Primary schools in Southampton are being urged to apply for government funding to open a nursery.
From today, primary schools can apply for up to £150,000 of £15 million capital funding, with the first stage of the plan set to support up to 300 new or expanded nurseries across England.
Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen, has welcomed today’s opening up of funding and earlier this month wrote to local primary school headteachers and the City Council to invite them and work with them in their bids to be one of the first new nurseries in the country.
Darren also spoke in Parliament today, following a ministerial statement, to thank childcare providers in his constituency and to ask the government to ensure its plans addressed gaps in childcare availability – so-called ‘childcare deserts’.
This the first stage of the Labour government’s plan to create 3,000 new nurseries in primary schools, and to modernise early years education and childcare, making it more widely available, accessible, and high quality.
Darren Paffey MP said:
“This is an important milestone in the journey towards a comprehensive, properly funded early years system that will support families in Southampton and benefit children across the city. I’ve said before that I hope we see one of the first of these new nurseries in Southampton Itchen, just like we did with Sure Start. Southampton is the city of opportunity and this will help realise this.”
More information about how schools can apply can be found on the UK Government’s website.