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Progress stalled in achieving a degree-led workforce, figures suggest

New data from the Department for Education (DfE) shows the percentage of practitioners with degrees working in nurseries has risen marginally since the same research in 2019.
The number nursery staff qualified to degree level rose by just 1 per cent between 2019 and 2021 PHOTO Adobe Stock
The number nursery staff qualified to degree level rose by just 1 per cent between 2019 and 2021 PHOTO Adobe Stock

The findings from the latest Childcare and Early Years Survey reveal just 11 per cent of staff in 'group-based settings' hold a Level 6 qualification, up from 10 per cent two years prior, the last time the survey was published.

At the same time, the number of childcare practitioners has fallen, with 15,600 fewer employees than in 2019, according to the statistics.

Senior managers in nurseries were most likely to be qualified to degree-level, it found.

In maintained nursery schools, 24 per cent of staff were qualified to degree-level.

According to the data, the proportion of staff in nurseries qualified to at least Level 3, 80 per cent, is similar now to 2019.

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