More nursery places will soon be available in Southampton following new government investment in childcare.
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Southampton has been awarded funding to build a brand-new nursery offering more than 40 places for babies and children up to the age of four.
The new nursery, set to open in the next academic year, is part of a national scheme to create over 6,000 additional school-based nursery places across the country.
Southampton Itchen MP Darren Paffey at St Patrick’s Catholic School in Southampton. (Image: Darren Paffey)
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Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen, said: “Schools in my constituency were among the first to receive funding from this Labour government for new school-based nurseries.
“I visited one recently and saw for myself how popular it is with parents and carers.
“Southampton has many fantastic childcare providers who work hard to give local kids a strong start in life, and these new nurseries will make childcare even easier to access, providing the much-needed affordable wraparound care that can make a real difference to working families, and making the school run simpler with fewer drop offs.”
Michael Lobo, headteacher at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, welcomed the funding.
Southampton Itchen MP Darren Paffey, right, with headteacher Michael Lobo, to his left, at St Patrick’s Catholic School in Southampton. (Image: Darren Paffey)
He said: “We are delighted to receive this grant from the DfE as it will enable us to provide much needed nursery places in our local area.
“Having it as part of our school will be a wonderful way to start supporting and teaching our children from a much earlier age.”
Bitterne Park Primary School and Nursery has also received government funding to create additional nursery places for babies, further expanding
early years provision in the city.
Gerida Montague, co-executive headteacher at Bitterne Park Primary and Nursery School, said: “Early years education is the foundation of all learning.
“Ensuring our children are nurtured within a professionally excellent setting, exploring the full richness of opportunities our teachers and practitioners provide, gives them the very best start in life.
“This funding will allow us to expand our already strong provision and enable more children to benefit from a secure and successful beginning to their learning journey.”
A total of 331 schools across the country will share £45m in this latest funding round to build or expand nursery facilities on school sites.
The first phase of the programme is already delivering up to 7,000 nursery places.
A recent report indicated that Labour’s childcare reforms have halved childcare costs for eligible working parents since 2024.
Mr Paffey said: “Southampton has many fantastic childcare providers who work hard to give local kids a strong start in life.
“These new nurseries will make childcare even easier to access, providing the much-needed affordable wraparound care that can make a real difference to working families, and making the school run simpler with fewer drop offs.”