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Early Years Education

Volume 450: debated on Thursday 26 October 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free early years education places have been available in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk, (c) Essex and (d) Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997. (95460)

The available information on the number of part-time funded places filled by three and four year olds in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire local authority areas is shown in the following tables.

Since April 2004 all three and four year olds have been entitled to a free, good quality, early education place consisting of 12.5 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. This will be extended to 15 hours a week by 2010 and by that time, parents who wish to do so will also be able to access the free entitlement flexibly across a minimum of three days.

Number of part time funded places1 ,2 filled by three and four year olds, local authority: Suffolk

Part-time funded places filled by 3 year olds

Part-time funded places filled by 4 year olds

Position in January each year

Maintained nursery and primary schools3

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 3 year olds

Maintained nursery and primary schools4

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 4 year olds

1997

610

610

57,400

1998

560

560

57,600

1999

720

720

58,000

2000

630

60

600

58,000

2001

860

6480

1,300

57,600

2002

1,000

63,200

4,200

6,300

51,600

7,900

2003

1,100

63,300

4,400

6,100

71,700

7,800

2004

1,300

84,300

5,600

5,800

91,600

7,300

2005

1,300

84,400

5,700

5,800

91,500

7,300

2006

1,300

84,400

5,700

5,500

91,500

7,000

1 A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child.

2 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.

3 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

4 Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

5 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

6 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

7 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools’ Census.

8 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31st December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

9 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

Number of part time funded places1, 2 filled by three and four year olds, local authority: Norfolk

Part-time funded places filled by 3 year olds

Part-time funded places filled by 4 year olds

Position in January each year

Maintained nursery and primary schools3

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 3 year olds

Maintained nursery and primary schools4

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 4 year olds

1997

1,500

1,500

58,200

1998

1,800

1,800

58,400

1999

1,900

1,900

58,500

2000

1,900

60

1,900

58,900

2001

1,900

6130

2,100

58,400

2002

1,800

63,000

4,700

6,600

51,900

8,400

2003

1,800

64,300

6,200

6,500

51,900

8,400

2004

2,100

84,400

6,500

6,300

91,800

8,200

2005

2,000

84,100

6,100

6,200

91,700

7,900

2006

2,200

84,700

6,900

5,900

91,800

7,700

1 A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child.

2 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.

3 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

4 Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

5 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

6 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

7 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools’ Census.

8 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31st December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

9 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

Number of part time funded places1, 2 filled by three and four year olds, Local Authority: Essex

Part-time funded places filled by 3 year olds

Part-time funded places filled by 4 year olds

Position in January each year

Maintained nursery and primary schools3

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 3 year olds

Maintained nursery and primary schools4

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 4 year olds

1997

1,600

1,600

514,000

1998

1,900

1,900

515,000

1999

2,000

2,000

515,200

2000

2,000

60

2,000

515,100

2001

2,000

6220

2,200

515,100

2002

2,000

66,700

8,700

10,400

54,700 5

15,100

2003

2,000

69,500

11,500

10,400

74,600 7

15,000

2004

2,000

89,700

11,700

10,500

94,500 9

15,000

2005

1,900

810,000

11,900

9,900

94,500 9

14,400

2006

2,000

9,900

11,900

9,900

94,200 9

14,100

1 A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child.

2 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.

3 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

4 Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

5 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

6 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

7 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools’ Census.

8 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31st December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

9 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

Number of part time funded places1, 2 filled by three and four year olds, local authority: Cambridgeshire

Part-time funded places filled by 3 year olds

Part-time funded places filled by 4 year olds

Position in January each year

Maintained nursery and primary schools3

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 3 year olds

Maintained nursery and primary schools4

Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers

Total 4 year olds

1997

1,100

1,100

55,800

1998

1,100

1,100

56,500

1999

1,200

1,200

56,300

2000

1,100

60

1,100

56,400

2001

1,200

6870

2,000

55,900

2002

1,200

61.500

2,700

4,700

51,600

6,200

2003

1,100

62,700

3,800

4,600

71,600

6,200

2004

1,000

82,800

3,800

4,500

91,600

6,100

2005

980

84,000

4,900

4,400

91,300

5,700

2006

1,100

84,000

5,100

4,500

91,500

6,000

1 A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child.

2 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.

3 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

4 Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools’ Census.

5 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

6 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

7 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools’ Census.

8 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31st December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

9 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools’ Census.

The latest figures on early education places for three and four year olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 32/2006 ‘Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2006 (final)’ in September, which is available on my Department’s website at:

www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.