What is School-Based Nursery (SBN) Funding?
In October last year the government announced plans to deliver 3,000 school-based nurseries as part of the Department for Education’s wider plan to increase early years places for children under 5 to enable working parents to access the 30 hours of free childcare.
Their pledge to provide £15 million of capital funding to state-funded primary schools is being rolled out this year with the first cohort of 300 successful applicants announced this month.
Each primary school in the first phase across England will receive up to £150,000 each to create or expand school-based nursery provision by using surplus space within their primary school buildings and must aim to open their expanded provision by the 2025/26 academic year.
What Can the Grant be Spent On?
- Convert an existing building within the school estate
- Renovations, refurbishments and refits of existing school space into nursery provision, (including any SEND requirements)
- Upgrade essential systems like heating, plumbing, fire alarm and electrical
- Purchase new physical assets for the nursery (to be considered capital expenditure, the asset must bring an economic benefit and be able to be of sufficient value to be depreciated over more than one financial year, eg, computer equipment and furniture)
- Improve outdoor spaces where this is part of the nursery provision
- Technical Advisor fees and survey costs as part of the project team
- Installation of an external canopy to allow for outdoor play
- Purchasing furniture and equipment to allow the nursery to function properly
- Updating the existing finishes (e.g. flooring and surfacing) to those more suitable for a nursery
What Next for Qualifying Schools?
Schools that have qualified for School Based Nursery (SBN) funding should begin by carefully reviewing the funding requirements and objectives to ensure all plans align with early years education goals.
The next step is to assess their current nursery provision and identify key areas for development, such as expanding capacity, improving facilities, enhancing learning resources, or improving outdoor learning spaces. Engaging with reputable and knowledgeable suppliers that can provide advice and offer support is essential.
How Can Morleys Help?
Morleys has over 90 years of experience in education interior design, furniture supply, installation and project management. We create inspirational and inclusive learning environments that promote well-being, productivity and creativity.
We have worked on countless new build and refurbishment projects with nurseries and schools, understanding the unique challenges when it comes to space, budget and logistics. Our in-house team of furniture consultants and FF&E designers have the expertise to create early years spaces that encompass pedagogies, legislation, appropriate furniture specification, spatial layouts and design concepts to get the best return on your investment for your school, your teaching professionals, and your children.
We can also offer a full turnkey solution for your nursery expansion through our partnership with a trusted construction company, supporting with small works, architectural design and building refurbishment, taking the hassle out of a full building expansion and providing you with just one single point of contact.
We work with the best nursery school furniture manufacturers in the market to deliver comprehensive and high-quality ranges of furniture suitable for early years environments. From learning zones to messy play areas, role play to sensory play, storage to sleep spaces, dens to small world play and everything in-between!
Get in touch for a free no obligation consultation to find out more about how we can support you with your exciting new SBN project.
If you have an education project in the pipeline and would like to know more about the benefits of working with Morleys and the service we offer as FF&E design consultants, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.