The number of early years staff with accredited graduate status in private and voluntary settings has fallen, while numbers of unqualified practitioners have risen, according to government figures.

In 2024 the number of early years staff with early years professional status, early years teacher status, or qualified teacher status fell by 600, despite an increase in the number of early years practitioners by 3,600, according to the Department for Education.

This 1% year-on-year increase in early years staff was driven by the number of practitioners without a full and relevant level 2 qualification, level 3 qualification or accredited graduate status, which has increased by 3,000.  There were also smaller increases for staff with level 2 (up 900) and level 3 (up 400) qualifications.

The proportion of unqualified staff has increased each year from 16% in 2018 to 22% in 2024.