Analysis of the latest Department for Education data by innovation charity Nesta finds that just 9 per cent (or 21,500) of the early years workforce hold accredited graduate status.
According to the data, there were just 534 people starting their Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT), in England in 2022-23. While this is a 17 per cent increase in new entrants compared to the previous year, it is a 77 per cent decrease compared to the peak of 2,327 in 2012/14.
The research also highlights how the number of graduates in settings varies across English local authorities.
It finds an average of 37 per cent of PVI settings are staffed by at least one graduate. However, this number rises to 73 per cent in Wandsworth. In comparison there are no settings in Middlesborough with graduates, while just 8 per cent of settings have a graduate in Cambridgeshire.
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