Government Doubles School-Based Nursery Funding To £37m
The government has announced that it will more than double the investment in school-based nurseries from £15m to £37m. This will expand access to free childcare for working parents, and will also help to rebalance the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children in England.
The first wave of 300 new school-based nurseries (SBNs) are already in place for the start of the 2025/26 academic year in September, following the release of the initial £15m funding pot last October. Grants of up £150,000 are available for state primary schools to adapt or repurpose an existing space for a nursery, or create new provision on the school site.
For many schools, repurposing an existing space within the school building will not be a possibility, and the construction of a new bricks and mortar nursery may be incompatible with their budget or timescale. In this case, a portable modular building may be a viable alternative.
Why use modular buildings for nurseries?
Swift turnaround times
Modular buildings provide a turnkey solution for primary schools looking to expand their nursery provision in time for the start of the September academic year. The buildings are prefabricated off-site, and once the relevant planning permission is obtained, they can be delivered and made ready for use within a matter of weeks or even days.
A temporary or permanent solution
The modular units can be used as a temporary measure while a more permanent solution is sought. However, modern portable buildings are constructed with excellent quality materials and have high standards of insulation and weatherproofing. This means that they are very durable and can have a similar lifespan to a regular brick structure.
Adaptable and modern
A modular structure can be easily adapted and customised to suit particular needs. For example, the layout can easily be adapted with partition walls in larger buildings. This allows for separate reception and cloakroom areas, toilet and changing facilities, and kitchens and canteen areas.
The appearance of the modular building can also be customised with cladding and colour schemes to help it blend in sympathetically with the surroundings, and to make the interior a bright and attractive place for young children and their carers.
Other desirable features include doors that open directly onto outdoor play areas, large windows that let in plenty of natural light, and high standards of energy efficiency to help manage energy bills and lower the carbon footprint of the school.
Why have SBN grants been expanded?
The School-Based Nursery Capital Grant has already been used to provide an additional 6,000 new places, with over two thirds available for September. Following a new report into school readiness for left-behind groups, the government has decided to increase early years provision in areas where deprivation is higher.
The report comments: “School-based early education tends to be more inclusive – with a higher proportion of children with special educational needs than other settings. And in areas where deprivation is higher, having early years provision embedded within a primary school helps children settle into learning in a familiar and trusted environment.”
This means that many more grants will be available shortly for primary schools who want to expand their nursery provision.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “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 5 as part of our Plan for Change.”
Alex Armstrong, Headteacher at Bloemfontein Primary School who will be using their allocated funding to open a new baby room on site said: “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.”
“This funding will enable us to transform unused school space into an engaging and vibrant environment, offering year-round childcare for children from birth to five.”
Schools wishing to apply for the SBN grants are invited to register their interest.
< Back to news
