£1.7m boost for wraparound childcare in towns

A council, which was selected to develop the government's wraparound childcare plans for parents of primary school children, has been given a £1.7m grant.

Blackburn with Darwen Council will be funded for three years to help schools across the borough set up breakfast and after school clubs.

The scheme, announced by the government in July last year, will see all parents of pupils in this age group able to access childcare in their local area between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00.

Councillor Julie Gunn, children's services lead, said the aim was to "ensure childcare provision is regular, has longer hours and is more dependable for working parents".

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt previously said the government would ensure all schools in England offered wraparound care by September 2026.

Blackburn with Darwen was one of 16 local authorities selected for the first phase of the roll out, with the scheme expected to expand to further councils from September.

The financial support aims to remove barriers to setting up new childcare provision or expanding current provision, including when demand is not guaranteed.

Councillor Julie Gunn says childcare needs to be "more dependable for working parents"

The council has also received capital funding of £335,264 to use to deliver both the Wrap Around Pathfinder Programme, and the Early Years Expanded Entitlement Programme where a capital project is required to deliver an increase in supply or provision.

Ms Gunn outlined Blackburn with Darwen Council’s proposals to develop wraparound childcare in a report to the authority’s executive board, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It said: “Wraparound childcare is childcare that ‘wraps around’ the conventional school day.

“It can also refer to provision in the school holidays.

“This provision can be offered by schools and private, voluntary and independent provider and can be run on a school site or at another setting in the area."

It said that schools, which would be asked to submit expressions of interest for the scheme, were "central to the delivery of the programme".

Schools operate at the heart of the community, understand the needs of local families, and are "usually the first port of call for parents for wraparound childcare", it added.