Schools given £5 million to work with local nurseries
30 Jan 2015 02:40 PM
Minister for Childcare Sam Gyimah announces funding to improve the quality of early years education.
Young children across the country are set to benefit from the best possible start in life thanks to a brand-new initiative backed by £5 million of government funding to boost the quality of early years education.
The funding announced yesterday (29 January 2015) will be awarded to more than 60 teaching schools across the country who will partner up with local nurseries to drive up standards and share best practice. All partners will be able to learn from each other in order to provide better early education and care for children and families, and support effective transitions from nursery into primary school.
Evidence shows that the early years count. Children from less advantaged backgrounds can start school 19 months behind their peers, but good-quality early years education can reduce this gap and have a significant benefit in terms of a child’s development.
Children who benefit from good-quality early years can go on to earn around £27,000 more during their career compared to those who don’t, and are also likely to do better at school - the equivalent of 7 GCSE grades at grade ‘B’ compared to grade ‘C’.
Minister for Childcare Sam Gyimah yesterday visited St Pauls Nursery School in Bristol, which will benefit from £60,000 funding to develop programmes with local nurseries to help meet the needs of children in the area.
Sam Gyimah, Minister for Childcare, said:
I was delighted to visit St Pauls Nursery School to learn more about how Bristol’s children are set to benefit from this innovative scheme, which will help ensure they receive the very best early years education.
We know the first few years of a child’s life can be make or break in terms of how well they go on to do at school and beyond - and the sharing of expertise and best practice is vital to driving innovation and raising standards.
This is a fantastic example of local schools, nurseries and private providers pulling together to improve the fantastic services on offer to families, helping their children to thrive.
The new scheme will enable local nurseries to work with the very best early years teachers and school leaders to increase the quality of early years education in their area. The government recognises that systems based on the sharing of expertise are the best way to drive up standards in the sector.
Yesterday’s announcement is just the latest step in the government’s drive to make sure all children - no matter what their starting point in life - receive the best possible start in life and are ready to begin school, especially those from low-income families.
Since 2010, the government has also:
- expanded 15 hours of free early education to 40% of 2-year-olds
- improved the quality of staff entering the early years workforce by introducing early years teachers
- reducing regulation to make it easier for new providers to open and existing ones to expand through the Small Business, Employment and Enterprise Bill
The successful teaching schools
This is the first group of successful schools to be announced. A second group of schools will be confirmed in mid-February 2015.
| Lead school name |
Region |
School local authority |
| Three Legged Cross First School |
South West |
Dorset |
| Ellen Teaching School |
North West |
Cumbria |
| Ash Grove Academy |
North West |
Cheshire East |
| Vauxhall Primary School |
London |
Lambeth |
| Hillborough Junior School |
East of England |
Luton |
| Broughton High School |
North West |
Lancashire |
| St John’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School Wimborne |
South West |
Dorset |
| Childhaven Community Nursing School |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
North Yorkshire |
| Spring Cottage Primary School |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
Kingston upon Hull, City of |
| Forest Way School |
East Midlands |
Leicestershire |
| Whitehill Community Academy |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
Calderdale |
| The Lawns Nursery School |
South East |
Windsor and Maidenhead |
| Truro and Penwith College |
South West |
Cornwall |
| Britannia Teaching School Alliance (Belgrave St Bartholomew’s Academy) |
West Midlands |
Stoke-on-Trent |
| Outwood Grange Academy |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
Wakefield |
| Etherley Lane Nursery School |
North East |
Durham |
| Mottram St Andrew Primary Academy |
North West |
Cheshire East |
| Pound Hill Infant school |
South East |
West Sussex |
| Witham St Hughs Academy |
East Midlands |
Lincolnshire |
| Lyons Hall Primary School |
East of England |
Essex |
| Bristol Early Years Teaching Consortium |
South West |
Bristol, City of |
| Prince Rock Primary School |
South West |
Plymouth |
| Woolacombe National Support and Teaching School |
South West |
Devon |
| Brightlingsea Infant School |
East of England |
Essex |
| Tor View School |
North West |
Lancashire |
| Carmel College |
North East |
Darlington |
| Shepway Teaching School Alliance |
South East |
Kent |
| Horndean Infant School |
South East |
Hampshire |
| John Taylor High School |
West Midlands |
Staffordshire |
| North Liverpool Teaching School Partnership (Everton Nursery School and Family Centre) |
North West |
Liverpool |
| Kirk Sandall Infant Academy |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
Doncaster |
| Engayne Primary School |
London |
Havering |
| Fosse Way School |
South West |
Somerset |
| Piper Hill High School |
North West |
Manchester |
| Bohunt School |
South East |
Hampshire |
| Heronsgate Primary School |
London |
Greenwich |
| The Bridge Teaching School |
London |
Islington |
| Launde Primary School |
East Midlands |
Leicestershire |
| St Peter’s Church of England Primary and Nursery School |
West Midlands |
Shropshire |
| Evelyn Street Community Primary School |
North West |
Warrington |
| Heathfield School |
South West |
Somerset |
| George Abbot Teaching School |
South East |
Surrey |
| Pen Green Teaching School |
East Midlands |
Northamptonshire |
| The Mead Community Primary School |
South West |
Wiltshire |
| John Cabot Academy |
South West |
South Gloucestershire |
| Bishop Luffa School |
South East |
West Sussex |
| Kingsbridge Community College |
South West |
Devon |
| Chesterton Primary School |
London |
Wandsworth |
| Alexandra Park School |
London |
Haringey |
| Pallister Park Primary School |
North East |
Middlesbrough |
| Town End Academy |
North East |
Sunderland |
| The Blue Coat School |
North West |
Oldham |
| St John Vianney Roman Catholic Primary School |
North East |
Hartlepool |
| Oakthorpe Primary School |
London |
Enfield |
| Mount Street Academy |
East Midlands |
Lincolnshire |
| Wickersley School and Sports College |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
Rotherham |
| Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School |
South East |
Medway |
| Ilsham Church of England Academy |
South West |
Torbay |
| Cuckmere House School/TSA |
South East |
East Sussex |
| The Spinney Primary School |
East of England |
Cambridgeshire |
| North Beckton Primary School |
London |
Newham |
| Northampton School for Boys |
East Midlands |
Northamptonshire |
| The Queen Katherine School |
North West |
Cumbria |
| Ladycross Infant School |
East Midlands |
Derbyshire |
| Hassocks Infants School |
South East |
West Sussex |
| Huntingdon Nursery School and Childrens Centre |
East of England |
Cambridgeshire |
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