England's Nursery Expansion: What You Need to Know
The UK Government has recently announced a significant expansion in early years education, with plans to create up to 7,000 new school-based nursery places by September 2026. Backed by a £45 million investment from the Department for Education (DfE), this initiative aims to support working families, boost school readiness, and reduce early attainment gaps — especially in disadvantaged communities.
Schools can now apply for grants of up to £150,000 to establish or extend on-site nurseries, placing the focus on early intervention and accessibility. The move comes amid the broader rollout of 30 hours of free childcare for working parents of children over nine months old, due to be fully implemented by September 2025.
While this expansion brings hope, opportunity, and infrastructure investment, it also presents a serious challenge: who will staff these nurseries?
The Recruitment Crisis in Early Years Education
Despite government efforts, the early years sector is under immense pressure. Rising costs, increased administrative burdens, and ongoing staff shortages mean that many nurseries are struggling to keep up. Some providers have even warned that they may have to raise fees or reduce funded hours due to insufficient staffing.
Recruiting and retaining experienced early years practitioners is one of the biggest barriers to achieving the government’s ambitious targets. Many schools and nurseries are turning to specialist early years recruitment agencies to solve the problem — and that’s where Uniform Education comes in.
Uniform Education: The Go-To Agency for Nursery Recruitment in London and Beyond
At Uniform Education, we’ve been supporting early years settings across London and the Home Counties since 2015. From Level 3-qualified nursery nurses to early years SEN teaching assistants, we provide experienced, fully vetted professionals who are passionate about child development and committed to delivering excellent care and education.
What Sets Us Apart:
Speed & Reliability: Need staff tomorrow? We can deliver. Our candidate pool includes hundreds of nursery practitioners available for short-term, long-term, or permanent roles.
Compliance Guaranteed: Every candidate undergoes enhanced DBS checks, reference verification, safeguarding training, and right-to-work clearance.
Specialist Focus: Unlike generalist agencies, we work exclusively in education. Early years is not just another department — it’s what we do.
Flexible Staffing Options: Whether you’re a school launching a brand-new nursery or an established setting preparing for expansion, we provide the right staffing structure to match your needs.
SEN Expertise: We have a strong network of practitioners trained to work with children with autism, ADHD, speech and language needs, and other additional learning requirements.
School-Based Nurseries: Opportunities and Obstacles
As the Independent recently reported, over 300 schools have already received funding to create more than 4,000 nursery places, and 189 of those new nursery sites are expected to be operational by September 2025.
But infrastructure is only part of the solution. A well-designed nursery means nothing without the right people running it. From setting up new systems to maintaining statutory ratios, experienced early years staff are essential for success.
That’s why Uniform Education is already working with dozens of school-based nurseries, ensuring they have access to:
Nursery managers with EYFS leadership experience
Level 3 nursery nurses and support staff
SEN TAs for inclusive early years provision
Daily cover for sickness and unplanned absences
Quality Staffing = Quality Outcomes
Children deserve the best start in life. That means being supported by professionals who are trained, caring, and consistent. Studies show that early exposure to high-quality education improves long-term academic and social outcomes — particularly for children in disadvantaged areas.
By partnering with Uniform Education, schools and nurseries gain access to a recruitment partner who understands that quality comes first. We’re not here to plug gaps. We’re here to help build outstanding early years settings that make a real difference.
Why Now Is the Time to Act
The government’s funding is in place. The policy is active. The demand from parents is already increasing.
But unless schools secure qualified, reliable nursery staff now, they risk being under-prepared when the new hours kick in and Ofsted inspections follow.
Uniform Education can:
Help you forecast staffing needs based on projected nursery intake
Provide interim solutions while you recruit permanent staff
Connect you with SEN-trained practitioners for inclusive settings
Offer CPD-certified safeguarding and EYFS training to support your team
Looking Ahead: Supporting the Sector Beyond 2026
While the current focus is on 2025/26 targets, we see this as part of a long-term transformation in early years education. Our goal is not just to react to government policy — but to shape the future of the sector by building sustainable relationships between schools and educators.
Whether you’re a headteacher preparing to launch a nursery or a nursery manager expanding capacity, Uniform Education is your trusted early years recruitment partner.
Get in Touch
If you’re looking for:
A reliable nursery recruitment agency in London
Qualified Level 3 nursery nurses and early years TAs
Flexible staffing support for new or expanding nurseries
