The Education Secretary's announcement includes:
• Hardingstone Academy is part of the first wave of Labour’s new school-based nurseries giving children the best start in life and getting them ready for school
• Government funded childcare expansion to put £7,500 back in parents’ pockets from September
• The first schools will provide up to 6,000 new childcare places to fill childcare deserts
From September, working parents will get 30 government-funded hours of childcare a week, from 9 months of age right up to starting school - saving parents up to £7,500 a year. These new nurseries will help deliver additional places needed for the scheme. Places are focused in childcare ‘deserts’, where up until now families have been missing out due to a shortage of places.
This announcement comes alongside the rollout of breakfast clubs in primary schools, with the first 750 schools set to launch later this month – saving families up to £450 a year.
This is the first step to delivering the 3,000 school-based nurseries Labour promised in its election-winning manifesto, giving parents choice, and helping every child get the best start in life.
Mike Reader, MP for Northampton South, said: “I am so pleased that Hardingstone Academy has been given funding as part of Labour’s plan to roll out school-based nurseries. I saw first-hand the hard work they do during my visit to the school last year.
“I know from speaking to families across my constituency the need for high-quality education that is available nearby and doesn’t break the bank. This is why I’ve been advocating for this investment in Northampton.
“Alongside the rollout of free breakfast clubs in schools across Northampton, this is evidence that Labour’s Plan for Change is delivering for families and getting children school-ready.”
Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, said: “School-based nurseries are an essential plank of Labour’s Plan for Change, giving every child the best start in life.
“While the Tories made a childcare pledge without a plan, Labour is delivering on its promises.
“Alongside our plans to roll out free breakfast clubs, these high-quality childcare places will get thousands more children school ready, breaking the link between background and success for families across the country.”