Sleaford school secures £100,000 for early years outdoor area

William Alvey CofE School, in Sleaford is one of seven new school-based nurseries in Lincolnshire with funding newly approved - among 300 being rolled out across the country by the Government, as part of its Plan for Change.

A spokesman for the Labour Party said: “The facilities will help parents get to work, increasing access to childcare when they need it, and support the Government’s promise to put more cash in their pockets, with 30 Government-funded hours of childcare becoming available from September – saving parents up to £7,500 on average.”

William Alvey CofE School has been consulting with parents and other stakeholders to establish if there is a demand for a nursery on its site.

Each school will receive funding to re-purpose or extend existing spaces and deliver high-quality provision, the Government spokesman said. Schools were able to bid for up to £150,000.

Headteacher of William Alvey School, Shaun Farrington commented: “The staff and I are absolutely delighted that we have successfully secured additional funding of over £100,000 to extend, and re-vamp, the outdoor learning area for our reception children, as well as for the children who will join our nursery in September 2025, and beyond.”

Mr Farrington explained: "We are opening a nursery to meet a local need for high quality early years provision. We also believe we are in a unique position to offer the best possible start for children to their school lives, as our nursery will be led by a qualified teacher, as well as highly qualified teaching assistants.

“We believe our nursery will not only give our children the strongest possible start to their school lives but also reduce any transition issues if they choose to join our reception class.

“Having this additional funding feels like the icing on the cake that will make our nursery offer the strongest it can possibly be.”

The other chosen Lincolnshire schools are:

The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School

Friskney All Saints CofE Primary School

The Gainsborough Hillcrest Early Years Academy

The Lincoln Manor Leas Infants School

Malcolm Sargent Primary School, Stamford

Wygate Park Academy, Spalding

Executive headteacher at Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School Sophie Foston said: “Working with our existing nursery team at our federation school, St Gilbert of Sempringham (in Pointon), our vision would be for the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) teams to work together in partnership, drawing on existing expertise and working effectively in collaboration to ensure high quality provision for all children within the Horizon Schools Federation.”

To support the roll-out, funding for the programme has been more than doubled to £37 million, the Labour Party said.

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.”