The School-based Nursery (SBN) programme aims to?help?more families access?early years provision,?including those in disadvantaged areas.
The programme has been held over two initial phases which were led and managed by the DfE and had particular criteria in order to be eligible, unfortunately no Bradford Schools were successful in these stages.
The programme has now moved to phase 3 and invites local authorities to develop multi-year funding proposals to deliver new and extended school-based nurseries between 2027 and 2030.
This phase of the programme will be led by local authorities, who have been invited to develop multi-year funding proposals that outline project plans for new or expanded SBNs in their area, located in state-funded primary schools, Maintained Nursery Schools
(MNS) and Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH).
For further detailed information click HERE
The SBN provision can be operated by the school or in partnership with a private, voluntary, and independent (PVI) provider.
The DfE view the Phase 3 approach as having the following key benefits:
- strategic market management: alignment with local authority’s statutory sufficiency duties across early years and schools, utilising their expertise and data on local need
- enables long term decision-making and planning, with local authorities able to think about future demand, with projects delivered over multiple years
The local authority has to submit a funding proposal by 5pm, 30th September 2026. To allow local authorities to put forward proposals that meet their local need, there will be no cap on the amount of capital funding that local authorities can
apply for per SBN project, although projects must deliver good value for money and be in line with the previous phases of work.
The DfE have announced a total SBN Phase 3 national budget, of approx. £325 million.
The objective of the SBN programme is to build capacity in areas of need, especially in deprived areas, enhancing the overall local offer without negatively impacting provision in proximity, including that delivered by private, voluntary,
and independent (PVI) providers.
The Best Start in Life strategy recognises that children growing up in more deprived areas have less access to quality early education and childcare, which can significantly impact their readiness for school and long-term outcomes. By establishing nurseries
within schools in these communities, the programme seeks to provide accessible, nurturing environments where children can thrive from the earliest stages, helping to close the attainment gap.
Information session:
The local authority is inviting you to attend an information session on Wednesday 13 May at 9:30am, where we will share key demographic, supply, and demand data, of which we will base our 3-year plan on. We will also share the process you need to complete,
timeline details and key dates for Schools and Trusts who may be considering applying in phase 3 of the SBN programme.
If you would like to attend the on-line information session, please click on the link to register for a place.
https://online1.snapsurveys.com/v5dtqv