§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what nursery provision has been provided by her Department to each London education authority in inner London boroughs over the last five years. [48682]
§ Margaret HodgeSince September 1998 all four-year-olds in the inner London area have been able to access a free, part-time, early education place prior to statutory education.
In 2002–03,11 of the fifteen local education authorities will be able to provide a free early education place to all three-year-olds in their area. The remaining authorities are able to offer a free place to over 65 per cent. of their three-year-olds. All three-year-olds will have access to a free early education place by September 2004.
The following table shows the amount of specific funding received by inner London education authorities to fund free early education places for four-year-olds. From April 2001, all free four-year-old places have been funded by local authorities from their own resources.
893WNote:
The funding figures for four-year-olds in 1997–98 are significantly higher as all free places in this year were funded centrally. From 1998–99 only new places created in the maintained sector and all free places in the private, voluntary and independent sector were funded through specific grant. Existing places in the maintained sector were funded by the authority from their own resources.
The following table shows the amount of specific funding received by inner London education authorities to fund free early education places for three-year-olds. This funding commenced September 1999.
£ Total NEG funding LEA name 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–2002 Camden 514,872 825,919 987,228 City of London 0.00 1,160 14,256 Hackney 597,915 1,155,980 1,768,932 Hammersmith and Fulham 275,401 618,429 706,860 Haringey 511,711 690,364 958,716 Islington 606,558 994,046 1,163,052 Kensington and Chelsea 0.00 341,506 825,660 Lambeth 957,549 1,524,750 1,955,448 Lewisham 592,391 1,110,739 1,860,408 Newham 547,647 1,004,639 1,325,808 Southwark 510,820 1,231,909 1,182,060 Tower Hamlets 227,797 317,143 702,108 Wandsworth 1,153,768 1,699,174 2,050,488 Westminster 218,579 815,164 1,090,584 The information contained in the tables have been extracted from LEA Nursery Education Grant returns and is subject to change as a result of external audit.