The government has announced an initiative to award £4,500 bonuses to get qualified nursery teachers into early-years settings in England’s most deprived communities.

The extra cash bonus will help recruit and retain the best teachers in the communities that need them most.

The first wave launches in 10 areas – including Sandwell, Middlesbrough and Rochdale – with expansion to 30 communities later this year. Areas were selected based on deprivation, teacher shortages and school readiness levels.

Alongside the bonus, new partnership grants will for the first time fund nurseries, childminders, and schools to formally work together. Staff will be able to visit each other’s settings, share teaching approaches and build stronger links with families so children arrive at school confident and ready.

18 new hubs of excellent nursery teaching have also been confirmed – doubling the network to 36 across England. The Early Years Stronger Practice Hub programme is designed to bring the best nurseries and childminders together to share what works and will host specialist advisors and leads in early language, maths and personal, social and emotional development, delivering tailored training to early years educators so the highest quality teaching and practices reach more children in more communities.

Further work will follow, including a consultation on how to raise the status and recognition of early years teachers, removing barriers to increased pay in relevant settings.

This work is part of the mission to get tens of thousands more children school-ready by 2028.