I recently celebrated the news that St John’s Catholic Primary School, Burscough and Woodland Community Primary School, Skelmersdale will receive funding to open Best Start school-based nurseries from September.
This announcement comes as Labour’s early years policies halve the cost of childcare, saving parents £8,000 on average and bringing costs back to 2005 levels.
School-based nurseries are already providing a lifeline for families. Combined with Labour’s 30 hours of funded childcare, they are cutting childcare costs in half for working families, making the school run simpler with fewer drop offs during busy mornings, and helping parents return to work.
In West Lancashire, two school-based nurseries opened last year, at Burscough Bridge and Burscough Village Primary School. Labour has revealed a further 331 schools across the country have been successful in applying for a share of £45 million funding to build or expand nurseries on their site.
The new Best Start nurseries will create over 6,000 more childcare places, on top of the up to 7,000 already being delivered from the first phase of the programme.
When I was elected as MP for West Lancashire, I promised that I would support my constituents with the cost of living. That’s why the news that two more schools in West Lancashire will be getting school-based nurseries is so welcome.
Alongside multiple Labour policies, such as the 8 schools that will be receiving free breakfast clubs from April, families in West Lancashire are feeling the difference that comes with a Labour government.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
“Too many families still struggle to find affordable childcare close to home, making it harder for parents to balance work and family life.
“School-based nurseries are already helping fill those gaps in communities where childcare is hardest to find, giving children the strong start they deserve and helping parents access childcare close to home.
“By expanding these nurseries further and targeting them at the areas that need them most, we are making sure more families can benefit from quality early education while putting practical support in place to help with the cost of living.
“For too long, where a child grows up has shaped what they go on to achieve. This government was elected to change that – starting with giving every child the best start in life and making sure every family can actually access the childcare they need, wherever they live.”