School-based nursery capital grant 2025 to 2026: applicant summary
Updated 23 March 2026
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-application-outcomes/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-2025-to-2026-applicant-summary
All applications
There were 638 applications for funding from the school-based nursery capital grant.
One of these voluntarily withdrew.
The remaining 637 applications were spread across 130 local authorities. In total, the 637 applicants bid for £84.6m of grant funding.
The Department for Education reviewed all applications to identify 331 high quality, deliverable nursery projects.
Applicant type
Most applicants were academies (56%), with academy converters making up the majority of this (39%). Local authority maintained and free schools accounted for 38% of applicants, with the remaining 7% from local authority maintained nursery schools.
| Type of school | Number of applications | Percentage of applications | Percentage of primary schools nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy converter | 250 | 39% | 35% |
| Academy sponsor led | 88 | 14% | 11% |
| Community school | 132 | 21% | 28% |
| Foundation school | 10 | 2% | 3% |
| Free schools | 16 | 3% | 2% |
| Local authority nursery school | 44 | 7% | 2% |
| Voluntary aided school | 59 | 9% | 11% |
| Voluntary controlled school | 38 | 6% | 8% |
Totals may not sum because we have rounded to the nearest whole number.
Project characteristics
Of the 637 bids:
- 196 proposed creating new nurseries (31%)
- 441 schools proposed expanding their current nursery provision (69%)
Twenty-six per cent of applicants plan on offering holiday childcare.
Responsibility for running the new provision lies, in most cases, with the school (64%), or a multi-academy trust (21%).
Private, voluntary and independent childcare providers would be responsible for 7% of proposed nurseries.
The remaining 8% would be run by a governor.
Geographical spread
The North West was the region with the most applications, and funding requested. The North East was the region with the fewest applications and funding requested.
| Region | Number of applications | Percentage of applications | Percentage of primary schools nationally | Grant funding applied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North West | 107 | 17% | 15% | £13,782,062 |
| West Midlands | 92 | 14% | 11% | £12,693,431 |
| South East | 82 | 13% | 15% | £11,025,614 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 74 | 12% | 10% | £9,987,004 |
| East of England | 67 | 11% | 12% | £8,686,360 |
| South West | 61 | 10% | 11% | £8,062,990 |
| London | 56 | 9% | 11% | £6,892,497 |
| East Midlands | 52 | 8% | 10% | £7,087,050 |
| North East | 46 | 7% | 5% | £6,379,752 |
| Total | 637 | 100% | 100% | £84,596,761 |
Totals may not sum because we have rounded to the nearest whole number.
Funding requested
Applicants could bid for up to £150,000 of funding. On average applicants applied for £133,000 of funding, with requests ranging from £23,000 to £150,000.
The amount of funding which applicants asked for was:
| Grant funding applied for | Number of applications | Percentage of applications |
|---|---|---|
| Less than £50,000 | 28 | 4% |
| £50,000 to less than £100,000 | 70 | 11% |
| £100,000 to less than £150k | 177 | 28% |
| £150,000 | 362 | 57% |
We will publish the breakdown of funding awarded to all successful applicants when all projects have been completed, to reflect actual costs.
Project costs by region
The average cost of projects differed by region. Some of the regional differences can be accounted for by the type of project. For example, 33% of projects in the North East were extensions, compared to 15% in Yorkshire and the Humber.
This data only includes projects which had an area of less than 10,000 per metre squared:
| Region | Number of applications | Percentage of applications | Cost per m2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 56 | 9% | £1993 |
| North East | 46 | 7% | £1767 |
| South East | 82 | 13% | £1571 |
| South West | 61 | 10% | £1519 |
| West Midlands | 91 | 14% | £1462 |
| East of England | 66 | 10% | £1377 |
| East Midlands | 52 | 8% | £1368 |
| North West | 107 | 17% | £1313 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 74 | 12% | £1042 |
| All regions | 635 | 100% | £1436 |
Totals may not sum because we have rounded to the nearest whole number