Primary schools get funding to open nursery places

Sixty-six schools in deprived areas have been awarded a share of £22 million funding to increase their early years provision in areas.

This will create 1,800 new school-based nursery places so more children can access high-quality early education.

The fund works towards a committment from the government to support primary schools to develop nurseries where they do not currently have the facilities to do so.

The new places will be created through a combination of new build projects, or by expanding existing schools already rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

This forms part of the work of the DfE's aims to boost early literacy and communication.

This includes the launch of the Hungry Little Minds campaign, which will tackle the barriers some parents face in supporting their child’s learning at home, including time, confidence and ideas of things to do.

The National Literacy Trust and a coalition of businesses and organisations, including the LEGO Group, Penguin Random House, Arriva and the Greggs Foundation, are supporting parents to play a bigger role in their child’s early education.