Working parents will have their lives made easier as government opens 300 new or expanded nurseries on school grounds
Working parents will have their lives made easier as the government is opening 300 new or expanded nurseries on school grounds, helping to cut down on the school run and giving children a seamless start to their education.
ADVERTISEMENT: Invest Smarter. Zero Fees. Robinhood Trading Platform
Meeting the latest milestone in its Plan for Change, the government has confirmed schools report over 4,000 extra school-based nursery places will be available across England this September as it vows to boost childcare access in disadvantaged communities in the next phase of the rollout.
Thanks to the government’s initial investment of £37 million, 189 of the 300 government-funded new or expanded nurseries are set to be up and running this month.
Providing stability for children in their early years can help them get ready to start school. This leads to better outcomes, more opportunities to lift their life chances and stronger social cohesion that binds us all together.
Children growing up in the same nursery and primary schools means they can thrive in an environment they trust, with friends, siblings and teachers they know, which is so important for their development.
ADVERTISEMENT: Invest Smarter. Zero Fees. Robinhood Trading Platform
Amid the ongoing success of the first phase, the government is determined to go further and faster to offer more choice for parents in every corner of the country.
As part of its drive to give every child the best start in life, it will invite more schools to bid for up to £150,000 funding from a £45 million pot to create a further 300 new or expanded best start school-based nurseries - offering up to 7,000 more places - from September 2026.
The second phase will prioritise quality bids from schools serving some of the most disadvantaged communities, delivering thousands of new places for families who need them most.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
Making life easier for parents under the pressures of the school run means they can keep working with confidence, earn more money and supporting wider economic growth, a priority in our Plan for Change.
This comes the same week as the government has delivered 30 hours of free childcare from age nine months to reception year, with take-up expected to be over and above initial projections at over half a million children.
ADVERTISEMENT: Invest Smarter. Zero Fees. Robinhood Trading Platform
That’s a promise made and a promise delivered, with 9 in 10 parents getting one of their three top choice nursery places. Alongside the best start school-based nurseries rollout, the government is upping funding for the sector to £9 billion next year to support delivery of a brilliant early years education to give every child the best start in life.
Cinnamon Brow CE Primary was backed by the scheme last year, and, in partnership with PVI provider Let’s Be Kids, is now rolling out 15 new nursery places for children from 9 months old in a previously unused classroom. The school will offer wraparound care for children from early morning to 6pm.
Headteacher Rachel Pimblett says:
Adeola Olasosebikan’s youngest daughter will be joining her older sister at St George’s Catholic Primary Academy in Scarborough this term. The school, which is also one of the first 750 offering a free breakfast club, will be rolling out early years provision to two-year-olds for the first time thanks to government funding.
Adeola said:
CEO at Working Families, Jane van Zyl, said:
Gingerbread Interim CEO, Lisa Pearce, said:
With free breakfast clubs saving parents £450 a year and setting older children up with a supportive start to the day, alongside the cap on branded uniform items and £1.4 billion to fix the inherited state of crumbling classrooms, the government’s Plan for Change is building a better future for working families.
ADVERTISEMENT: Invest Smarter. Zero Fees. Robinhood Trading Platform
A future that boosts work choices, life chances, and makes the daily balance of kids and career that much easier.
Comments
Comments are currently closed.