now is political will to properly resource the future and to show due respect to young children and those who work with them.’

Sector response

Commenting on the report, Tulip Siddiq MP, Labour’s shadow minister for children and early years, said, ‘The Government has driven experienced nursery staff and childminders out of the sector by failing to tackle low pay and a lack of career progression. 

‘Early years education can transform the life chances of children, but this incompetent Government has failed to give the sector the support it needs.’

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said, 'For far too long, we've relied on the goodwill of early years practitioners to keep them in the sector, when what they need and deserve is to be able to progress in their careers, to know that they are valued and respected, and crucially, to be paid a decent wage.

‘With so many in the workforce being paid at or just above the minimum wage, it's clear that the historic underfunding of the early years has to be addressed as a priority if we are going to continue to be able to recruit and retain talent, high-quality practitioners into the sector.

‘The Government cannot continue to drag its feet on this issue. It's time that ministers committed to both a comprehensive and meaningful long-term early years workforce strategy, and the substantial investment needed to attract and retain a high-quality workforce to continue providing the best possible early education to the young children in our care.’

The Department for Education has been contacted for a response.