Telford primary school looking to extend ahead of free childcare hours increase
A nursery, attached to a primary school, has applied to extend in a bid to offer more places to parents ahead of changes to free childcare hours.
In September, new changes are coming in which will give parents 30 free childcare hours for youngsters aged three and four.
Millbrook Primary School has received a grant of £300,000, which it will be using to extend and refurbish its nursery, to provide more places for children.
The primary school, on Grainger Drive in Leegomery currently has just over 40 morning and the same amount of afternoon places in its nursery.
But it says the extension will allow it to offer places for a total of about 100 children.
It will also be building a new play area and better access to the nursery for parents.
Martyn Lightwood, the headteacher of the school, said: "It is an extension to our nursery because we made a bid to the Department of Education for funds to provide an extension to the nursery because of the governments new free 30 hours childcare policy which is due to start in September.
"We were successful in getting the funding, it will provide about 30 extra places those who want to use the 30 free childcare hours.
"The 30 hours is a big change and that was why we put in the bid, we wanted to offer parents in the community the chance to take up that childcare.
"It ties in with our after school and before school clubs."
Plans were submitted by the school on April 3 and will be decided in the coming months.
