Nursery World - Nurseries warn wage rises will lead to cutbacks

Nursery owners paying staff the national minimum wage (NMW) have
warned they will have to make cutbacks when the salary rate increases
later this year.

This month, the Government announced the NMW for adults will rise to £6.50 an hour in October - up 19p on the current rate. Nursery managers have questioned why it is adding costs to delivering early years care without increasing funding for free childcare entitlements for two-, threeand four-year-olds.

Wrens Pre-school Nursery owner Sally George said three years of consecutive NMW rises would cost an additional £1,500 in wages by October. She employs six members of staff who care for up to 20 children in each session. Her local authority, Essex County Council, froze its 15-hour entitlement rate for threeand four-year-olds in 2012 to £3.82 per child.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included