The £30m pot, of which £10m was due to come from the Department for Education, was due to provide early years settings with low interest loans to expand under the 30 hours programme, and also provide for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The DfE has confirmed the decision to scrap it was made last autumn. A source told Nursery World that the fund was shelved ‘at the last minute'.
The National Day Nurseries Association, which heard about the loss of the fund from The Children’s House in Grimsby, said it was ‘very disappointed’ and that it had happened with 'no explanation'.
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