无码天堂

by Shannon Pite

Ofsted's latest annual report states that the ongoing recruitment and retention challenges in the early years sector are putting the quality of early years provision at risk. 

Published yesterday, the 2022/23 Education, Children鈥檚 Services and Skills report notes that that "the challenges of recruiting qualified [early years] staff [...] continue to get worse" due to "low wages, perceived low status, poor working conditions and limited opportunities for professional development". 

It warns that the growing use of unqualified or agency staff and apprentices to maintain staff:child ratios in some settings means that 鈥渃hildren may not have a consistent key person who knows them and understands their needs鈥�, and describes the fact that one in five staff working in nurseries and pre-schools is unqualified 鈥� up from 16% in 2020 to 21% in 2023 鈥� as 鈥渙ne of the greatest challenges to high-quality early education鈥�. 

The report, which is Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman鈥檚 last in her current role, also highlights that the number of providers on its registers has been falling steadily since 2016. This is primarily related to a significant drop in childminders, with numbers having 鈥渉alved in the past 10 years from 55,300 in 2013 to 27,000 at year end". 

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the 无码天堂, said: 鈥淥fsted is absolutely right to highlight the effect of ongoing recruitment and retention challenges on the early years, and the long-term detrimental impact that these are likely to have on quality. 

鈥淔or years now, settings have had to survive on wholly inadequate funding rates, resulting in consistently low rates of pay throughout the sector. Is it any wonder, then, that we are seeing so many talented professionals leave the early years 鈥� and that it is such a struggle to recruit new qualified with the right qualifications and skillsets? 

鈥淭he early years is the single most critical period of a child鈥檚 learning and development and yet, as this report points out, more and more settings are being forced to rely on temporary agency staff just to remain open, result in a poorer consistency 鈥� and in some cases - quality of care and education for children. 

鈥淎dd to this the fact that we are losing childminding professionals in their droves, and it鈥檚 clear that the sector is reaching breaking point. 

鈥淚f we are to ensure that all children get the best possible start in life, then it鈥檚 vital that government makes tackling the early years staffing crisis an urgent priority. The current situation simply isn鈥檛 sustainable.鈥�