School-based Nursery Capital Grant 2025 to 2026
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-14)

Information for eligible schools about the School-based Nursery (SBN) Capital Grant for 2025 to 2026.

About the grant

The School-based Nursery (SBN) Capital Grant for 2025 to 2026 is available for eligible state-funded primary-phase schools and maintained nursery schools to apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding to create or expand a school-based nursery.

This is the second phase of the school-based nurseries programme. It builds on the foundations of phase 1 (SBN Capital Grant 2024 to 2025) and has an increased focus on supporting disadvantaged families to access early years provision.

Eligibility

Make sure that you carefully read the:
- the School-based Nursery Capital Grant 2025 to 2026 guidance (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6915f4efbc34c86ce4e6e778/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-2025-to-2026-information-for-applicants-november-2025-update.pdf) (PDF, 718 KB, 50 pages)
- the terms and conditions (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68b814ac11b4ded2da19fd70/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-2025-to-2026-grant-funding-agreement-terms-and-conditions.pdf) (PDF, 507 KB, 31 pages)
- Establishing school-based nursery provision (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-school-based-nursery-provision), which outlines the requirements and recommendations for expanding or opening new school-based nursery provision
To apply, your project must meet all the eligibility criteria detailed in the guidance. This includes securing support from your local authority using the local authority approval form (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68b5cae83f3e5483efdba8a3/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-2025-to-2026-local-authority-approval-instructions-and-form.docx) (MS Word Document, 389 KB) and obtaining consent from your landlord or relevant freehold landowner where necessary. You need to do this before applying online for funding.

Applications that meet the eligibility criteria will be evaluated against the assessment criteria, which is also detailed in the guidance.

Schools that received SBN Capital Grant funding in phase 1 are not eligible to apply for phase 2. However, they will be eligible to work with their local authority as part of phase 3. Refer to the guidance for more information.

How to apply

You can use the template application form (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d15a76e65dc716bfb1dc07/school-based-nursery-capital-grant-2025-to-2026-phase-2-template-application-form.docx) (MS Word Document, 583 KB) to help gather the necessary information ahead of applying for the grant through the online application service.

The online application service (http://apply-for-school-based-nurseries-capital-grant.education.gov.uk/) opened on 24 September 2025. Submit your application, including all supporting documents, by 5pm on 11 December 2025.

We will not accept applications made through other routes or after this deadline.

Registration of interest

If you’re a primary school or a maintained nursery school interested in opening or expanding a SBN but are not eligible or ready to apply for phase 2, register your interest through the online application service (http://apply-for-school-based-nurseries-capital-grant.education.gov.uk/).

This is available from 24 September 2025 to 11 December 2025. For further details, refer to the guidance.

Contact us

We encourage all applicants to sign up to receive emails about updates to this page.

Refer to the ‘Contact us’ and ‘Technical support’ sections in the guidance to find the most appropriate way to get in touch about your query.

To allow sufficient time for the team to assist you, we recommend that you submit your enquiry at least 5 working days before the application deadline. We will endeavour to respond to all enquiries, but cannot guarantee a response before the application deadline.

We are unable to provide any advice related to individual applications due to their competitive nature.