Nursery staff paid £32,000 a year in Blackpool – nearly £5,000 more than those

Blackpool offers the highest salary roles for nursery staff in England, with staff in London earning nearly £5,000 less, new research claims.

Blackpool, which also comes with low average rent on the list, has seven neighbourhoods ranked in the top ten most deprived in England, according to the English Indices of Deprivation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

But despite that, early years educator roles pay an average salary of £32,691 in the northern city, with an average of 10.86 job openings available per 100,000 people, according to figures from Eden Training Solutions, making it the top city for nursery staff roles.

However, in London, which ranked 11th on the list, nursery staff earn an average salary of £27,887, some £4,804 less than Blackpool. 

The average rent in Blackpool is just £658 per month, the second lowest in the top ten list, meaning nursery staff can potentially save much more of their income than those in other cities.

The second most attractive city for early educators is Liverpool, boasting an average salary of £30,690 per year, as well as an average rent of £934 per month, and 13.54 job openings per 100,000 people.

Kathy Leatherbarrow, early years specialist at Eden Training Solutions, said: ‘In all my 30 years working in early years, I’ve seen so many talented practitioners leave the sector, and it’s not always about the job itself.

‘If you’re spending most of your salary on rent, or you’re stuck in a setting with no career mobility because there simply aren’t other opportunities nearby, that takes its toll.’

In fact, Barrow says location is becoming a critical factor for nurseries in retaining staff.

She said: ‘It’s eye-opening to see that Blackpool and Liverpool are now the highest-paying cities in the UK for early years educators. That said, rents and salaries still do vary by location.

‘An early years professional in Blackpool earning £32,691 with rent at £658 is in a fundamentally different financial position than someone in Oxford earning £29,317 who pays £1,617 in monthly rent.’

Even then, Oxford ranks as the fourth most attractive city in terms of salary, at £29,317 per year, but languishes behind competitors when it comes to rent.

However, the city also has by far the most open nursery roles per 100,000, with 33.84 job openings on average.

This comes as nurseries continue to suffer from acute staff shortages, with some 84 per cent of nurseries struggling to recruit, according to data from the Early Years Alliance. 

As a result, many nurseries are limiting the number of new children they accept.

The third most attractive city is Birmingham, offering an average salary of £30,399, with rent just over £1,000 at £1,027, and 17.47 job openings per 100,000.

Living costs in Birmingham, however, are still much higher than in other northern cities, which mean employees find themselves with less take home pay.

Leatherbarrow said: ‘For nurseries struggling to recruit and keep staff, I think we need to have honest conversations about location. 

‘Settings in more affordable areas with healthy job markets have a natural advantage, as they can offer their staff a better quality of life on the same salary.

‘But if you’re running a nursery in an expensive city, you need to think creatively about how you support your team. 

‘That might mean higher pay, yes, but it could also be housing support, flexible working arrangements, or other benefits that help offset those living costs.’

She added: ‘The Government’s initiatives, such as the £1,000 sign-on bonus, grants for new childminders, and the £4,500 payment for early years teachers in disadvantaged areas, are helpful steps. 

‘But they only go so far when you’re competing with the cost of living itself.

‘At the end of the day, nurseries need to think about what really makes their…