Overview
Please see attached.
This phase of the programme will be led by local authorities, who have been invited to develop multi-year funding proposals that outline project plans for new or expanded SBNs in their area, located in state-funded primary schools, Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) and Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH).
The SBN provision can be operated by the school or in partnership with a private, voluntary, and independent (PVI) provider.
The DfE view the Phase 3 approach as having the following key benefits:
- strategic market management: alignment withlocal authority’s statutory sufficiency duties across early years and schools, utilising their expertise and data on local need
- enables long term decision-making and planning, with local authorities able to think about future demand, with projects delivered over multiple years
NCC Funding proposal must be submitted by 5pm, 30th September 2026.
To allow local authorities to put forward proposals that meet their local need, there will be no cap on the amount of capital funding that local authorities can apply for per SBN project, although projects must deliver good value for money.
The total SBN Phase 3 national budget is approx. £325 million.
The objective of the SBN programme is to build capacity in areas of need, especially in deprived areas, enhancing the overall local offer without negatively impacting provision in close proximity, including that delivered by private, voluntary, and independent (PVI) providers.
The Best Start in Life strategy recognises that children growing up in more deprived areas have less access to quality early education and childcare, which can significantly impact their readiness for school and long-term outcomes.By establishing nurseries within schools in these communities, the programme seeks to provide accessible, nurturing environments where children can thrive from the earliest stages, helping to close the attainment gap.
Schools that were successful in phase 1 or phase 2 of the programme and received SBN capital grant funding are eligible for phase 3.
Expressions of Interest (EOI)
We will be contacting schools soon to confirm application timelines and offering the opportunity to submit an EOI for the programme.
A panel consisting of Early Years, School Organisation and Place Planning will review EOI’s to ensure submissions meet eligibility criteria and local strategic priorities.
You will see that the LA submission date is the end of September, but with several weeks of holidays in the period between now and then, and an unknown number of individual schools’ applications to be completed, the LA submission date will be upon us before we know it.
Please watch out for SBN Programme correspondence and respond promptly if you plan to submit an EOI.
If you have any queries, please contact Alex Turner, Business Support Officer – alex.turner@northumberland.gov.uk
