Ofsted’s annual report highlights the impact of the early years workforce crisis on the sector, and the growing number of unqualified staff in nurseries and pre-schools.
It finds that nurseries and pre-schools are having to either use agency staff and apprentices to maintain child to staff ratios, or cut the number of childcare places they offer.
In 2023, one in five staff was unqualified compared with one in seven in 2018, according to the report.
Ofsted cites a number of reasons for the difficulty in recruiting qualified staff, including low wages, perceived low status, poor working conditions and limited opportunities for professional development.
