Place Group achieves 100% success rate for School-Based Nursery Applications

Place Group has successfully supported 12 out of 12 applications for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the DfE’s School-Based Nursery Capital Programme – a 100% success rate in securing £1.8m in capital grants for our School and Academy Trust customers since October 2024.

The DfE’s School-Based Nursery (SBN) Programme provides capital funding to create or expand early years childcare and education spaces within state-funded primary-phase schools, maintained nursery schools, and Best Start Family Hub sites.

The application deadline for Phase 3 of the programme is 30th September 2026, and we are ‘doing the hard yards’ to help new and existing customers develop successful applications for the 2027 to 2030 period.

How We Support Applications
We can take full responsibility for the following key elements:

• School site visits – confirming feasibility, business planning, and establishing application viability
• Consultation and engagement – managing and analysing feedback from the school and community
• Local authority liaison – engaging with Childcare Sufficiency Officers to ensure their full support for the application
• Application dynamics – producing strong content, covering all the sections of the application

Once an application is approved, our team oversees the pre-opening programme, from managing the capital project to implementing the application’s business plan and vision, and supporting the nursery leadership with marketing, the commercials and liaison with the DfE.

Contact us to find out how Place Group can support your School-Based Nursery Applications:
Email: contact@place-group.com
Telephone: 0845 548 5677