Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many additional staff will be required in September 2024 for the expanded childcare offer.

The department knows that to deliver the expanded early years entitlements, the sector will need additional staff. In total, the department estimated that compared to 2023, the new entitlements will create an increased need for workers in the region of 9,000 in September 2024.

In 2023, the number of staff increased by 12,900 (4%), from 334,400 in 2022, to 347,300 in 2023. This was before the department introduced interventions to support the growth of the workforce.