Schools with poorer intakes and top Ofsted grades will be prioritised for funding in the second phase of a government project aimed at turning empty primary classrooms into nurseries.
The Department for Education allocated £37 million last year in capital investment to create 300 new or expanded nurseries on primary school sites in England. The government said this week that 189 of the 300 were “set to be up and running this month”.
Now ministers are inviting more schools to bid for up to £150,000 in funding from a £45 million pot to create a further 300 new or expanded nursery classes, which they said will offer “up to 7,000 more places” from September 2026.
However, the eligibility criteria has been updated, and schools’ bids will now be assessed on the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and on their performance in Ofsted inspections.
For example, in the points-based assessment used by the DfE, schools in the 10 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in England will get a top score on the disadvantage criteria. Those with an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating will also score highly.
Previous applications were assessed mainly on value for money and local need, which remain factors government will consider in the second phrase.
Applications open later this month
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “School-based nurseries can offer a nurturing and stable environment for children that carries through into primary, and a helping hand for working parents tackling dual drop off.
“Delivering more school-based nurseries – under our Best Start umbrella – means more choice and convenience for parents, and more opportunities to target parts of the country where families are most in need of additional support.”
Schools can apply between September 22, and 5pm on December 11.
The government has also revealed that for phase three of the programme, local authorities “will be invited to develop multi-year funding proposals” covering the years from 2027 to 2030.
“The DfE will publish separate guidance to support this process in early 2026 and will engage with local authorities and schools in autumn 2025 to provide further details. “
‘It’s not like running a school’
The government has also published a series of case studies of nursery provision that has been opened as part of the programme, either through school-led or governor-led routes, or through a partnership between schools and the voluntary or private sector.
Scargill Infant School in Essex, which used the school-led model, said it now offered 48 places for children aged 2, 3 and 4, “having doubled our original capacity of 24”.
“We’d considered expanding our nursery for a long time, but lacked the necessary funding. Our decision was informed by parent and carer feedback, local authority engagement and our own experience with transition challenges.
“With children coming from 28 different feeder nurseries, we saw the value in offering a consistent, high-quality early years experience in our own setting.”
But they said launching a nursery “is not the same as running a school.
“We learned the importance of having a strong, dedicated team and a clear written plan. Our EYFS lead played a crucial role, bridging nursery and reception, which has already improved attendance and outcomes in reception.”
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