asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider increasing the provision of nursery education in view of the forecast decline in the primary school population between now and 1986.
It is expected that over the next few years local education authorities will be able to provide a substantial proportion of their additional nursery education places through the adaption of primary school places released by declining primary school rolls. Such places will usually be cheaper than new accommodation, and a more rapid decline in primary school rolls should tend to increase the number of nursery education places which can be provided from the available building resources. Increased admission of under-fives to school has more general recurrent expenditure implications, however, and it is not possible at present for rate support grant to reflect any more rapid expansion than that proposed in Cmnd. 5174.