A new study by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) will explore the key challenges facing the early years workforce in England.
NFER’s analysis, due to be published in autumn 2025, will deliver detailed insights on the early years landscape at a time when the childcare entitlement is going through a substantial change. From September 2025, the free childcare entitlement will extend from 15 to 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged between nine months and three years.
It will provide a detailed quantitative overview of the state of workforce supply, recruitment and retention in the early years workforce.
The research will also examine pay and conditions in the early years workforce compared to similar individuals working in other occupations, to better understand the factors that may be affecting the overall attractiveness of the early years sector for staff recruitment and retention.
Jack Worth, NFER Education Workforce Lead, said:
“A skilled and motivated workforce is a critical underpinning for early years education and for childcare that is high quality and available to all. We are pleased to be contributing new research insights on the changing early years workforce at this crucial time for several major Government policy objectives.
“Our aim is for this study to inform thinking in education policymaking and in the sector about what steps can be taken to ensure early years has the quality and quantity of workforce that the country needs for the future.”