Overview
- The Department for Education named 331 schools on Sunday, awarding £45 million to build or enlarge on-site nurseries that are due to open new places from September 2026.
- The new wave adds over 6,000 places on top of the first phase’s roughly 6,000, which the government says will ease the school run and help parents return to work.
- From May, a locally led model will invite councils to propose sites, with Best Start Family Hubs allowed to host nurseries and ten areas testing an extra £363 per child Early Years Pupil Premium.
- Government data shows school-based nurseries make up about 35% of provision in the most deprived areas versus 16% in the least, while UCL researchers earlier said many first‑phase sites were not in higher-poverty schools.
- Regional lists confirm awards across England, including about 42 schools in the North West and 30 in the North East, and officials say eligible families could save up to £8,000 per child each year through funded hours.