Maintained nursery schools play a vitally important role in our education system. They offer the highest quality early education and care, and they disproportionately support children from deprived backgrounds and those with SEND. They also work as teaching schools, supporting teacher training and helping neighbouring early years provision to improve.
Just prior to the covid-19 lockdown, the government committed to the long-term future funding of maintained nursery schools, but we were extremely concerned to hear that despite this, some local authorities launched reviews that could ultimately lead to the closure of these schools.
Please write to your MP using the template below to urge them to call on the government to do the following:
- Immediately confirm supplementary funding for 2021-22 (and especially summer term 2021) and ensure this funding is increased in line with inflation to bring the value back to the real terms value in 2016-17
- Provide additional resources and support with covid-19 costs
- Commit to reviewing the early years funding formula as soon as possible and by 2021 at the latest.
First published 29 June 2020
First published 29 June 2020