School-based nursery capital grant 2024 to 2025: applicant summary
Published 2 April 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-application-outcomes/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-2024-to-2025-applicant-summary
There were 642 applications for funding from the school-based nursery capital grant.
5 of these voluntarily withdrew.
The remaining 637 applications were spread across 135 local authorities. In total, the 637 applicants bid for £75.8m of grant funding.
The Department for Education reviewed all applications to identify 300 high quality, deliverable nursery projects.
The original assessment process considered individual criteria in isolation – this was reviewed to ensure the overall score for the applications were considered.
Any applicant scoring less than 2 in any category was eliminated from the process.
The department is reviewing the application process ahead of any further rounds.
Applicant type
Most applicants were academies (57%). Academy converters made up the majority of this (41%). Local authority maintained schools were 41% of applicants. Free schools were 2%.
| Type of school | Number of applications | Percentage of applications | Percentage of primary schools nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy converter | 259 | 41% | 33% |
| Academy sponsor led | 103 | 16% | 11% |
| Community school | 158 | 25% | 30% |
| Foundation school | 12 | 2% | 3% |
| Free school | 14 | 2% | 2% |
| Voluntary aided school | 58 | 9% | 13% |
| Voluntary controlled school | 33 | 5% | 9% |
Totals may not sum because we have rounded to the nearest whole number.
Project characteristics
Of the 637 bids:
- 252 proposed creating new nurseries (40%)
- 385 schools proposed expanding their current nursery provision (60%)
Forty-two per cent of applicants plan on offering holiday childcare.
Responsibility for running the new provision was mostly down to the school (77%), or a multi-academy trust (13%).
Private, voluntary and independent childcare providers would be responsible for 9% of proposed nurseries.
The remaining 1% would be run by a governor.
Geographical spread
The North West was the region with the most applications, and funding requested. The North East was the region with the fewest applications and funding requested.
| Region | Number of applications | Percentage of applications | Percentage of primary schools nationally | Grant funding applied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North West | 115 | 18% | 15% | £14,537,196 |
| South East | 92 | 14% | 16% | £10,853,603 |
| East of England | 78 | 12% | 12% | £9,269,610 |
| London | 71 | 11% | 11% | £8,232,170 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 66 | 10% | 11% | £7,876,868 |
| West Midlands | 58 | 9% | 11% | £6,879,171 |
| South West | 55 | 9% | 11% | £6,318,893 |
| East Midlands | 53 | 8% | 10% | £6,370,228 |
| North East | 49 | 8% | 5% | £5,455,054 |
| Total | 637 | 100% | 100% | £75,792,794 |
Totals may not sum because we have rounded to the nearest whole number.
Funding requested
Applicants could bid for up to £150,000 of funding. On average applicants applied for £119,000 of funding, with requests ranging from £5,000 to £150,000.
The amount of funding which applicants asked for was:
| Grant funding applied for | Number of applications | Percentage of applications |
|---|---|---|
| Less than £50,000 | 63 | 10% |
| £50,000 to less than £100,000 | 109 | 17% |
| £100,000 to less than £150k | 209 | 33% |
| £150,000 | 256 | 40% |
We will publish the breakdown of funding awarded to all successful applicants when all projects have been completed, to reflect actual costs.
Project costs by region
The average cost of projects differed by region. Some of the regional differences can be accounted for by the type of project. Twenty per cent of projects in the North West were extensions, compared to 9% in the South West.
This data only includes projects which cost between £1 and £100,000 per metre squared:
| Region | Number of applications | Percentage of applications | Cost per m2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North West | 112 | 18% | £2388 |
| East of England | 74 | 12% | £1832 |
| South East | 91 | 15% | £1725 |
| East Midlands | 52 | 9% | £1625 |
| West Midlands | 56 | 9% | £1567 |
| London | 69 | 11% | £1542 |
| North East | 48 | 8% | £1540 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 65 | 10% | £1534 |
| South West | 54 | 9% | £1504 |
| All regions | 621 | 100% | £1761 |
Totals may not sum because we have rounded to the nearest whole number.