Please find below a comment from the Early Years Alliance on the news that the government is inviting more schools to bid for up to £150,000 funding to create a further 300 new or expanded school-based nurseries from September 2026. 

Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said:

“While efforts to boost overall capacity in the early years sector are both welcome and necessary, the fact is that school-based nurseries alone simply cannot meet the growing demand for places.

“If the government is serious about delivering accessible, high-quality care and early education to all families, it must put as much focus on sustaining and valuing private, voluntary, and independent providers as it does on expanding school-based places – particularly as our vital part of the sector collectively delivers almost 1.3 million places for under-fives.

“What’s more, with numerous reports of PVI settings being forced off school grounds in phase one of this policy, it’s critical that clear and robust safeguards are put in place to prevent the further displacement of high-quality providers – and ensure that any new school-based nurseries supplements, rather than replaces, existing PVI provision, as originally promised by government.

“Only by strengthening the entire sector can the government ensure that it delivers on its promise to children and families, both now and in the future.”