Nurseries Will Take Part in a Pilot of Childcare in Schools This Summer

Nurseries Will Take Part in a Pilot of Childcare in Schools This Summer 

On 20th April, the Department for Education released the news that private, voluntary and independent nurseries will take part in a pilot of childcare in schools starting this summer. This news comes alongside more details of the childcare expansion plans, highlighting the number of two-year-olds that have so far taken up places in early years settings. 

Around 85,000 new childcare places are estimated to be needed by September 2025 for the expansion of funded childcare for working parents in England. The Department for Education said that the pilot will explore how unused school space could be repurposed to enable childcare settings to offer more places. This ‘school space pilot’ will involve matching a small number of private, voluntary, or independent childcare providers with schools and colleges with unused space. 

If this pilot is successful, the Government said it will be rolled out widely ahead of September 2025, and will help fast-track the process for schools, colleges, and childcare providers. 

The National Day Nurseries Association’s director of policy and communications has emphasised the importance of making sure that the environments chosen are suitable for babies and toddlers, in that they meet their developmental needs. Outdoor space will also be important to support outdoor play and learning. The assistant general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has warned that these classroom conversions may cost tens of thousands of pounds, and that the pilot will need to be fully funded. They also noted that the extra space does not solve the issue of early years staff shortages. 

More details regarding the pilot will be released in due course.