§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of 3 to 4-year-olds were in (a) nurseries and (b) primary schools for each local education authority in the West Midlands for each year since 1970; and how this compares with the average figure for the United Kingdom as a whole for these years.
§ Dr. BoysonThe information available in respect of January of each year since 1974 is given below. Due to the reorganisation of local government on 1 April 1974, comparable information in respect of the years 1970 to 1973 is not available.
360WNumbers of full-time and part-time pupils aged 2 to 4 in maintained nursery and primary schools expressed as a percentage of the estimated population aged 3 and 4 years are as follows:
361W
Local Education Authority Percentage in nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools Percentage in nursery and primary schools* Birmingham 1974 11 29 1975 12 37 1976 15 40 1977 20 35 1978 21 37 1979 25 50 1980 26 49 Coventry 1974 8 39 1975 9 39 1976 11 43 1977 14 46 1978 15 46 1979 18 50 1980 19 49 Dudley 1974 8 19 1975 10 21 1976 18 33 1977 19 28 1978 21 25 1979 22 30 1980 22 32 Sandwell 1974 14 43 1975 16 45 1976 21 55 1977 25 58 1978 26 60 1979 28 61 1980 34 66 Solihull 1974 1 27 1975 4 38 1976 11 48 1977 15 54 1978 18 54 1979 19 53 1980 21 54 Walsall 1974 13 32 1975 18 44 1976 21 54 1977 34 66 1978 43 77 1979 45 79 1980 47 80 Wolverhampton 1974 12 33 1975 13 34 1976 23 46 1977 33 49 1978 36 53 1979 39 55 1980 46 62 England 1974 9 27 1975 10 28 1976 11 32 1977 15 34
Local Education Authority Percentage in nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools Percentage in nursery and primary schools* 1978 17 34 1979 18 37 1980 20 39 * The percentages given in this column relate to all pupils aged 2 to 4 and include the proportions shown in the previous column.