Leaders are calling on councils to keep working closely with schools to provide new nurseries, after it was announced that they would take the reins of the government’s scheme. The schools-based nursery capital programme provides grants to allow primary schools to repurpose empty classrooms and use them for early-years provision. The government recently announced that a second wave of 331 schools will be awarded a share of £45 million in funding to open new nurseries. But the DfE decided that, from May onwards, councils will make bids on these projects rather than schools, as the programme moves to a “locally led model”. It comes after government research found school nurseries lack the staff, space or demand to offer more wraparound, holiday or pre-school childcare, particularly in poorer areas. School leaders said they recognised the change to the scheme would create “greater coherence” locally and allow councils to plan for future demand. But they stressed that schools should remain part of the process to avoid creating “further distance” between decisions and day-to-day realities for early years. …