Capital Funding
School Based Nurseries Capital Grant
At the beginning of September, the Department for Education launched Phase 2 of the School Based Nurseries Programme, which was a school bidding round, focused on delivering places in the 2026-27 academic year.
This phase prioritised quality bids from schools serving some of the most disadvantaged communities, delivering thousands of new places nationally for families who need them most.
The programme can provide up to £150,000 in capital funding for eligible state-funded primary schools and maintained nursery schools to help create new, or expand, existing nursery provision.
Applications closed on 11th December 2025 and further information and application guidance can be found here.
Childcare Works have created a number of free resources to support schools considering or planning for a school-based nursery on site. These resources can be accessed here.
The DfE have also hosted a webinar for schools, which can be viewed here.
Phase 3 of the programme is expected to follow in early 2026 and further details will be shared as the information becomes available.
