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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2026. It was answered by Olivia Bailey (Labour) on Friday, 10 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled £4,500 bonus to attract graduate teachers to deprived nurseries, published on 11 June 2026, what estimate she has made of the number of additional graduate nursery teachers to be recruited as a result of the bonus scheme.

Answer

We know early years teachers contribute to better outcomes. That is why the government is committed to championing early years teachers, to achieve our aims that 75% of children reach a good level of development by 2028 and that every child has the best start in life.

We have set an ambition to have an early years teacher in every setting. Currently, less than 50% of private, voluntary and independent group-based settings have at least one graduate member of staff. To achieve our ambition, we would need an additional 9,500 teachers. The scheme is part of a wider programme of initiatives that will help us reach this target.

In year one, we expect 1,200 teachers to benefit from the scheme at a cost of over £8 million.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
15143
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Graduates Incentives Pre-school education Teachers
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk