Department for Education Early Years Campaign– Key Survey Findings
Between 18.01.24 – 22.01.24, 2,045 respondents of which 1,012 were parents, were surveyed online by Perspectus Global on behalf of the Department for Education, to find out more about nationwide perceptions of a career in early years.
The survey adheres to the MRS Code of Conduct based on the ESMOAR principles.
Career:
- 51% of Brits would consider working with pre-school children.
- For 39% of Brits, a one-off payment of £1000 would make them consider a career working with children under five.*
- Well over half (61%) of Brits are currently considering, or open to considering, a career change.
- Close to half (49%) of Brits feel there would be career progression if they had a career working with children under five.
- Almost three quarters (72%) of Brits would like to work in a role that felt more meaningful/made the world a better place.
*Only those respondents that answered that they might, or probably / definitely wouldn’t consider a career as an early years professional were asked this question.
Experience / Skills:
- Over half (55%) of Brits are confident they have the skills to work with under 5-year-olds.
- Brits think that the top five skills and qualities needed for working with young children under five are:
- Patience (65%)
- Calmness (52%)
- A positive attitude (39%)
- Communication skills (36%)
- Creativity (33%) and compassion (33%)
- Only one in five (21%) Brits think a sense of humour is a skill needed for working with young children.
Reward / Enjoyment:
- 84% of parents believing working with children would be a rewarding career.
- The top five things Brits would enjoy as an early years professional are:
- Reading books & telling stories (51%)
- Helping with early learning skills in counting & reading (48%)
- Helping children to use their imaginations (45%)
- Helping children to interact with others (38%)
- Creative activities like painting (36%)
- The top five reasons stopping Brits considering a job working with children under five are:
- Not having the right qualifications (47%)
- Not having the patience to work with young children (31%)
- Feeling like the job would be too tiring (29%)
- Feeling as though they don’t have the skills to deal with children (26%)
- Finding the idea of working with children too challenging (21%)
- The top three things attracting Brits to working with children are:
- Thinking that the work would be rewarding (41%)
- Wanting to give children the best start in life (40%)
- Wanting to be a part of children’s development (33%)
Impact on Parents:
1,012 parents of under 16 year olds were surveyed, and these parents were asked to think about when their child was under five-years-old. The results included:
- Almost all (97%) of Brits think that their child’s early years professional had an impact on their child’s development, and almost all (96%) value them.
- Well over half (66%) of British parents believe their child’s early years professional is one of the most important/influential people in their child’s life.
- Three quarters (74%) of British parents describe early years professionals as real-life superheroes!
Parenting Experience:
In terms of their own parenting experience, the survey revealed:
- Over a quarter (26%) of British parents do deals with their children to encourage them to behave.
- Over half (59%) of British parents have reported that negotiating with toddlers was more challenging than negotiating a new work salary.
- Over a third (40%) of Brits believe the biggest challenge when communicating with their child was their own lack of imagination.
Changing Parenting Styles:
The difference in today’s parenting style to that of respondent’s parents:
- Almost four out of five (79%) of British parents say they pay more attention to their child’s mental health than their own parents did to theirs.
- Close to three quarters say they spend more time taking their children to activities than their parents did (72%), and that they spend more time playing with their children than their parents did (72%).
- 70% say they praise their children more than their parents did and that they are more compassionate with their children than their parents were with them.