Nursery World - Qualification levels of nursery staff drop dramatically

The proportion of nursery staff qualified to Level 3 or above has fallen to such an extent in the last four years that it threatens the quality of provision, the National Day Nurseries Association has warned.

Findings from the NDNA's 2018/19 workforce survey show that just 52 per cent of staff are qualified to Level 3 – a drop from 83 per cent in the 2015/16 survey.

The association's chief executive Purnima Tanuku described the situation as 'a full-blown crisis' and said a less-qualified workforce could undermine nurseries' efforts to improve quality.

The report also highlights the 'alarming' rise in unqualified staff - the proportion of the workforce made up by unqualified staff has jumped from 10 per cent in 2017/18 to 26 per cent in 2018/19. The report said, 'This is mainly due to staff turnover and decisions based on reduced funding as almost one in five employers said they were taking on more apprentices due to funding pressures.'

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