Staff-To-Child Ratios In Early Years Education
This page is designed to help you understand ratios, the recent changes, and what they mean for your childcare business.
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What Are Staff-To-Child Ratios?
Childcare ratios refer to the number of qualified staff that are necessary in an early years setting compared to the number of children cared for by the setting. In England, the ratios are set by the Department for Education (DfE). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own systems for education and early years as part of their devolved government status.
Recent changes in the EYFS mean that there are now 2 versions: one for group settings and one for childminders to reflect the differences in these settings. This guide is mostly concerned with group settings.
The Main Changes To Ratios (from 4 September 2023)
» Childminders can care for more than three young children (the maximum) if they are the siblings of children they already care for or the childminder’s own children
» “Adequate supervision” while children are eating now means that children must be within sight AND hearing of an adult
Other changes were made to the qualifications that practitioners need to be counted in the ratio as staff and these are dealt with below. Other things to bear in mind are that ratios may change depending on the needs of the children. For example, if there are children with special needs and/or disabilities in your setting, you may need to employ more staff to make sure their needs are met.
Download Our Free How To Guide Guide To Learn More About Ratios
- Understanding childcare ratios
- Helpful online calculators
- Information for Childminders
- Additional qualifications needed to count as qualified staff
Understanding Early Years Ratios
That said, there is a requirement to always have “adequate supervision” for the children. It is important to remember that the EYFS also states that: “Ofsted may determine that providers must observe a higher staff:child ratio than outlined [in the EYFS] to ensure the safety and welfare of children”. Although not common, it is something to be considered.
The current regulations concerning child-to-staff ratios in England are in the EYFS Statutory Framework (paragraphs 3.28 to 3.44). The recent changes only changed the ratio relating to 2-year-old children, which has changed from 1 qualified practitioner for every 4 children, to 1 qualified practitioner for every 5 children.
It is important to note, however, that this is not a mandatory change. If you are happy to keep the lower ratio, then that is your prerogative as the owner. You can employ more staff for the children you have, but you must ensure you at least have the minimum number of staff needed.
Staff:Child Ratios Breakdown
The minimum number of qualified staff that you would need depends on the number of children you have in each age group.
For example:
- If you have 6 children all under 2, you will need 2 qualified members of staff for them (ratio 1:3)
- If you have 15 children aged 2, you will need 3 members of staff for them (ratio 1:5)
- If you have a person with an Early Years Professional Status, working directly with children, and 16 children aged 3+, you would need 2 members of staff (ratio 1:13 but as there are 16 children, you would need 2 members of qualified staff)
- The ratio 1:13 only applies to registered early years settings where there is a person with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), or another approved Level 6 practitioner who is working directly with children. If you have a person within the setting with these
qualifications who is not working directly with children, OR you do not have a person in the setting with these qualifications, then the ratio for children aged 3+ is 1:8.
The following people can be included in the ratios at the level below their level of study if you are satisfied they are "competent and responsible":
- Suitable students on long-term placements
- Volunteers (aged 17 or over)
- Staff working as apprentices in early education (aged 16 or over)
So, an apprentice studying for a Level 3 EYE can count in the Level 2 ratio if you think they are responsible and competent.
Recognised Early Years Qualifications
- Level 2 ratios
- Level 3 ratios
- Level 6 ratios
To be included in the staff-to-child ratios at these levels, staff must hold a qualification that is recognised by the Department for Education as full and relevant at the appropriate level.
You can refer to the Early Years Qualifications List (EYQL) to determine if a qualification is recognised by the Department for Education as full and relevant. It lists qualifications started after 1st September 2014 such as Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas, T Levels, BTECs, Foundation degrees, Batchelor degrees as well as QTS, EYTS and EYPS qualifications.
Additional Qualifications Needed To Count As Qualified Staff
"Providers should consider whether paediatric first aiders need to undertake annual refresher training, during any three-year certification period to help maintain basic skills and keep up to date with any changes to PFA procedures”
Level 2 qualifications do not only include GCSE at grade 4 or above, but other equivalent qualifications count too, such as functional skills Level 2.
Level 3 Maths
However, all newly appointed EYFS setting managers (appointed after 1st January 2024), must now hold a Level 2 Maths qualification (or achieve one within 2 years of starting). In effect, this has shifted the requirement to hold a Level 2 Maths qualification from junior staff to managers, which may help when settings count staff in ratios as long as the managers have good maths knowledge that they can pass on to their practitioners.
Suitable Level 2 qualifications in maths are:
- Functional skills qualification in maths at Level 2
- GCSE or International GCSE qualification in maths to at least grade C (grade 4)
- Key skills qualification in application of number at Level 2
- A level or AS level qualification in maths or pure maths and/or further maths to at least grade E
- O Level qualification in maths to at least grade C
- CSE grade 1 Maths
- Basic skills certificate at Level 2: certificate in adult numeracy
Age Considerations
Suitable students aged 17 or over, and staff working as apprentices in early education who are aged over 16, may be included in staff ratios but only if the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible. You must be willing to provide evidence to this effect if queried.
Planning For Staff Absence and Emergencies
Some ways to do this include:
- Using temporary staff, drawn from a pool of suitable adults or a recruitment agency who have undergone the same training and recruitment scrutiny as normal staff
- Reorganising the children into different groups, whilst maintaining the appropriate ratios and group sizes
- Reorganising rooms and activities and redeploying other suitable staff from within the existing staff team whilst maintaining appropriate ratios
Everything Childminders Need To Know
“At any one time, childminders (whether providing the childminding on domestic or non-domestic premises) may care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight. This includes the childminder’s own children and any other children for whom they are responsible, such as those being fostered.”
However, there are limits as to the age of these 6 children. These are:
» A maximum of three young children – a young child is defined as a child up to 1st September following his or her fifth birthday)
» There should only be one child under the age of one
For example, it would be allowed to have 6 children made up of:
» 1 x 10-month-old baby
» 1 x two-year-old
» 1 x four-year-old
» 3 x children aged 5-8
Early Years Ratios FAQs
Staff-to-child ratios are set by the Department for Education (DfE) and can be revised by changes in the law which are passed in parliament.
No, the change from 1:4 to 1:5 is optional. If you want to keep a higher staff ratio in your setting, you are free to do so.
The change from 1:4 to 1:5 for 2-year-old children came into force on 4th September 2023. Ratios for other aged children remain the same.
No. Staff-to-child ratios apply to the whole provision, not individual rooms. As a setting manager/owner, it is up to you how you deploy your staff and you have the freedom to move staff around your setting as you see fit. For example, you may want more staff at lunch and snack times but decide that during nap sessions in the baby room, you can manage with less. The decision is yours, but Ofsted may ask you to explain your reasoning and rationale.
It is Ofsted’s job to ensure that you are compliant with current legislation, so this is one thing they will look at to make sure you are. However, they have said in a blog online:
"We are sensitive to the pressures with recruitment and retention. We may only focus on ratio requirements if there are concerns for the children in your care. We will not be constantly carrying out headcounts when we’re inspecting. Our focus is on what it is like to be a child in your care.”
Staff must be at least 17 years old. There are some exceptions for staff studying an apprenticeship, who can be 16 as long as they are considered responsible and capable. The main thing to remember is that staff must be suitable for the role they are doing. Childminders must have a letter of suitability from Ofsted and other early years settings must carry out their own checks for suitability at the recruitment stage.
Staff-to-child ratios for early years settings apply to children until the 1st September following their fifth birthday.
A childminder can look after a maximum of 6 children under the age of 8 with limitations on age groups.
No. This requirement has been removed in the last update, however, managers are now responsible for ensuring that their staff have the right level of maths knowledge to deliver high-quality early years provision.
When dealing with mixed-age groups, always use the ratio that applies to the youngest child in the group.
Therefore, if you have a mix of 2- and 3-year-olds, use the ratio of 1:5.