Nursery Places (Hansard, 5 March 1997)

§ Mr. Pike
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many children are currently in nursery places in Lancashire; and what percentage this is of children of nursery school age. [17709]
(2) how many children are currently in nursery places in each local education authority in England; and what percentage that is of the children of nursery school age in each case. [18419]
626W

§ Mr. Gerrard
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children are currently in nursery places in the London borough of Waltham Forest; and what percentage this is of children of nursery school age. [18079]

§ Mr. Robin Squire
I refer the hon. Members to statistical bulletin 2/97 which shows numbers and percentages of children aged under five in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes in maintained primary schools by local education authority area in England in January 1996. A copy of the bulletin is in the Library.

§ Mr. Battle
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many nursery places for four-year-olds were provided by Leeds city council in the last year for which figures are available; what percentage this was of the number of four-year-olds in the Leeds city area; and what was the national average percentage of four-year-olds provided with a nursery place. [18338]

§ Mr. Squire
There were just under 3,000 four-year-olds in maintained nursery schools or nursery classes in maintained primary schools in the Leeds education authority area. The Department does not publish information on percentages or participation rates of four-year-olds by local education authority area. The percentage of four-year-olds in England who were in maintained nursery schools or nursery classes in maintained primary schools was 24 per cent. in January 1996.
Participation rates of children under five in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes in maintained primary schools by local education authority area in England in January 1996 were published in a statistical bulletin on 28 February, a copy of which is in the Library.