NEWS FEATURE
Minds still matter
Five years on from the publication of the Alliance’s Minds Matter report, Caroline Wadham, press and external affairs officer at the Alliance, explores what impact current challenges are having on the mental health of the early years workforce
Caroline is part of the communications and external affairs team at the Alliance, leading on the organisation’s press and media coverage, as well as supporting campaigns and policy work.
Since the publication of our Minds Matter survey in 2018, not only has the sector faced even more years of low funding but more recently the energy crisis has caused costs to surge, making it increasingly difficult for settings to survive. Yet while the financial challenges in the early years are well-documented, there has been little research on the impact this is having on the mental state of the workforce.
Following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, concerns have been raised about the Ofsted inspection system and its impact on wellbeing in the education sector, but most discussions have failed to include, or in most cases even mention, the early years.
That’s why, at the Alliance, we wanted to hear from providers and explore the mental health challenges the sector is facing and the impact of the Ofsted inspection regime on this. Our survey received more than 1,900 responses between 29 March–27 April 2023 and brought the mental health obstacles early educators are facing into sharp focus.
81%
said they were regularly stressed about a work-related issue in the last month
Stress, anxiety and sleepless nights
Overall, more than eight in ten respondents (81%) said they were regularly stressed about a work-related issue in the last month, and, for most, this has had a lasting impact on their mental health.
In the past year, two-thirds had suffered from anxiety (67%), fatigue (65%) and loss of motivation (64%). One provider said: “I’m unable to sleep and spend my nights thinking of the tasks that have not been done. The nursery is failing financially at a time when more and more is expected of us.”
Nearly six in ten (59%) said they felt negatively about working in the sector, almost one fifth (19%) said they felt very negative and a third (35%) said they were considering leaving the early years sector because of work-related stress and mental health difficulties.
Common causes of stress
Ofsted inspections were listed as the most common cause of stress facing early years settings, ahead of sector specific government policies and pay. Eight in ten (79%) nurseries, preschools and childminders said they were stressed about Ofsted inspections on a “fairly” or “very often” basis.
59%
said they felt negatively about working in the sector
One respondent said: “Looming Ofsted inspection causes a great deal of stress for me and other staff members. It has caused anxiety and sleepless nights for more than one member of my team, including me. I feel that the process and grading system is not always fair and can be handled in a better way."
Meanwhile, nearly half of respondents (45%) said they have had a negative Ofsted experience, with around fifth (21%) stating that they have filed a formal complaint, and more than half (52%) believed the inspection judgements they received were unfair.
Ofsted’s single-word judgement
An overwhelming proportion of providers told us the current grading system is not working. In total, 77% said they support the removal of the single-word Ofsted grading with nearly three in five (58%) ‘strongly’ in support of the removal.
77%
said they support the remove of the single-word Ofsted grading
Neil Leitch, CEO of the Alliance said the stress and mental health challenges early educators are facing are “completely unacceptable.” He said: “If inspections are to achieve their aim of supporting and improving the provision of education, they must be a collaborative, supportive and positive experience. Instead, they are increasingly seen as something to dread, leaving educators stressed, exhausted and questioning their future in the sector – and while recent discussions on this issue have largely focused on the experiences of schools, this is just as true in the early years.
“Going forward, the mental health and wellbeing of early educators must be a key focus both when it comes to reforming the inspection system and in developing government policy. With a third of providers actively considering leaving the workforce, this is not an issue that can be ignored. The way the sector is treated must change, not only to protect the mental health of the workforce, but the future of the entire sector.”
As the survey highlights, early educators’ mental health is severely suffering, and it’s clear that the stress surrounding Ofsted inspections are a key driver of this. At the Alliance, not only do we believe that singleword judgements should be reviewed with a view to replacing it with a short narrative but it is key that the early years sector is included in both discussions and decisions related to this.