To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many four year-olds are currently attending (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) nursery classes in maintained primary schools, (c) reception classes, (d) voluntary sector pre-school provision and (e) private sector pre-school provision. [82017]
The available information is shown in the following table.
| Number of four-year-olds in early years provision in maintained nursery schools, nursery and infant classes in maintained primary schools and the private, voluntary and independent sectors in England, January 1998: | |
| January 1998 | |
| Number of four-year-olds in maintained nursery schools | 17,991 |
| Number of four-year-olds in nursery classes in maintained primary schools | 129,497 |
| Number of four-year-olds in infant classes1 in maintained primary schools | 350,959 |
| Number of four-year-olds in private and voluntary providers and independent schools | 82,599 |
| 1Includes reception and other classes (i.e. non nursery classes) | |
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will estimate how many pre-schools have closed since May 1997; and if he will set out the basis of the Government's calculation; [82016](2) what assessment he has made of the basis for the difference in figures produced by his Department and by the Pre-School Learning Alliance on the number of pre-schools that have closed since May 1997. [82019]
The Department's annual survey of day-care facilities in England, using data submitted by local authorities, shows a small fall in the number of registered playgroups at March 1998 compared with a year earlier. Officials have arranged to discuss with the Pre-School Learning Alliance differences between their figures and the latest survey data.