Early Years and Childcare

Childcare Expansion Capital Funding

Background

In the Government’s Spring Budget 2023, the Chancellor announced transformative reforms to childcare, including:

• The introduction of 30 hours of free childcare for children over the age of nine months. This will be introduced in phases from April 2024 with all qualifying working parents from 9-months to 3-years-olds able to access 30 hours a week from September 2025.
• Investing in start-up funding to increase the supply of wraparound care in primary schools.
  

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) was allocated £1.87m in capital grant funding to contribute to capital costs associated with projects that increase the supply of early years place and/or wraparound childcare for primary-school aged children. Following the previous rounds of capital grant applications up to approximately £300,000 is unallocated and as such we are pleased to invite further applications for projects to support the creation of additional places.

Please note that the grant is limited and, as such, unlikely to cover the costs of a new building, but it may be able to contribute toward this in areas where there is clear demand for additional places. WSCC would expect that, in most cases, the funding awarded to successful projects will not exceed £50,000.

WSCC will be focusing on projects that will increase the physical capacity of early years and wraparound provision in local areas where demand is likely to exceed existing supply. WSCC will also consider projects that will adapt or improve facilities to expand their use or make places available for a wider range of needs, including for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

Where needed, we may prioritise projects that increase the capacity of places for specific age ranges and or areas in the county where further supply is needed.

Projects will be assessed in line with the Childcare Expansion Capital Grant - Allocations Guidance and reviewed by the capital grant funding panel.

How to Apply

Please find attached in the document section the Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding Application Form which you will need to complete and submit. In addition to completing the application form please refer to section 6 which provides a checklist of supporting documents you are also required to submit.

Please note, to assess cost certainty the panel require a full breakdown of the costed activity you are seeking capital funding for including three quotations/estimates for each element of your plan costing £15,000 and over. The costs table in section 4 of your application form must align with the quotes you wish to progress with.

Any submitted incomplete applications/supporting documentation will not progress to the funding panel to be assessed until all required information is provided.

Where Private, Voluntary, or Independent (PVI) provision is delivered on a school site, we expect the PVI provider and school to work together and submit one application.

The deadline to submit your application form is Friday 23rd May 2025.

For any questions during this process, please contact: ChildcareExpansionGrants@westsussex.gov.uk(External link).

Providers are advised to read the following documents thoroughly before submitting their application:

• Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding(External link)
• Childcare Expansion Capital Grant - Allocations Guidance
• Early Years Foundation Stage Framework(External link)
• National Childcare Wraparound Programme Handbook(External link)

Capital Grant Payments

A project number will be assigned to successful projects by the Council and a purchase order raised which you will invoice against, up to the total capital grant amount awarded. Payment will be made retrospectively following submission of an invoice, evidence of paid for works and any 'subject to' conditions being met. Providers who do not have an existing vendor account with WSCC or have changed their payment details will need to have a vendor account created to be able to receive payment by Banker's Automated Clearing System (BACS).

Non-academy schools will be paid retrospectively via journal following submission of evidence of paid for works and any 'subject to' conditions being met.

Privacy Statement

West Sussex County Council will use this expression of interest to collect some personal data which is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject and/or take steps to enter into a further contract. This data will be processed in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, the UK General Data Protection Regulations and any subsequent relevant data and will only be used for the purpose stated. The data we collect will be held securely on computer for a period of up to seven years before being appropriately destroyed. We will not use the data for any other purpose. West Sussex County Council is registered as Data Controller (Reg. No. Z6413427). For further information, please see the West Sussex County Council Privacy Policy(opens in new window).

Accessibility and Alternate Formats

If you require any of this information in an alternative format, then please contact us by phone 01243 777807 or via email at ChildcareExpansionGrants@westsussex.gov.uk(External link) and we will assist you.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 777807.

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