Funding secured for new nursery

August 4, 2019 by Leigh-on-sea.com

Government funding has been secured for a brand new school-based nursery to be built in Southend-on-Sea.

Prince Avenue Primary School, in conjunction with Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, secured £780,000 from the Department for Education to build a brand-new nursery for 68 children. 

The nursery will be a separate block, built within the school grounds and will hopefully be open in September 2020.

Will Hill, Headteacher of Prince Avenue Primary School, said: “We are thrilled to be awarded this funding as the new nursery will make a massive difference to the school and the local community. We are now able to extend our capacity and offer full, as well as part-time childcare places for children aged two up. 

“We were one of the first schools within Southend to have an on-site nursery, but it is in a converted classroom and the staff have managed well with limited facilities for some time now.

“This is a really exciting project and we are delighted that by September 2020, we will be able to offer first class resources and early years childcare support, in a purpose-built nursery. It’s really going to make a big difference to the families in our local community.”

The school in Hornby Avenue already has an on-site nursery with 26 places. The new-build will allow for an additional 42 places to be offered to parents and in a purpose-built setting.

Cllr Anne Jones, cabinet member for children and learning, said: “This is great news for Southend-on-Sea as it means additional childcare resources for the town, more high-quality day-time nursery placements for our young generations and with the 30 hour tax-free childcare funding scheme, we will hopefully see more parents being able to return to work.”

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council asked for expressions of interest from local schools to support bid applications, after the Department for Education announced the school nurseries capital fund in July 2018. In total there were 69 successful projects to create new or improve and refurbish existing school-based nurseries for children aged 2, 3 and 4 year olds.