London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) is putting its staff first and investing in a significant package of rewards, whilst paying above the sector average.

This is to acknowledge the vital and valued contribution from all staff across all 39 of its social enterprise nurseries during a period of uncertainty (and challenge for the whole country) and also to attract new talent into the organisation. This is especially pertinent given the current staffing shortage across the Early Years which is putting extra pressure on employees.

From 1^st April 2022, all staff across LEYF nurseries and central office staff will receive a 3.5% salary increase (including Bank staff and apprentices). In addition to the salary rise, a small bonus will be given to all permanent staff regardless of their position and awarded pro rata based on the number of hours worked during the current financial year.

Other benefits for all permanent staff include having your birthday off as an extra day’s leave and the value of long service awards have been increased. Access to eight training days continues with more opportunities to complete a degree within the workplace. There will also be additional rises for Level 3 LEYF teachers and Room Leaders who are so critical to delivering a quality pedagogy to the children and their families. All qualified Level 3 teachers will be paid equal to or above the London Living Wage (LLW) of £11.05 per hour and all Room Leaders will receive no less than £11.85 per hour.

The age-related national minimum wage (NMW) for permanent and bank staff under the age of 23 years will be removed which means all employees will be on or above the NMW.  This is set to go up to £9.50 an hour from 1^st April – a 6.6% increase on the current rate of £8.91.

Furthermore, LEYF will be increasing the rates for its chefs (across all levels) whose role is critical for providing a healthy and balanced nutrition menu to every child attending their nurseries. LEYF’s Chef Academy also continues to offer its chefs the opportunity to upskill and learn about child nutrition and health in the Early Years.

All unqualified chefs will receive no less than £11.10 per hour, qualified Level 2 chefs will receive no less than £11.35 per hour, qualified Level 3 chefs will be paid no less than £11.55 per hour and all Level 3 CACHE accredited chefs who have successfully completed the course provided by the LEYF Early Years Chef Academy will receive no less than £12.03 per hour.

June O’Sullivan, chief exec of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) says:

“We want to show our staff how much we value their loyalty and dedication. We know that staff shortages are affecting life in our nurseries and we want to do all we can to look after our employees who are vital to the running of the organisation. Investing in our staff is central to LEYF ethos and will continue to be our priority in the coming years. We are also fully aware that cost of living is increasing, adversely affecting many working in the Early Years sector, which is why we are proud to offer this new rewards package. Many of our staff join LEYF because of our social purpose and we continually try to balance our purpose to change the world one child at a time whilst also showing that it is possible to be a really good employer, pay above the sector average while continuing to provide a range of support benefits and training opportunities for this valuable sector.”