Tackling the Early Years Workforce Crisis

A Place-based Policy Response to the Early Years Workforce Crisis in Bristol.

Image by Seekan Hui

 

The challenge

Early Years Education and Care (EYEC) underpins a fair, successful society by fostering children’s development and supporting parental employment. Yet, England’s EYEC sector faces a severe workforce crisis—falling recruitment, high turnover, and mounting pressures from expanding childcare policies threaten quality, sustainability and the wellbeing of children, families and educators without urgent reform.

Rethinking EYEC: A Localised, Collaborative Approach

To address the current challenges, this place-based research initiative grounded in collaboration between academic researchers and local stakeholders was co-designed with EYEC professionals, community organisations and local authorities to generate actionable insights rooted in lived experience.

Our approach is informed by the principles of place-based policymaking (Beer et al., 2020), which recognises that effective solutions must reflect the unique contexts, strengths and challenges of local communities. We aim to move beyond top-down policy and instead foster localised, community-led responses that can inform regional and national strategies.

This work aligns with the UK Government's 2025 commitment to grounding reform in local knowledge and expertise. It demonstrates how universities and communities can work in partnership to shape a more responsive and inclusive policy environment.

The research has generated significant engagement across the early years education sector, influencing local and regional policy, informing national discussions, and strengthening collaboration between practitioners, policymakers and academic partners.

Local and Regional Policy Engagement

  • Bristol City Council: Collaboration with Kate Irvine (Early Years Improvement Officer) has supported the integration of research findings into local improvement planning and development initiatives.
  • West of England Combined Authority: Engagement with Hillary Marshall (Policy Manager) and Graham Smith (People, Skills and Commissioning Officer) has informed regional workforce and commissioning strategies in the early years sector.
  • Derby City Council: The Senior School Improvement Officer expressed interest in adapting elements of the research framework, demonstrating relevance and applicability beyond the immediate region.

National Policy and Professional Networks

  • Collaboration with Neil Leitch at the Early Years Alliance and with representatives from the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has embedded the research in national policy and advocacy discussions.
  • An invitation from Viki Veale (Chair of TACTYC) to present at the annual conference in Birmingham highlights recognition of the work’s contribution to early years professional and academic discourse.
  • Beatrice Merrick (Early Education) published findings in the organisation's newsletter, enabling wide dissemination among practitioners and policymakers.
  • The project's invitation to deliver a keynote presentation at the Westminster Education Forum on Next Steps for Early Years Education and Care in England reached over 50 policymakers and practitioners, positioning the research as an evidence base for ongoing policy and practice reform.
  • Blog post on UPEN a network of organisations, primarily universities, who work to improve the use of academic evidence in public policymaking.

Government and Research Organisation Engagement

  • The research has attracted the attention of the Department for Education (DfE), resulting in a meeting with the Research and Engagement Lead to explore how the findings might inform national workforce policy.
  • A submission to the Education Select Committee ensured the inclusion of project insights in national policy dialogue and review processes.

Academic Dissemination and Collaboration

  • The research has garnered interest from universities including the University of Plymouth, University of Sheffield, and University of East London.
  • An invitation to deliver a webinar for the Early Years Employment Research Hub at Leeds University has provided a platform for academic exchange and practitioner engagement.

This project has established clear and effective pathways to impact, with demonstrable influence across multiple levels of the early years education system. Through partnerships with local authorities, professional networks, national organisations and academic institutions, the research is actively shaping conversations about workforce development, educational quality and policy direction in early childhood education across England.

Underpinning research

Despite the Early Years Education and Care (EYEC) sector's crucial role in supporting children's holistic development, enabling parental—particularly maternal—participation in the workforce, and promoting equitable social and economic outcomes, it continues to face significant and sustained pressures. These challenges include funding shortages, workforce recruitment and retention difficulties, and growing disparities in access and provision across communities.

In response to these ongoing strains, Dr Frances Giampapa and Dr Victoria Bowen have undertaken a place-based research initiative aimed at developing evidence-informed and locally grounded policy solutions tailored to the realities of the sector.

Working in partnership with leading national EYEC organisations—such as Early Education, the Early Years Alliance, and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT)—as well as with key local partners including the Bristol and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub, Bristol City Council, Bristol City College, and a range of childcare settings, the project seeks to produce a “Bristol solution-focused” response.

This collaborative research engages directly with the lived experiences of local leaders, managers, teachers and practitioners across both local authority nurseries and private, voluntary, and independent (PVI) providers, capturing their insights into the daily realities, pressures, and innovations shaping the sector in the face of this ongoing crisis.

Key facts

  • There is an urgent need to shift societal mindsets from ‘childcare’ to a profession: Educators see themselves as highly skilled professionals, trained in child learning and development with expertise in different child-led pedagogies. This illustrates a need to better communicate the roles and responsibilities of early educators as professionals valuing them similarly to primary teachers.
  • ‘Future proofing’ the sector is essential to ensure the profession is attractive to new recruits. This includes a need to re-think apprenticeships and early education programmes across colleges and HEIs so that they are fit for purpose. Offering diverse opportunities to those that have a vocational drive to be early educators is imperative, alongside formally recognising the long-time experience of many educators who have dedicated years to supporting children and families.
  • Targeting funding is required: Many educators feel that funding should be targeted at improving staff salaries, training, and operational resources to ensure high-quality EYEC, specifically targeting areas with high needs or demographic pressures, to ensure that providers can meet the staffing and operational demands without sacrificing quality.

Date published

October 2025