Recruitment crisis sees nurseries downgraded by Ofsted or forced to close rooms

According to the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), some nurseries are being downgraded by Ofsted due to staffing shortages and inspectors finding staff aren’t familiar with children because settings are increasingly using bank staff.

A snap Twitter poll by Nursery World reveals that the majority of early years providers have had to reduce their number of childcare places due to problems recruiting staff. Of the 18 respondents, 66 per cent have reduced childcare places and 16 per cent have had to close rooms.

A total of 11 per cent of those that took part in the poll said they’ve been downgraded by Ofsted because of the struggle to recruit, while 5 per cent have been forced to close the entire setting.

The poll ran between Friday 18 and Monday 21 March.

Deborah Spence, owner of the Wyvern Nursery group of six sites in Somerset, is being forced to close her Bridgewater setting, which is in an area of deprivation, for good at the end of month due to the inability to attract new staff.

She told Nursery World, ‘Prior to the pandemic, we were running the setting at reduced capacity because of staffing issues. Then once Covid hit, we started to lose more staff – some leaving the sector and others going on maternity leave.

‘We’ve been trying to recruit since last autumn, but the only people that apply are unqualified which means they can’t be counted in ratios.

‘In the past, we have moved staff over the different sites, but that is now no longer feasible as we just don’t have enough employees anymore.’

Spence said that they had exhausted all their options in terms of recruitment. She explained that recruitment agencies in the area don’t have anyone on their books to deploy as bank staff, while the number of students on childcare college courses locally have fallen. She said she thought numerous factors were to blame including low pay and respect for the sector, along with a drop in the birth rate in the Millennium – people that would be now moving into the workforce after education - with Covid-19 contributing to the long-standing issues.

It comes as the latest Office for National Statistics data reveals unemployment is down generally and job vacancies are at a record high - suggesting that there is a smaller recruitment pool overall – says NDNA’s director of policy and communications Jonathan Broadbery.

Another setting, Rydal Day Nursery in North Somerset, is having to close its baby room from Friday (1 April) indefinitely as it is unable to staff it.

Manager Mel Morton told Nursery World, ‘We’ve been trying to recruit more staff for two years. In that time, we’ve had a few people through the door, but we’ve also lost eight employees to schools and other sectors due to lack of pay and the workload.

‘We’ve paid a lot to advertise our two vacant positions, but just haven’t had any response. We have offered a £250 incentive, healthcare plan and can be flexible with the hours, but it hasn’t made any difference. We’ve always recruited at Level 3 or above, but now we are happy to employ anyone at Level 2 or an apprentice.’

Morton said that closing the baby room until they can recruit two more members of staff worked out to be the most financially viable option.

Those currently in the nursery’s baby room, including the manager’s own child, are having to move to different settings. Morton said she was only able to find a place for her child at a nursery in a different town.

'Recruitment difficulties are reaching crisis point'

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said, ‘Recruitment difficulties are reaching crisis point with some nurseries forced to partially or fully close due staff shortages. Now we are seeing the impact on parents with recent research from Coram and Pregnant Then Screwed showing that families are finding it harder to access the childcare they need.

‘We have also seen examples of nurseries and childcare providers being downgraded due to staffing shortages or high staff turnover and the resulting challenges these create. 

‘Worryingly, the impact could be greatest on younger children or those with additional needs as these require higher staffing levels or sometimes 1-2-1 support that just won’t be available.

‘The early years workforce has been under pressure for years and we have continually warned the Government about the need to act. The pandemic intensified these staffing issues and our research with the EPI found that 90 per cent of nurseries were struggling to recruit the staff they so desperately need. 

‘Years of chronic underfunding have undermined efforts to improve staff retention and attract more people to the sector.

‘We need to see more practical and financial support to the sector so we can start to find solutions for this critical issue.’