Nationally, the local authority early learning and childcare (ELC) workforce has increased by 83%, from 9,576 FTE in academic year 2016/17 to 17,516 FTE in August 2021. Practitioners make up 61% of the total ELC workforce and have seen an increase of 593 FTE since April 2021, bringing the total number of practitioners to 10,597 FTE. It is forecasted that the local authority ELC workforce will increase by an additional 839 FTE by the end of this academic year, this is in line with the increasing number of eligible children.
Positive ethos, a well-established team and good relationships with learning communities and partner services were crucial when Stirling Council’s ELC management team began planning for the 1140 expansion in 2017.
From the outset, staff engagement was identified as a priority and the central ELC team recognised that consultation and regular communication with the existing ELC workforce was essential in maintaining the strong bond between the workforce planning team and learning communities during the period of change. To begin with, a series of roadshows were delivered to every learning community throughout the local authority to inform individuals of the proposed changes. As the expansion progressed, people were kept informed by termly newsletters.
Flexible staffing
Due to unavoidable changes in established work patterns, day to day practice, and the need for individuals to work different shifts, longer days or a longer week, it was imperative to work closely with union representatives and HR. Working with HR, existing and future required work patterns were reviewed and revised. Staff could not be asked to switch from term-time to extended year if they did not wish to do so but contractually, staff could be asked to change working hours if given 90 days' notice. For a small group of staff, there were challenges with changing working hours so individual meetings were held with HR to find a solution that was agreeable for both parties. The level of flexibility within the new workforce expansion plan was well received; it moved away from the fixed Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm model and focused on outstanding service delivery and retaining staff. The ELC team understood that a ‘one size fits all’ workforce plan would not work for every learning community and worked with these settings to adapt the workforce plan accordingly.
The ELC managers also worked with union colleagues to ensure they were fully cited on plans. One of the things that Unison was particularly keen to see was an upgrade to salaries. This was in the pipeline already, however Stirling Council managed to align this with the timing of expansion.
After the introduction of 600 hours in 2016, Stirling Council was able to offer the option to purchase additional hours in nursery classes. This was previously only available in standalone nurseries. After admissions were complete, parents could buy additional hours from learning communities where additional places were available. During this time, staffing was fixed and was not subject to annual review. Even in learning communities with low uptake, staffing levels were the same as in learning communities at capacity. In 2019, Stirling Council informed the workforce and unions that staffing would be reviewed annually from 2021 onwards; staffing levels would be set appropriately and individuals may be moved to other learning communities within the local authority to meet the needs of the service.
Roll-out
In 2018, the phased roll out of the 1140 workforce plan started with two learning communities. This approach was well received and ELC managers listened to and learned from the feedback from learning communities whilst the roll out extended across the local authority, Due to the nature of the roll out, people felt empowered and able to identify areas of potential risk to delivery and worked with the central ELC team to implement mitigating actions.
The introduction of 1140 hours of funded ELC meant a number of processes had to be tightened up. Staff would no longer have the same ‘free time’ during the day as they were now floor-committed until 6pm. 1140 resulted in a momentous change in the way people were expected to work - different shifts, longer hours or even a longer week. During the roll out, some were concerned that the new workforce plan did not give enough time for planning and development. Senior staff encouraged staff to plan with the children and worked closely with Senior Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) to ensure adequate time was available to ECEs to maintain children's learning journals throughout the academic year. Under the new workforce plan, ‘Twilight’ CLPD (Career Long Professional Development) sessions would not be possible; however, the feedback from learning communities highlighted that many of the workforce were on site between 10am – 2pm daily. The central ELC team have continued to work on the development of a SMART Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) programme that can be delivered during these times and accessible via digital platforms. The format of in-service days has also changed to facilitate CLPL sessions that included the private, voluntary and independent, childminders and other ELC networks.
The expansion was also an opportunity for career development and progression for a number of internal staff. Many had been on the cusp of career development and looking for a leadership opportunity for some time and were happy to take on new roles. 29 new principal roles were created and many of these roles were filled by internal staff, subsequently creating progression opportunities at all levels. Staff reported feeling valued and respected by colleagues across the service and were encouraged to apply for promoted roles. The Workforce Development Pathway is reviewed on a three-year cycle and acts as a visual tool for an individual development journey, Originally, the focus of the leadership academy was on Principal ECEs, however this has been revised to include seniors and induction training for all
The ELC Workforce Plan is maintained by the central ELC team and updated yearly. It plays a key role during team meetings as an indicator of performance and is embedded in manager activity. Similarly, staffing is reviewed during business meetings with Principal ECEs each term. The success of the 1140 workforce plan has not been down to one person, but to a team of individual leaders, each knowing the importance of their role.
Staff wellbeing is at the heart of this plan, the nurturing culture and progressive working environment has resulted in a stable and reliable workforce who are dedicated to delivering the best possible ELC experience for the children and their families.