School-Based Nursery Capital Grant
Information for eligible schools about the School-Based Nursery Capital Grant (SBN Capital Grant) 2024 to 2025.
Applies to England
The School-Based Nursery Capital Grant is a one-time grant available for eligible state-funded primary-phase schools. Schools can bid for up to £150,000 of funding to use solely for capital expenditure, to convert surplus space within a school building so that it is suitable for nursery provision.
This is the first stage in a long-term commitment to expand school-based nurseries across England.
For more information, and before applying for the grant, read:
-
, which provides:
- details of the capital scheme
- more detail on the eligibility criteria
- guidance for filling in an application as well as the template of the application form
- Establishing school-based nursery provision guidance, which details the requirements and recommendations for expanding or opening new school-based nursery provision
Who can apply
Applications for grant funding are open to state-funded primary-phase schools in England who already offer some early education, such as a reception class. Projects must use surplus space in the school building (including at primary-phase satellite sites).
Maintained nursery schools and special schools cannot apply for this grant because they do not have spare space created by declining primary school rolls. They are however encouraged to register their interest to open new nursery places in the future. This will help inform future development of the programme.
To qualify, your project must meet all the eligibility criteria within the application. This includes securing support from your local authority and obtaining consent from your landlord or relevant freehold landowner where necessary. We will evaluate applications that meet the eligibility criteria against the assessment criteria detailed in the School-based Nursery Capital Grant 2024 to 2025 guidance.
Any responsible official representing the school, such as a school or multi-academy trust leader, can submit your bid. The bid coordinator must have access to your DfE Sign-In account to apply for the grant through the online application service.
How to apply
Make sure that you read the guidance and application form carefully.
You must submit your application, including all supporting documents, via the online application service by midday on 19 December 2024. We will not accept applications made through other routes or after this deadline.
To help you prepare your application you can view the template of the application form in the School-Based Nursery Capital Grant 2024 to 2025 guidance. However, applications must be submitted through the online application service.
If you wish to apply but do not have a DfE sign-in account (required to access the online application service), you must request an account by 12 December 2024.
Registration of interest
If you are interested in opening a school-based nursery in the future but you are unable or ineligible to apply in this round, you can register your interest on the online application service. This includes schools who:
- do not meet the current eligibility criteria
- are considering opening a nursery within a more extended timeframe
- are facing other challenges at this time which prevent an application being made
You should detail why you would like to open or expand SBN provision, the key challenges that prevent you from doing so, and what support may help you to achieve this in the future.
The Department for Education (DfE) may contact you to discuss support options.
Your contribution will also help inform the development of the programme. If we contact your school, it won’t affect the outcome of any future grant applications.
Contact us
To submit a query about school-based nurseries, use the Customer Help Portal. Multi-academy trusts should include which school your enquiry relates to. To allow enough time for the team to assist you, we recommend that you submit your enquiry at least 5 working days before the application deadline. Whilst we will try to respond to all enquiries, we cannot guarantee a response before the application deadline.
Do not submit multiple requests for the same issue.
We are unable to provide any advice related to individual applications due to their competitive nature.