Nurseries: Schools
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of local government reorganisation on local authorities' ability to develop multi-year funding proposals to deliver school-based nurseries between 2027-2030.
Answered by Department for Education
Backed by £400 million capital investment, the school-based nursery programme will deliver tens of thousands of new places by expanding early education and childcare places where they are most needed, helping more families to access funded childcare and giving children the best start in life.
We have already made an impact, awarding £82 million in capital funding to more than 600 primary and maintained nursery schools, which is expected to deliver over 11,000 new nursery places by September 2027. Schools report that by the end of September 2026, 450 new and expanded nurseries will have created over 9,000 new places since the start of the programme.
No applications for Huntingdon were awarded funding in phases 1 and 2. Local authorities have until 17:00 on 30 September to submit their funding proposals for phase 3.
The department fully recognises the importance of ensuring that any structural changes to local government protect the safety, wellbeing, and life chances of children and young people. The department continues to work closely with local authorities undergoing local government reorganisation (LGR) as part of the school-based nursery grant allocation and assurance process. It is essential that local authorities continue to deliver their children’s services through LGR. Delivery of the programme does not alter local authorities' statutory duties, and they remain responsible for ensuring projects meet local need and support their duty to secure sufficient childcare.
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