New research finds that low attendance rates and a fall in families taking up Government-funded early years education could lead to a shortfall in qualified staff in settings after the winter months, as children return to settings in the spring.
The report, the second in a series of four quarterly reports by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), which aims to understand the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on the staffing decisions of early years providers in the private, voluntary and independent sector.
The latest findings show that the demand for places in settings such as nurseries and pre-schools has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
This lack of demand continues to cause financial instability for the early years sector, resulting in staff being made redundant, having their pay reduced, or voluntarily leaving settings.
The study warns that if demand for early years places rebounds next year, settings may be unable to find suitable replacements for those staff who have left over the last few months, which could compromise the quality of early years education in the long term.
The survey of 586 settings representing more than 10,000 early years staff across England, Scotland and Wales in private, voluntary, and independent settings, researchers found that between August and November, 6 per cent of early years staff were furloughed, while 1 per cent of staff had been made redundant.
As many as 7 per cent of early years staff ended up voluntarily terminating their contracts during this period, with a quarter (24 per cent) of settings reporting that these employees did not return to their old jobs because they found alternative employment during furlough.
Commenting on the new research, Josh Cottell, report author and senior researcher at the EPI, said, ‘The early years sector and its workforce have continued to see great instability, stemming from a lack of demand for early years places over the last few months and a heavy reliance on the furlough scheme.
‘Our research found that over the autumn and into the winter, many professionals were made redundant or chose to find employment elsewhere.
‘Nurseries, pre-schools and other early years settings are likely to encounter huge challenges to deliver education and care for families after the winter period – if demand for early years provision picks up again next year, many providers could suddenly be facing a staffing shortfall.’
The latest findings are the second phase of the research, with the third due to report in March.
Mr Cottall told Nursery World that nurseries were already struggling with recruitment and retention before the pandemic, and this research reveals that there will be more challenges next spring and summer.
This latest phase of the research confirms findings from the first, he said, which is that lower-qualified staff are more likely to leave the sector or be placed on furlough.
‘It could be a cause for concern that these individuals are having their earnings cut, hours reduced or are facing redundancy. It’s not surprising that they’re likely to leave and that could be problematic for the future of the sector.’
KEY FINDINGS
The fall in demand for early years education
Most nurseries and pre-schools in England, Scotland and Wales faced closure between August and November:
- Three quarters (73 per cent) of early years settings have had to fully or partially close.
- The most common reasons for closures was insufficient demand for places (72 per cent) and staff members or children self-isolating (26 per cent).
- Settings reported that 6 per cent fewer children are currently attending than in a typical year.
- In England, fewer children are also taking up Government-funded childcare places.
- The 15 hours entitlement for two-year olds, and the 15 and 30 hours for three- to four-year – all saw a significant decline in demand: around half of settings reported fewer children taking up these places.
Furloughed staff in the early years
The UK-wide furlough scheme was extended until March 2021, with a high proportion of early years staff still on the scheme. Staff were most likely to be furloughed if they held lower qualifications:
- Overall, 6 per cent of early years staff have been on full-time furlough since August.
- 12 per cent of staff with no qualifications had been furloughed.
- 8 per cent of staff with Level 3 or 4 qualifications (at least A level or equivalent) had been furloughed.
- 6 per cent of staff with level 2 qualifications (GCSE or equivalent) had been furloughed.
- 6 per cent of staff with level 6 qualifications (bachelor’s degree level or equivalent) had been furloughed.
Staff leaving jobs and other trends
A significant proportion of early years staff have terminated their contracts or faced redundancies between August and November:
- As many as 7 per cent of staff voluntarily terminated their contracts.
- A quarter (24 per cent) of settings reported that these employees did not return to their jobs because they found alternative employment during their furlough period.
- 1 per cent of early years staff faced forced redundancies over this period of three months.
- While many settings have had to make staff redundant or have seen staff voluntarily leave, the average size of the workforce is still estimated to have grown by 5 per cent over this period, highlighting the varying experiences of early years providers. This could be an indicator that the sector is consolidating, with some settings able to expand while others reduce their operations or close.
- However, if the decline in demand for early years provision is temporary and demand increases after the winter, the loss of staff seen by some settings could prove costly. Many early years settings are likely to face significant challenges recruiting new staff, especially those with relevant qualifications.
Training and CPD
The research found that some early years staff are missing out on training and CPD opportunities, a key part of supporting a high-quality early years workforce.
This second wave of research received more responses from nursery groups, Mr Cottall said.
This reveals that larger chains of ten or more settings reported offering more CPD opportunities above mandatory training, than smaller groups or standalone settings, which found it harder to access training, for example in SEND. This is believed to be because larger groups were more likely to be able to provide training in-house.
The research found that 95 per cent of settings surveyed provided training, while five per cent did not provide any training at all.
Of those nurseries that were providing training, a quarter were not providing any training above mandatory training.
Two in five (41 per cent) settings reported they have no current need for CPD.
Some gaps in staff training opportunities are apparent, with nearly half of settings saying there were not enough opportunities to access specialist training such as training on child trauma and bereavement or supporting children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).
Around a quarter of settings (23 per cent) also said that there were too few opportunities for training on paediatric first aid, which is mandatory for some early years staff.
An uncertain future
Mr Cottall added, ‘High quality staff are key to supporting children’s early development. It’s crucial that early years providers are given sufficient financial support so that they can give their workforce the job security, pay and training they need. If we fail to support the early years workforce, we risk compromising the quality of education and care for our youngest children.’
NDNA’s chief executive Purnima Tanuku, said, ‘This research paints a picture of how difficult this quarter has been for early years settings. With Covid-19 cases high in the community, the majority have faced having to close rooms or whole nurseries due to staff and children self-isolating.
‘The need to keep children in smaller groups and minimise mixing, ensuring settings are Covid-safe, places higher demands on staff time. Adding in extra responsibilities like enhanced cleaning has also seen fewer staff furloughed than expected, despite lower uptake of places.
‘With the promised Job Retention Bonus no longer being given out in February and no announcement made yet for funding arrangements from January, early years providers are staring down a very uncertain future.
‘We know that high quality early years education gives all children the best start in life but particularly those who are from disadvantaged backgrounds. In order to give this high quality, the sector needs to attract good candidates and retain qualified staff.
‘Nursery businesses need urgent financial support now, in the shape of certainty over January’s funding and emergency support to cover the costs of Covid if they are to be sustainable.’
She added that recent findings from Ofsted show that the pandemic has had a negative impact on children’s development though reduced attendance at nursery.
‘Children’s development and well-being need to be prioritised so those who educate our youngest children must also be prioritised.’
- The full report is available here