£4,500 bonus to attract graduate teachers to deprived nurseries

The move will also help more families access their funded childcare entitlement, worth up to £8,000 a year, by giving nurseries the qualified staff they need to open more places.

Fewer than 1 in 10 nursery staff currently hold a graduate teaching qualification – yet evidence shows that the more highly qualified the staff, the better the outcomes for children.

The extra cash bonus will help recruit and retain the best teachers in the communities that need them most, raising the quality of teaching for every child who walks through the door.

The first wave launches today in 10 areas – including Sandwell, Middlesbrough and Rochdale – with expansion to 30 communities later this year. Areas were selected based on deprivation, teacher shortages and school readiness levels.

Just 58% of children in the most deprived communities reach the desired level of development by the end of reception, compared to 77% in the least deprived areas. This targeted scheme puts more qualified staff into the communities that have been left behind – levelling the playing field for every child.

Today’s (11 June 2026) announcement exceeds the government’s initial pledge – backing nursery teachers across 30 communities, up from the 20 areas first announced last July – delivering on the Education Secretary’s core belief that background should never mean destiny

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: >It shouldn’t matter if you’re born in Sandwell or Middlesbrough, in Rochdale or Rotherham – every child deserves the best teachers, with the best tools at their disposal, to give them the very best start in life. > >These measures will help nurseries attract and keep more qualified staff — so they can deliver the funded childcare that saves families up to £8,000 a year in the communities that need it most.

Alongside the bonus, new partnership grants will for the first time fund nurseries, childminders, and schools to formally work together. Staff will be able to visit each other’s settings, share teaching approaches and build stronger links with families so children arrive at school confident and ready.

18 new hubs of excellent nursery teaching have also been confirmed today – doubling the network to 36 across England. The Early Years Stronger Practice Hub programme is designed to bring the best nurseries and childminders together to share what works and will host specialist advisors and leads in early language, maths and personal, social and emotional development, delivering tailored training to early years educators so the highest quality teaching and practices reach more children in more communities.

Further work will follow, including a consultation on how to raise the status and recognition of early years teachers, removing barriers to increased pay in relevant settings.

This work is part of the mission to get tens of thousands more children school-ready by 2028, combining efforts to upskill the workforce through the Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship and attract new nursery staff via the Do Something Big campaign.

It will also help families with 30 hours of funded childcare, worth up to £8,000 a year, helping with the cost of living while expanding places through new school-based nurseries in the communities that need them most.

Executive Director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition Sarah Ronan said: >When disadvantaged children start school 4.7 months behind their better off peers, it’s right that we do everything we can to close that gap as early as possible. Research shows us that graduate teachers can have a positive impact on child development particularly for those at risk of being left behind. > >We welcome this incentive to attract more graduates to work in communities where they can make a difference and change lives and we are particularly pleased to see the government offer this bonus in even more areas. The expansion of Stronger Practice Hubs is also welcome. A well-trained and supported workforce is the most important lever we have in driving outcomes for children. An investment in early years professionals is an investment in our children.