A Multi-Academy Trust with schools across Yorkshire and Humberside has been selected to support the national roll-out of a new scheme to develop more nurseries in schools.
The St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Academy Trust has 15 schools from Hull to Scarborough, four of which have been collectively awarded close to £500,000 to fund building works to allow them to start to care and nurture for children from as young as two.
The scheme is part of the government’s Plan for Change, delivering on its manifesto pledge for thousands of school-based nurseries across the country by the end of this Parliament.
Rachel McEvoy, the Trust’s CEO, said “We recognise that our schools are a vital part of their communities, and we work tirelessly to respond to the changing needs not just of our children – but also their families.
“Expanding our offer to include school-based nurseries will, we believe, not only help our children in their transition to primary education but also be a very practical option for families with older children at our schools. It really enhances the support we can provide.”
The Trust schools to receive the funding are St George’s in Scarborough, Our Lady & St Peter’s in Bridlington, and in Hull, St Anthony’s and St Mary Queen of Martyrs. The funding will be used to undertake the physical work that is needed to create vibrant and bespoke places for nursery-aged children.
Mrs McEvoy added: “The fact that we have had four proposals accepted is testament to the work we have put in as a Trust to the initiative – we really want to be at the forefront of this scheme.
“These nurseries should start to welcome children from early in the next academic year, and our hope is that then we will start to roll out more school-based nurseries after that.
“It is hugely exciting, and we look forward to the impact that the nurseries will have.”
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said:
“Delivering on our promise of a better early years system is my top priority, which is why we’ve more than doubled our investment in this first phase so thousands more children can benefit from a high-quality early education from this September.”
“We said we’d act, and now we have. But this is just the beginning – we’ve set a hugely important milestone to get tens of thousands more children every year school-ready by age 5 as part of our Plan for Change.”
“We’re raising the bar for early years, delivering on our manifesto commitments and building a system that gives every child the best start in life.”