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Written Question
Pre-school education
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Ashley Dalton (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) the requirement for maintained nursery schools to have at least one teacher with qualified teacher status and (b) other Ofsted requirements on the levels of Government support required for maintained nursery schools.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government recognises that maintained nursery schools make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children. They are high-quality providers: in August 2023, 62% of maintained nursery schools were judged to be outstanding by Ofsted and 35% were judged to be good. Like other early years providers, they are required to follow the early years foundation stage statutory framework.

As a result of being maintained schools, certain requirements are placed on maintained nursery schools, such as having to have at least one qualified teacher, a special educational needs coordinator and a head teacher. These are costs that other small early years providers do not face. In recognition of this, the government provides local authorities with supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools in their areas.

The department currently provides local authorities with around £70 million a year in supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools. For 2024/25, the department will increase this in line with the national average uplift to three and four year-old rates for the vast majority of local authorities. The department will also add additional funding for teachers’ pay and pensions into this supplementary funding.


Deposited Papers

May. 07 2009

Source Page: Table showing number of pupils with statements of special educational needs in primary, secondary and independent schools in 1997, 2002 and 2008, broken down by local authority. 2 p.
Document: DEP2009-1349.xls (Excel)

Found: Table showing number of pupils with statements of special educational needs in primary, secondary and


Written Question
Free School Meals: Pre-school Education
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional expenditure that would be incurred if free school meals were to be provided to all registered pupils at maintained nursery schools in England as well as to children in receipt of relevant funded early years education.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Over 2 million pupils are currently eligible for benefits-related free school meals (FSM). This includes pupils attending a local authority maintained, academy or free school nursery, as long as they are either in full-time education or receive education both before and after lunch and meet the benefits-related FSM eligibility criteria.

Additionally, close to 1.3 million infants receive free and nutritious meals under the universal infant FSM policy (UIFSM).

The department does not currently have plans to change the existing eligibility conditions for FSM or UIFSM. As such, the department has not made an estimate of the associated costs of providing FSM to all registered pupils at maintained nursery schools in England as well as to children in receipt of relevant funded early years education. The department continues to keep eligibility of FSM under review.


Written Question
Nurseries: Finance
Wednesday 17th April 2024

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the projected budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.


Written Question
Nurseries: Finance
Wednesday 17th April 2024

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 by local authority.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.


Written Question
Nurseries: Finance
Wednesday 17th April 2024

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the total budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2021-22 and b) 2022-23.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.


Written Question
Nurseries: Buildings
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of nurseries in each region in England that require building works to remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC was published on 19 October, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information. This contains a summary of the number of settings with confirmed RAAC and the status of education in place at these settings at the specified date. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out.

Maintained nursery schools, which fall under the Department’s remit, were asked to complete a questionnaire. All settings that inform the Department via their questionnaire response that they have suspected RAAC are being fast tracked for surveying. All education settings that are currently suspected as containing RAAC are surveyed in a matter of weeks. As of 16 October 2023, the Department has not found RAAC in any maintained nursery schools.

The departmental guidance covers educations settings including schools, colleges and maintained nursery schools. If RAAC is confirmed or suspected in other settings, leaders and relevant responsible bodies may want to consider the principles and approaches set out in the guidance in relation to managing their buildings and the mitigating actions necessary to ensure continuity of provision.

The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas.


Departmental Publication (Statistics)
Department for Education

Dec. 08 2023

Source Page: Evidence of early years providers’ finances from a 2022 survey
Document: Providers’ finances: evidence from the survey of childcare and early years providers 2022 (PDF)

Found: maintained nursery schools (20%).


Written Question
Nurseries: Finance
Wednesday 17th April 2024

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the projected budget deficit for maintained nursery schools in England in the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 by local authority.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The data you requested for the 2021/22 financial year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2021-to-2022-financial-year.

The data for the 2022/23 financial year can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure.

This data can be found on GOV.UK in Local Authority and School Expenditure data. In summary: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09ae561f-1997-46da-4c66-08dc5d297e6b.

The latest available data is for the 2022/23 financial year and therefore the department is unable to answer the questions related to 2023/24 and 2024/25.


Select Committee
Caversham and New Bridge Nursery Schools
OWS0104 - Ofsted’s work with schools

Written Evidence Oct. 24 2023

Inquiry: Ofsted’s work with schools
Inquiry Status: Closed
Committee: Education Committee (Department: Department for Education)

Found: OWS0104 - Ofsted’s work with schools Caversham and New Bridge Nursery Schools Written Evidence