§ Mr. Lewis Stevensasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if, in view of the educational disadvantages for summer-born children of present school admission practices, he will treat as a priority the provision of places for all these children in schools at the beginning of the summer term in which they reach five years of age;
(2) what percentage of summer-born rising-fives were at school at the beginning of the summer term in which they reached five years of age in the years 1982 and 1983; and what he estimates the figures will be for 1984;
(3) what would be the additional cost if all summer-born rising-fives were admitted to schools at the beginning of the summer term in which they reached five years of age.
§ Sir Keith JosephI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) on 5 July 1983, at column 142. Information about the participation of under-fives in education is derived from returns completed each January for the Departmnt by maintained nursery and primary schools. Statistics are not collected of those additional children, summer-born and others, who start school after the enumeration date and before the end of the summer term. Consequently it is not possible to estimate the additional cost of admitting all summer-born rising-fives.