Findings from the Department for Education’s Pulse providers survey reveal 68 per cent of group-based providers have not changed the number of places they offer. A total of 21 per cent have decreased their number of places, while just 10 per cent have increased them over the last 12 months.
It shows that 72 per cent of childminders have not changed their number of places, while 13 per cent have decreased their number of places and just 15 per cent have increased.
A total of 1,804 providers took part in the survey that ran in November 2023.
The Early Years Alliance argued that the Government’s repeated claims that the early entitlement expansion is on track, ‘couldn’t be further from the truth’.
When asked what barriers that limit their ability to offer additional places, uncertainty around whether future Government funding rates will make additional places worthwhile was the most common barrier.
Approximately a third of group-based settings said they don’t believe their income is covering their costs, a slight improvement on the previous year.
Places for under-threes
The survey does reveal however that 39 per cent of group-based providers, 33 per cent of school-based providers and 42 per cent of childminders are likely to offer more places to children under the age of three.
A total of 7 per cent of group-based providers and 33 per cent of childminders who don’t currently provide places for this age group said they will start to offer places.
Staffing
The survey shows that group-based providers are more likely to have vacancies compared to school-based providers and their staff turnover is higher.
Key findings include:
- Around two-thirds (67 per cent) of group-based providers experienced staffing issues compared to around half (49 per cent) of school-based providers.
- Overall, providers reported they had the most difficulty recruiting staff qualified at Level 3. Group-based providers were a lot more likely to find this difficult.
- The most common reason for leaving group-based settings was pay, whereas for school-based providers, it was related to work-life balance.
- As a result of staffing challenges, 84 per cent of group-based providers are working with more children than they normally would, 77 per cent have more staff working overtime, 75 per cent have spent more on recruiting staff, 59 per cent have stopped staff training, 49 per cent have introduced a waiting list, 30 per cent are using more agency staff.
More than half of group-based providers stated that between one-three members of staff that worked with children have left their setting in the last 12 months, which the DfE says is a similar number to the previous year.
'To help deliver the extra 70,000 places and 40,000 staff the sector needs more support.'
Jonathan Broadbery, director of policy and communications at National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), commented, ‘There are a lot of positive plans in place to try and help the sector, but there isn’t one silver bullet. To help deliver the extra 70,000 places and 40,000 staff the sector needs more support. Addressing underfunding for three and four-year olds, supporting expansion through capital funding and having a long term workforce plan must be a priority. Ministers should also give business rates relief to all early years settings to help them financially and remove a deterrent to expanding.’
Expanding premises
Providers were also asked whether they had the desire to expand their premises and the funds to do so.
Around a third of group-based providers and childminders expressed a desire to expand but did not currently have the money to do so.
SEND
More than 30 per cent of group-based providers and 16 per cent of childminders said they had to turn a child away with SEND or reduce their hours, mainly due to insufficient funding rates and a lack of staff.
'Any hope of the expansion's success hinges on whether the Government takes significant steps to support the sector'.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said, ‘Now, with less than five months to go until the next phase of the expansion – which will place even more pressure on providers, it’s clear that any hope of the expansion's success hinges on whether the Government takes significant steps to support the sector not just be able to meet demand for places but to do so sustainably.’