More local families will get access to childcare close to home, as Labour announces St Columba’s Catholic Primary School on Walney Island will receive funding to open a Best Start school-based nursery.
In the latest drive by Labour to bear down on the cost of living, thousands more parents will save up to £8,000 a year as the government expands childcare to over 300 more schools from September.
School-based nurseries are part of the Government’s Best Start programme which aims to support families and give children the best start in life. 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.
Labour has today 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.
The announcement follows a report published last week showing Labour’s childcare reforms have halved costs for eligible working parents since 2024.
New figures published today show over a million parents now use Labour’s government-funded childcare offer – putting up to £8,000 a year back into family budgets.
Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham visited the school on Church Lane where she met headteacher Claire O’Donnell to discuss the welcome development.
Michelle Scrogham MP said: “I’m so pleased that St Columba’s on Walney has been chosen for this funding to set up a Best Start nursery.
“The cost of living for families in Barrow and Furness is at the forefront of my mind as your MP. That’s why the news that childcare costs are coming down under Labour is so welcome.
“The government’s school-based nurseries is helping bring down childcare cost across the country, that is why I wrote to local schools last year encouraging them to join the Best Start scheme and apply for this funding. I was pleased to work with schools and Team Barrow to support the bids that went in.
“Today, we’re seeing the benefits of a Labour MP working with a Labour government, to back our schools with funding, back our families with support and give children growing up locally get the best start in life.”
St Columba’s Headteacher, Mrs O’Donnell said: “Our community is delighted to receive news about the success of our Best Start nursery bid. The expansion of our nursery for two-year-old children will mean more support and more places for the families and children on Walney Island.
“St Columba’s aims to support children in becoming the best they can. Welcoming them into school from the age of two means we can further help them to thrive and achieve their goals successfully.
“We aim to further provide children with an inclusive and supportive environment filled with rich language and physical opportunities to support learning. We aim to foster a love of learning in a Catholic setting following the Gospel Values (Jn 10:10).
“St Columba’s have been supporting families for 110 years on Walney Island and we are humbled to be able to provide for children as we move into the future.”
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.”
Best Start school-based nurseries add to the vibrant childcare market, helping parents to balance work and family life, reducing the need for multiple drop-offs and pick-ups and cutting travel time for busy families.
New polling shows parents strongly value the convenience of school-based nurseries. More than a third (37%) say being able to drop multiple children at the same location is a key benefit, and nearly six in ten (59%) say they help prepare for the school transition.
This rollout forms part of Labour’s wider programme to support families with the cost of living.
Alongside new nursery places, families can also benefit from 30 hours funded childcare for eligible working parents, free breakfast clubs saving families up to £450 a year and caps on branded school uniform costs.
Together, these measures could save families in Barrow in Furness with children of different ages up to £8,500 a year.