Blog by the Department for Education

School-based nurseries are one part of our diverse and vibrant early years landscape, all of which contribute to delivering the government’s expanded childcare entitlements and supporting children to get the best start in life. 

On Thursday 4 September, the Department for Education launched phase 2 of the School-based Nursery Programme, building on the foundations of phase 1, with an increased focus on supporting families in disadvantaged areas to access early years provision. 

State-funded primary schools and maintained nursery schools can now apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding to create or expand on-site nurseries and offer new childcare places in AY 2026/27. The online application service is open from 24 September until 5pm on 11 December.

The DfE encourages interested and eligible schools to start working early with their local authority, governing organisations, trustees and wider stakeholders, for support with their applications. For academies, if a significant change is required, the DfE urges you to begin your minimum three-week consultation process as early as possible, which will be required before submitting your school-based nursery application. 

Webinar
The DfE will be hosting a webinar for schools in October to walk through the policy intent and application process, and to provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. Register for the webinar here. 

Looking ahead, the DfE have also announced phase 3 of the programme, which will officially launch in early 2026. Projects focused on longer-term place creation may be more appropriately aligned with phase 3. 

The phase 2 applicant guidance, including details of the grant process, is available here. 

Further information on the announcement can be found here.