The government has broken a pledge relating to plans to expand early years teaching in disadvantaged areas, according to a leading children’s charity.

The Early Years Workforce Strategy, published by the Department for Education in March last year, included a promise to conduct a feasibility study by March 2018 into developing a programme to grow the graduate workforce in disadvantaged areas - but nothing has yet been published. 

Charlotte Lynch, UK poverty policy adviser for Save the Children, said children are falling behind. “Last year, the government promised to conduct a feasibility study into growing the early years graduate workforce,” she said.

“It was a recognition that the system is letting down the 280,000 children in England who don’t have access to a qualified early years teacher. At the end of March, the government’s own timeline for this will have expired and they will have broken their promise.

“The presence of graduate staff is the single strongest indicator of quality in childcare and early education. Without the support of qualified early years teachers, children are 10 per cent less likely to reach good levels of development. Disadvantaged children are at even greater risk of falling behind and find it harder to catch up throughout their school life.”

The call comes after a study from the Education Policy Institute identified a downward trend in qualification levels among staff working in early years.

A DfE spokesperson said: “We are considering a range of approaches to supporting graduates in the early years workforce, including getting more working in disadvantaged areas. Further information will be made available in due course.”

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and Instagram, and like Tes on Facebook