Truss names schools in two-year-old trial

Each participating school has received a grant of £10,000 for project evaluation and to offer support to other schools.

More details of how the Government intends to support schools to offer more places for two-year-olds were revealed in a written answer to a question put by shadow education minister Lucy Powell about the two-year-olds trial.

In response, Ms Truss said that the Government was working with 49 schools in from ‘a variety of urban and rural settings, that are already taking, or preparing to take two-year-olds. These schools will identify good practice, share their learning widely and encourage more schools to follow suit.’

She said that the Government wanted more schools to offer nursery places for two-year-olds because, ‘The evidence shows that starting younger, in high quality teacher-led provision, can have a real and lasting impact on children's development and life chances, particularly for those from the most disadvantaged families.'

She added, ‘We want more schools to offer nursery places and to extend these to two-year-olds. This will provide more choice and flexibility for parents and enable more children to benefit from all that a good school can provide.’

The schools in the ‘demonstration project’ have each received £10,000 for participating and offering peer-to-peer support.

Up to £2,500 of the funding is a capital grant for new buildings and expanding premises to offer the places.

The rest of the money can be used to contribute towards developing resources, and staff training and leadership.

Commenting on the trials, the Pre-school Learning Alliance said that the funding could have been better spent on existing early years settings.

Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘The Department for Education’s decision to offer financial incentives to schools to become involved in the delivery of the two-year-old free entitlement scheme is yet another sign of the Government’s move towards early "schoolification". Two-year-olds have very specific needs and the vast majority of the early years sector strongly agree that school is not an appropriate place for children of this age.
 
'There is substantial evidence that clearly demonstrates that professionally qualified early years practitioners already deliver high quality and appropriate care for this age group.

'Against a backdrop of funding shortfalls and insufficient investment for the delivery of the two-year-old offer, it is remarkable that this money wasn't invested into the well-established network of existing early years providers.’
 

The 49 schools taking part in the Government-funded two-year-old trial are:

 Benchill Primary School

Bensham Grove Community Nursery School

Broadclyst Community Primary School

Brookside Infant School

Canklow Woods Primary School

Carr Manor Primary School

Chesterfield School

Crowmoor Primary School and Nursery

Dulwich Wood Nursery School and Children's Centre

Durand Academy

Eden Park Primary School

Goodway Nursery School

Gooseacre Primary Academy

Handale Primary School

Hathersage St Michaels C of E (VA) Primary School

Latymer All Saints Church of England Primary School

Lever Edge Primary Academy

Lillian de Lissa Nursery School

Lord Street Community Nursery School and Preschool

Medlock Primary School

Moorgate Primary School

Nell Gwynn Nursery School

Netherfield Primary School

Newall Green Primary School

Norfolk Community Primary School

Oakwood Primary Academy

Oasis Academy Hadley

Old Church Nursery School and Children's Centre

Parbold Douglas C of E Academy

Plumberow Primary Academy

Richard Newman Primary School

Robsack Wood Community Primary School and Nursery

Shortbrook Primary School

Sir Edmund Hillary Primary School

St George's Cathedral Catholic Primary School

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St John Vianney RC Primary School

St. Bede Primary Academy

St. Mary's (C of E) Primary School

Stoneyholme Nursery School

Susan Isaacs Nursery School

The Eldon Federation (Eldon Early Years)

The Grove Nursery School, Children and Family Centre

The Orchards Nursery School

Tilery Primary School

Trimdon Grange Infant and Nursery School

Trinity Church of England Primary School

Vittoria Primary School

West View Primary School

Whitchurch CE Infant and Nursery School