Open petition: Review staff ratios for educational and early years settings based on need

Created by Ruby Cox
Closes on 16 August 2026

Review existing funding framework across education and early years and introduce guidance that allows ratios to be adjusted based on assessed needs to ensure adequate funding and staffing resources to support differing levels of need.

We also call on the Government to do more to recognise professional judgement in determining safe and effective staffing. We are calling on the government to take action because we believe the current statutory ratio system in early years provision does not reflect the realities of today’s settings or the increasingly complex needs of children. We speak on behalf of many professionals working across the early years sector who are committed to delivering safe, inclusive, and high-quality care and education. In our view, under the current framework, staffing ratios are determined solely by numbers, not by need.

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