Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department will use to determine the location of the 3,000 (a) new and (b) expanded school-based nurseries.

Phase one of the School-Based Nurseries Capital Grant 2024/25 was open to all state-funded primary-phase schools across England.

The criteria used to determine the location of the new and expanded school-based nurseries included local demand for nursery places, availability of surplus space, delivery of high-quality early education and support for the most disadvantaged children, including those with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department will learn from this initial phase and continue collaborating closely with the sector to aid our planning of future phases.​