Guidance

Local authority capacity support funding

Guidance for local authorities on the local authority capacity support funding for school-age childcare.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 17 December 2025

Applies to England

Documents

School-age childcare local authority capacity funding guidance

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Details

The Department for Education (DfE) is providing local authorities with £12.9 million of additional funding in the 2026 to 2027 financial year to support their capacity to deliver a sufficient and sustainable school-age childcare system.

The guidance sets out DfE’s expectations on how local authorities should use this funding to support the delivery and sustainability of school-age childcare through:

• supporting the national rollout of free breakfast clubs
• fostering links between holiday childcare and the holiday activities and food programme (HAF)

The local authority capacity support  funding is in addition to HAF administration funding.

Published 17 December 2025