§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nursery school places now exist in the West Midlands; and how many she hopes will be available by 1983.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonIn January 1978, the latest date for which information is available, there were 5,061 full-time and part-time pupils in maintained nursery schools and 12,643 attending designated nursery classes in maintained primary schools within the West Midlands metropolitan county. Figures for future years are a matter for the local authorities concerned. However, the Government's expenditure plans provide for the proportion of 3 and 4-year-olds attending nursery or primary schools to grow nationally from 35 per cent. to around 50 per cent. between 1978 and 1983.