EYFS changes from 1 September 2026, and why early years settings should be thinking about apprenticeships

The new statutory frameworks for the early years foundation stage came into force on 1 September 2026. There are now two, one for childminders and one for group and school based providers. If you run a setting, here is what changed and why it connects to how you recruit.

The framework changes

Safer sleep requirements have moved into the statutory framework itself rather than sitting in guidance. There is a new requirement to have regard to screen use guidance. Childcare cannot be provided where banned dog breeds are present. Group and school based providers offering childcare on domestic premises have new duties to notify Ofsted.

Safeguarding has tightened, and this one affects recruitment

Three changes matter for how you take people on:

Enhanced DBS checks are now required for all volunteers, including those who are supervised. New employees cannot start before clearance comes through. And the threshold for notifying Ofsted of an allegation has dropped from serious harm to harm.

The practical consequence is that your recruitment lead time has got longer. You can no longer bridge a staffing gap by starting someone while a check clears. Settings that plan recruitment months ahead will cope with this. Settings that recruit reactively will feel it.

The workforce problem behind all this

Research published by NFER on 26 February 2026 found that the early years workforce grew by nearly 20,000 in 2023 to 2024, but by only around 600 in 2024 to 2025. The Department for Education has projected a need for 35,000 extra staff.

The qualification picture is similar. Only around 25 per cent of early years staff hold a qualification at Level 4 or above.

So the sector needs many more people, and needs a good proportion of them to be more highly qualified than the current average. Recruitment alone will not close that.

What is coming next

The Department for Education consultation "Shaping the future of early years teaching" closes on 24 September 2026. It proposes replacing Early Years Teacher Status with Qualified Teacher Status, targeted for 2028. If you have a view, it is worth responding while it is open.

Separately, the Early Years Educator standard is in revision, with a revised version and a £7,000 funding band applying to new starts from 1 November 2026.

Why we are raising apprenticeships in the same breath

Because they answer both halves of the problem at once. An apprentice is a new person coming into the sector, and the apprenticeship is the qualification route that lifts the proportion of your team at Level 3 and above. With longer DBS lead times, having a pipeline rather than a vacancy is worth more than it used to be.

We deliver Early Years Practitioner Level 2 and Early Years Educator Level 3 across Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire. If you want to talk about building a pipeline rather than filling a gap, call 01254 679998.

Sources

GOV.UK, early years foundation stage statutory framework
NFER, research on early years recruitment