Nursery Expansion in Schools: Promises Kept or Promises Broken?

Join us for the latest announcement from the Labour Government regarding the roll-out of school-based nursery capital grants. Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson outlines the ambitious plan to open and expand nurseries in primary schools, backed by £37 million in funding for an initial 300 schools, aiming for 3,000 new nurseries in the long term. 

We explore the government's vision for these nurseries to serve communities facing challenges, potentially creating up to 6,000 new nursery places by September. The goal is to align with the expansion of the 30 hours a week childcare entitlement, benefiting working parents of children from nine months upwards.

However, the announcement has sparked debate. Shadow Secretary of State Laura Trott raises serious concerns about the government "taking away half a billion pounds from nurseries" through NI increases, potentially leading to closures and price hikes. We dissect the opposition's claims that the previous government already had plans in place and critique the impact of the current policies on the wider nursery sector.

This episode examines the potential benefits for families and the potential risks to the existing childcare landscape.

Source: School-based Nursery Capital Grants
Volume 765: debated on Wednesday 2 April 2025

Key Takeaways:

• The Labour Government is investing £37 million to open and expand nurseries in 300 primary schools as the first step towards 3,000 school-based nurseries.
• This aims to create up to 6,000 new nursery places, with most starting in September.
• The government highlights the importance of early years for child development and closing attainment gaps.
• A key objective is to provide 30 hours of government-funded childcare for working parents of children from nine months up to school age.
• The opposition argues that national insurance increases are negatively impacting the entire nursery sector, potentially leading to closures and higher costs for parents.
• Concerns are raised about the impact on private and voluntary nursery providers and whether school-based nurseries alone

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