With the Government’s initiative to fund up to 300 school-based nurseries for 2025, schools face a familiar yet pressing challenge: where will the space come from? If you’ve been considering adding nursery provision at your school, you’ll have discovered that a requirement of the capital funding is to repurpose existing space within your school, such as unused or underused classrooms. Many schools, already at maximum capacity, may struggle to repurpose existing spaces. At Cabins for Schools, we understand that finding space which is adequate for nursery provision will be a huge challenge, and we’re here to help!
Finding Space for School-Based Nurseries
The school-based nursery initiative aims to improve early childhood education and provide children with equal starts in life by integrating nurseries within primary schools. The government have created the School-based nursery capital grant, available for eligible state-funded primary-phase schools. Schools successful in securing the funding will be able to use the capital expenditure to expand an existing nursery and/or convert spare space within the school building into a new nursery.
What are the benefits of school-based nurseries?
There are many benefits to offering a school-based nursery. For children, accessing a school-based nursery provides a seamless transition from nursery to primary school. For parents, a school-based nursery offers a single-drop off point for children of different ages, simplifying logistics which is especially important for working parents who are busy. Finally for schools, integrating a school-based nursery at your setting will strengthen your ties with the children, parents and the community. Plus, offering early years provision encourages an earlier engagement with your school, creating long-term relationships with local families.
What are the limitations of the school-based nurseries initiative?
Unfortunately, the Government's school-based nurseries initiative of offering the school-based nurseries capital grant may not be adequate for schools already operating at full capacity or which are already struggling to house their existing activities or support programmes. Whether you're faced with crowded classrooms or busy shared facilities, adapting existing space for nursery use will be a real challenge when 'surplus space' is already so hard to come by, especially when nursery provision has its own specific requirements!
What is an alternative solution for increasing nursery provision space at primary schools?
Given the funding limitations, modular buildings stand out as a cost-efficient way to expand nursery provision without compromising on quality or the need for time-consuming and expensive renovations to the main school build. Repurposing existing school space may compromise other activities, or create a reliance on temporary fixes. Instead, standalone modular buildings offer primary schools a practical solution. Plus, they can be designed with specific early years' requirements in mind, something an unused classroom simply cannot promise!
Modular Nursery Buildings
Unlike shared or repurposed spaces, modular early years and nursery buildings can be designed specifically for the unique needs of early childhood education. Dedicated modular nursery buildings provide an optimal learning environment tailored to the developmental needs of young children.
At Cabins for Schools, we can design your new school-based nursery building with plenty of features keeping little ones in central focus, such low-threshold doorways or bi-fold doors to create a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor play spaces.
What are the practical advantages of a modular school-based nursery building?
- Quick installation: Our modular buildings can be installed in as little as a few days, allowing schools to meet tight timelines for school-based nursery openings. Unlike extensions or renovations, they cause minimal disruption and can be installed outside of term time too.
- Bespoke design: Our expert design team will create a custom design for your setting with early years' requirements in mind. Together, we will create a school-based nursery building perfect for your needs.
- Preserve your existing space: By moving nursery provision into a dedicated early years building, schools avoid displacing activities like music, art, or extracurricular activities that often use shared spaces.
Nursery buildings and childcare buildings we have installed recently
Ogley Hay Day Nursery
Ogley Hay Day Nursery in Walsall chose to upgrade their nursery and childcare provisions with one of our bespoke modular nursery buildings. After discussing their specific requirements, we designed, manufactured and installed a 4.2m x 3.3m building with hybrid cladding, a mix of Canadian cedar and Marley board. The space provides a seamless transition between indoor activities and outdoor activities in their playground area.
Valley Nursery School
Just look how well this modular nursery building fits into the existing outdoor setting! We designed and installed this bespoke nursery build for Valley Nursery School in Walsall. We assessed their needs and together we decided on a 8.0m x 4.0m modular building with Hybrid Cedar cladding. The children can step out into the playground and enjoy outdoor play or structured activities indoors.
Ambito Walton Childrens Centre
Ambito Walton Children's Centre in Liverpool had existing childcare facilities. They just needed a little bit of extra space for activities and outdoor play! They sought out the support from Cabins for Schools and so we designed them this 4.0m x 2.8m modular childcare building with Redwood cladding.
Let's build together!
The School-Based Nursery Capital Grant is a fantastic opportunity to expand your early years provision, but challenges like space limitations and funding constraints require creative solutions. A modular nursery building designed, manufactured and installed by our experts at Cabins for Schools is not only a practical option but also an investment in the future of your school and community.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your school create a welcoming, dedicated nursery space that supports young learners.
