Press release

Schools given £5 million to work with local nurseries

Minister for Childcare Sam Gyimah announces funding to improve the quality of early years education.

• From: Department for Education and Sam Gyimah
• Published: 29 January 2015
• Last updated: 13 March 2015 — See all updates

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Young children across the country are set to benefit from the best possible start in life thanks to a brand-new initiative backed by £5 million of government funding to boost the quality of early years education.

The funding announced today (29 January 2015) will be awarded to more than 60 teaching schools across the country who will partner up with local nurseries to drive up standards and share best practice. All partners will be able to learn from each other in order to provide better early education and care for children and families, and support effective transitions from nursery into primary school.

Evidence shows that the early years count. Children from less advantaged backgrounds can start school 19 months behind their peers, but good-quality early years education can reduce this gap and have a significant benefit in terms of a child’s development.

Children who benefit from good-quality early years can go on to earn around £27,000 more during their career compared to those who don’t, and are also likely to do better at school - the equivalent of 7 GCSE grades at grade ‘B’ compared to grade ‘C’.

Minister for Childcare Sam Gyimah today visited St Pauls Nursery School in Bristol, which will benefit from £60,000 funding to develop programmes with local nurseries to help meet the needs of children in the area.

Sam Gyimah, Minister for Childcare, said:

I was delighted to visit St Pauls Nursery School to learn more about how Bristol’s children are set to benefit from this innovative scheme, which will help ensure they receive the very best early years education.

We know the first few years of a child’s life can be make or break in terms of how well they go on to do at school and beyond - and the sharing of expertise and best practice is vital to driving innovation and raising standards.

This is a fantastic example of local schools, nurseries and private providers pulling together to improve the fantastic services on offer to families, helping their children to thrive.

The new scheme will enable local nurseries to work with the very best early years teachers and school leaders to increase the quality of early years education in their area. The government recognises that systems based on the sharing of expertise are the best way to drive up standards in the sector.

Today’s announcement is just the latest step in the government’s drive to make sure all children - no matter what their starting point in life - receive the best possible start in life and are ready to begin school, especially those from low-income families.

Since 2010, the government has also:

• expanded 15 hours of free early education to 40% of 2-year-olds
• improved the quality of staff entering the early years workforce by introducing early years teachers
• reducing regulation to make it easier for new providers to open and existing ones to expand through the Small Business, Employment and Enterprise Bill

This is the first group of successful schools to be announced.

Lead school name	Region	School local authority
Three Legged Cross First School	South West	Dorset
Ellen Teaching School	North West	Cumbria
Ash Grove Academy	North West	Cheshire East
Vauxhall Primary School	London	Lambeth
Hillborough Junior School	East of England	Luton
Broughton High School	North West	Lancashire
St John’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School Wimborne	South West	Dorset
Childhaven Community Nursing School	Yorkshire and the Humber	North Yorkshire
Spring Cottage Primary School	Yorkshire and the Humber	Kingston upon Hull, City of
Forest Way School	East Midlands	Leicestershire
Whitehill Community Academy	Yorkshire and the Humber	Calderdale
The Lawns Nursery School	South East	Windsor and Maidenhead
Truro and Penwith College	South West	Cornwall
Britannia Teaching School Alliance (Belgrave St Bartholomew’s Academy)	West Midlands	Stoke-on-Trent
Outwood Grange Academy	Yorkshire and the Humber	Wakefield
Etherley Lane Nursery School	North East	Durham
Mottram St Andrew Primary Academy	North West	Cheshire East
Pound Hill Infant school	South East	West Sussex
Witham St Hughs Academy	East Midlands	Lincolnshire
Lyons Hall Primary School	East of England	Essex
Bristol Early Years Teaching Consortium	South West	Bristol, City of
Prince Rock Primary School	South West	Plymouth
Woolacombe National Support and Teaching School	South West	Devon
Brightlingsea Infant School	East of England	Essex
Tor View School	North West	Lancashire
Carmel College	North East	Darlington
Shepway Teaching School Alliance	South East	Kent
Horndean Infant School	South East	Hampshire
John Taylor High School	West Midlands	Staffordshire
North Liverpool Teaching School Partnership (Everton Nursery School and Family Centre)	North West	Liverpool
Kirk Sandall Infant Academy	Yorkshire and the Humber	Doncaster
Engayne Primary School	London	Havering
Fosse Way School	South West	Somerset
Piper Hill High School	North West	Manchester
Bohunt School	South East	Hampshire
Heronsgate Primary School	London	Greenwich
The Bridge Teaching School	London	Islington
Launde Primary School	East Midlands	Leicestershire
St Peter’s Church of England Primary and Nursery School	West Midlands	Shropshire
Evelyn Street Community Primary School	North West	Warrington
Heathfield School	South West	Somerset
George Abbot Teaching School	South East	Surrey
Pen Green Teaching School	East Midlands	Northamptonshire
The Mead Community Primary School	South West	Wiltshire
John Cabot Academy	South West	South Gloucestershire
Bishop Luffa School	South East	West Sussex
Kingsbridge Community College	South West	Devon
Chesterton Primary School	London	Wandsworth
Alexandra Park School	London	Haringey
Pallister Park Primary School	North East	Middlesbrough
Town End Academy	North East	Sunderland
The Blue Coat School	North West	Oldham
St John Vianney Roman Catholic Primary School	North East	Hartlepool
Oakthorpe Primary School	London	Enfield
Mount Street Academy	East Midlands	Lincolnshire
Wickersley School and Sports College	Yorkshire and the Humber	Rotherham
Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School	South East	Medway
Ilsham Church of England Academy	South West	Torbay
Cuckmere House School/TSA	South East	East Sussex
The Spinney Primary School	East of England	Cambridgeshire
North Beckton Primary School	London	Newham
Northampton School for Boys	East Midlands	Northamptonshire
The Queen Katherine School	North West	Cumbria
Ladycross Infant School	East Midlands	Derbyshire
Hassocks Infants School	South East	West Sussex
Huntingdon Nursery School and Childrens Centre	East of England	Cambridgeshire

This is the second group of successful schools, announced 13 March 2015

St Edmund’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre	Yorkshire and the Humber	Bradford
Lionel Walden Primary School	East of England	Cambridgeshire
The Woodroffe School	South West	Dorset
Portswood Teaching School Alliance	South East	Southampton
Farlingaye & Kesgrave Teaching School Alliance	East of England	Suffolk
Pickhurst Infant Academy	London	Bromley
Two Mile Ash School	South East	Milton Keynes
Mary Rose School	South East	Portsmouth
Woodfield Infant School	West Midlands	Shropshire
St Bede C of E Primary Academy	North West	Bolton
East SILC John Jamieson School	Yorkshire and the Humber	Leeds

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Published 29 January 2015
Last updated 13 March 2015 + show all updates

1. 13 March 2015

   Added the final 11 schools.

2. 29 January 2015

   First published.