The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a major expansion in childcare provision, with up to 4,000 new places set to be rolled out in school-based nurseries across England from September. The initiative, which aims to improve access to early education, has seen its funding more than double to £37 million to support the expansion.
Expansion of school-based nurseries
As part of the first round of funding, the DfE has approved 300 nursery projects across England. Schools were invited to bid for up to £150,000 each to repurpose or extend existing spaces to accommodate additional nursery provision. The selected schools, located in towns and cities from Exeter to Newcastle, will offer an average of 20 places each, creating up to 6,000 new places in total, with at least 4,000 expected to be available by the end of September.
This follows an earlier round of funding announced in October, when schools competed for a share of £15 million to support up to 300 new or expanded nursery projects. Now, the Government has more than doubled its investment to £37 million to ensure a successful rollout of the programme.
Part of a wider childcare expansion
The expansion of school-based nurseries is part of the Government’s broader plan to increase access to funded childcare for working parents. The initiative began in April last year, initially providing 15 hours of funded childcare for working parents of two-year-olds.
Now, parents of children aged nine months and older are also eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare per week, with plans to extend this to 30 hours for all eligible families from September. The move aligns with Labour’s manifesto pledge to create an additional 3,000 nurseries by repurposing space in primary schools.
Ministerial support for the initiative
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson welcomed the expansion, stating:
“Delivering on our promise of a better early years system is my top priority, which is why we’ve more than doubled our investment in this first phase so thousands more children can benefit from a high-quality early education from this September.
“We said we’d act, and now we have. But this is just the beginning – we’ve set a hugely important milestone to get tens of thousands more children every year school-ready by age five as part of our Plan for Change.
“We’re raising the bar for early years, delivering on our manifesto commitments and building a system that gives every child the best start in life.”
Positive response from education leaders
The announcement has been met with support from education leaders and parenting organisations.
Jason Elsom, chief executive of Parentkind, welcomed the move, noting the challenges parents face in securing good-quality childcare. He highlighted the convenience for parents, particularly those with multiple children, who will no longer need to rush between different nursery and school locations each morning and afternoon.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), also praised the initiative, stating:
“The evidence is clear that high-quality early education can make a lasting difference to children’s lives, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“It is therefore extremely positive to see the first wave of new and expanded school-based nurseries being announced today.
“Schools play a vital role in the early years ecosystem, and this should help strengthen that further.”
Schools welcoming the investment
Schools receiving the funding have also expressed enthusiasm about the opportunities it presents for young children and local communities.
Alex Armstrong, headteacher at Bloemfontein Primary School in County Durham, said the funding would be used to open a baby room to address the shortage of nursery places in the area. She explained:
“We wanted to address the shortage of nursery places in our local area and to provide the community with high-quality early education for our youngest learners.
“There are so many benefits to school-based nursery provision, including continuity for children and their families and the opportunity to develop expert-led learning which will provide our children with strong foundations for lifelong success.”
Concerns over wider childcare provision
While the expansion of school-based nurseries has been largely welcomed, some early years organisations have raised concerns about whether the initiative alone will be enough to meet the rising demand for childcare.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance (EYA), cautioned that boosting places in primary schools would not be sufficient to address the wider childcare crisis. He stressed the importance of supporting private nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders, which currently provide over three-quarters of all early years places.
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He warned:
“With more than three-quarters of entitlement places currently delivered by private and voluntary nurseries, pre-schools and childminders, it’s clear that this vital part of the early years sector should be central to any plans to drive up capacity.
“Especially given we’re just months away from the final phase of the entitlement expansion and many schools simply do not have the resources, or staff with the necessary skills and experience, to deliver high-quality education and care to under-threes.”
Looking ahead
As the Government moves forward with its expansion of funded childcare, the success of the initiative will depend on ensuring that the necessary infrastructure and workforce are in place to support the increased demand.
While the rollout of school-based nurseries is a significant step towards improving access to early years education, many in the sector believe that a broader approach—including greater investment in private and voluntary nurseries—will be required to fully meet the needs of families across England.
For now, however, thousands of working parents will be welcoming the news that more childcare places will be available from September, making it easier to balance work and family life.
