Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the salaries of early years teachers to match salaries for primary school teachers.

The earliest years are the most crucial stage of child development. The department is committed to supporting the sector to develop a workforce with the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to deliver high quality early education and childcare.

The majority of the early years workforce are employed in private, voluntary and independent organisations and those employers are responsible for recruiting sufficient staff, in line with the requirements set out in the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The department is investing additional funding for the early years entitlements over the next three years, worth £160 million in the 2022-23 financial year, £180 million in 2023-24 and £170 million in 2024-25, compared to the current year. This is for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers for the government’s free childcare entitlement offers and reflects cost pressures as well as anticipated changes in the number of eligible children.