Statutory requirements

The EYFS statutory framework has very specific requirements for recruiting adults that come into contact with children. For childcare providers these include:

• having systems in place to make sure that practitioners and any other person who is likely to have regular contact with children are suitable.
• telling staff they are expected to disclose any convictions, cautions, court orders, reprimands and warnings that may affect their suitability to work with children.
• taking action to make sure the safety of children if you become aware of information that could lead to disqualification of an employee.
• identifying and seek clarification regarding any medication staff are taking that may affect their ability to care for children, and putting controls in place where staff may need to take medication on site.

Structure

There must always be at least 2 staff on duty at all times, and the minimum ratios for staff members working directly with children are:

• 1:3 for children from birth to their second birthday
• 1:4 for children aged 2
• 1:8 for children aged 3 to 7

Depending on the number of rooms you have you'll need to think about whether you need a room leader in each room or multiple team leaders.

Wage structure

To help you to budget you'll need to set a wage structure that you can work to. Things you'll need to consider are:

• National minimum wage – current laws regarding pay and the age brackets for these
• local market – what others are paying in the area
• your financial projections and what you can afford
• additional benefits other than pay that you can provide to make the roles more appealing
• holiday pay and holiday cover costs

Volunteers, students and apprentices

Volunteers are valuable and can help with day to day activities, fundraising, administration or publicity. Students in colleges and universities may be asked to find a placement to support their learning in childcare. Apprentices can give you an additional person to support the setting; you can find out here about employing an apprentice in your business.

All volunteers, students and apprentices must be subject to the same checks as staff and the EYFS statutory framework must be followed.