§ Mr. Derek Pageasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what provision of nursery classes there is in the King's Lynn divisional education area; and how this compares with the rest of the country on the basis of places available in proportion to the number of children in the appropriate age group.
§ Mr. RedheadThere are no nursery classes in the Borough of King's Lynn, but there is one maintained nursery school with 52 children. It is not practicable to make useful comparisons over the whole of the age groups concerned because these are different for nursery schools (2–5) and nursery classes (3–5). But about 30 per cent. of the total number of children aged four were attending either maintained primary schools or the maintained nursery school in King's Lynn in January, 1965, compared with 25.9 per cent. for England and Wales.
§ Mr. Derek Pageasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children in the King's Lynn divisional education area fall into the age groups suitable for nursery schools; what proportion of these actually attend such classes; and whether he is satisfied that the provision is adequate.
§ Mr. RedheadI estimate that there are about 1,450 children age 2 and under 5 in the Borough of King's Lynn. In January, 1965, 50 of these children were attending the nursery school and 121 other schools. Of these, 141 were 4 year olds.
245WI am not satisfied with existing nursery provision, but it cannot be extended substantially until we have sufficient teachers to meet the more urgent staffing needs of the primary schools.