News

Low-paid nursery staff leaving for supermarket jobs, NDNA survey reveals

Half of all nurseries are saying that they can’t find staff to fill vacancies, according to the new National Day Nurseries Association Workforce survey.

Low pay, poor quality applicants and changes to rules over GCSEs are creating a staff supply crisis, while existing staff are leaving to take better paid jobs in schools and even supermarkets, the report says.

A third of respondents said that there were not enough applicants for Level 3 jobs, which the NDNA said could hamper the Government's plan to increase free hours for three- and four-year-olds to 30 a week for working parents.

Nursery managers said the ‘most common barrier’ to effective recruitment at Level 3 was a lack of candidates meeting the requirement for at least a grade C in GCSE maths and English.

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

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion

  • Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here