HC Deb 12 February 2002 vol 380 cc192-207W
Ms Buck

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the(a) actual and (b) percentage change in the number of nursery places provided by the (i) statutory and voluntary sectors and (ii) private sector in each education authority in England and Wales between 1996–97 and 2001–02; what percentage of three year olds had a nursery place in 1996–97; how many had a nursery place in 2000–01; and how many she expects to have a nursery place in 2001–02 in each education authority in England. [32406]

Margaret Hodge

The following table contains the available information on numbers of free early years education places taken up by three and four-year-olds. It has been derived from the table published alongside Statistical Bulletin 11/2001 "Provision For Children Under Five Years Of Age in England—January 2001" on my Department's statistical website www.dfes.gov.uk/ statistics/. My Department is planning to publish information for January 2002 in May.

My Department estimates that there are free early years education places available for all eligible four-year-olds in England. Since September 1999, we have invested substantially in new free early years education places for three-year-olds. The table shows three-year-olds took up 335,000 free early years education places in January 2001, up from 214,000 in January 1997. We are committed to providing all three-year-olds, whose parents want one, with free early years education places by September 2004. Information for Wales is a matter for the Education Department of the National Assembly for Wales.

Numbers of three and four-year-olds taking up free early education places, England, Government office regions and LEA areas 1997–2001 Position in January each year (spring term)
1997
3-year-olds
Maintained nursery and primary schools1,2 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 4-year-olds4,5 Total
Bolton 2,295 0 3,341 5,636
Bury 1,079 0 2,281 3,360
Cheshire 2,636 0 7,555 10,192
Cumbria 2,597 0 5,587 8,184
Halton 558 0 1,570 2,128
Knowsley 2,044 0 2,263 4,307
Lancashire 4,392 0 12,427 16,819
Liverpool 4,187 0 5,595 9,782
Manchester 3,722 0 5,981 9,703
Oldham 1,540 0 3,124 4,664
Rochdale 1,407 0 2,790 4,197
Salford 2,231 0 3,263 5,494
Sefton 2,051 0 3,226 5,277
St. Helens 1,108 0 2,200 3,308
Stockport 1,634 0 3,274 4,908
Tameside 1,705 0 2,881 4,586
Trafford 1,856 0 2,815 4,671
Warrington 827 0 2,327 3,154
Wigan 1,434 0 3,513 4,947
Wirral 1,645 0 3,830 5,475
Yorkshire and the Humber 31,844 0 61,664 93,508
Barnsley 1,264 0 2,868 4,132
Bradford 4,376 0 6,637 11,013
Calderdale 1,309 0 2,626 3,935
Doncaster 2,364 0 3,800 6,164
East Riding of Yorkshire 1,053 0 3,214 4,267
Kingston Upon Hull, City of 2,240 0 3,517 5,757
Kirklees 2,974 0 4,911 7,885
Leeds 6,065 0 8,755 14,820
North East Lincolnshire 922 0 2,079 3,001
North Lincolnshire 521 0 1,842 2,363
North Yorkshire 1,642 0 5,996 7,638
Rotherham 1,304 0 3,397 4,701
Sheffield 2,594 0 5,952 8,546
Wakefield 2,540 0 4,217 6,757
York 676 0 1,853 2,529
East Midlands 17,140 0 47,870 65,010
Derby 1,331 0 3,056 3,056
Derbyshire 3,612 0 8,295 13,238
Leicester 924 0 3,909 3,909
Leicestershire 1,474 0 5,921 8,400
Lincolnshire 1,686 0 6,576 8,262
Northamptonshire 2,277 0 7,464 9,741
Nottingham 1,816 0 3,871 5,688
Nottinghamshire 3,939 0 8,396 12,335
Rutland 81 0 382 382
West Midlands 29,098 0 64,117 93,215
Birmingham 7,427 0 12,474 19,901
Coventry 1,674 0 3,651 5,325
Dudley 2,267 0 3,696 5,963
Herefordshire 182 0 1,869 2,051
Sandwell 3,035 0 3,990 7,025
Shropshire 471 0 2,944 3,415
Solihull 1,250 0 2,575 3,825
Staffordshire 3,471 0 9,563 14,227
Stoke-on-Trent 1,193 0 3,085 3,085
Telford and Wrekin 319 0 1,921 2,240
Walsall 3,079 0 3,585 6,664
Warwickshire 1,357 0 5,551 6,908
Wolverhampton 2,793 0 3,277 6,070
Worcestershire 580 0 5,937 6,517

Numbers of three and four-year-olds taking up free early education places, England, Government office regions and LEA areas 1997–2001 Position in January each year (spring term)
1997
3-year-olds
Maintained nursery and primary schools 1,2 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 4-year-olds 4,5 Total
East of England 11,658 0 62,005 73,663
Bedfordshire 1,266 0 4,704 6,739
Cambridgeshire 1,093 0 5,769 6,861
Essex 1,559 0 14,007 15,566
Hertfordshire 4,095 0 13,796 17,891
Luton 769 0 2,674 2,674
Norfolk 1,493 0 8,184 9,677
Peterborough 373 0 1,922 2,295
Southend-on-Sea 213 0 1,918 2,131
Suffolk 605 0 7,351 7,956
Thurrock 192 0 1,680 1,872
London 40,536 0 85,128 125,664
Inner London 18,959 0 31,794 50,753
Camden 802 0 1,808 2,610
City of London 11 0 30 41
Hackney 1,474 0 2,625 4,099
Hammersmith and Fulham 1,053 0 1,336 2,389
Haringey 2,004 0 2,913 4,917
Islington 1,266 0 2,184 3,450
Kensington and Chelsea 542 0 1,213 1,755
Lambeth 1,462 0 2,706 4,168
Lewisham 1,412 0 2,917 4,329
Newham 2,030 0 3,759 5,789
Southwark 2,222 0 3,067 5,289
Tower Hamlets 2,340 0 2,722 5,062
Wandsworth 1,614 0 3,035 4,649
Westminster 727 0 1,478 2,205
Outer London 21,577 0 53,334 74,911
Barking and Dagenham 1,332 0 2,436 3,768
Barnet 2,021 0 3,534 5,555
Bexley 1,069 0 2,657 3,726
Brent 1,712 0 3,047 4,759
Bromley 107 0 3,427 3,534
Croydon 1,537 0 3,951 5,488
Ealing 2,625 0 3,851 6,476
Enfield 1,112 0 3,179 4,291
Greenwich 1,981 0 2,994 4,975
Harrow 451 0 2,308 2,759
Havering 449 0 2,414 2,863
Hillingdon 560 0 3,268 3,828
Hounslow 1,563 0 2,560 4,123
Kingston upon Thames 888 0 1,564 2,452
Merton 1,644 0 2,225 3,869
Redbridge 687 0 2,943 3,630
Richmond upon Thames 570 0 1,843 2,413
Sutton 325 0 2,140 2,465
Waltham Forest 944 0 2,993 3,937
South-east 10,602 0 88,329 98,931
Bracknell Forest 218 0 1,536 1,754
Brighton and Hove 450 0 2,441 2,441
Buckinghamshire 597 0 5,679 6,566
East Sussex 933 0 4,799 6,182
Hampshire 1,092 0 13,109 14,568
Isle of Wight 115 0 1,302 1,417
Kent 1,532 0 14,635 16,167
Medway 315 0 2,962 3,277
Milton Keynes 290 0 2,743 2,743
Oxfordshire 770 0 6,875 7,645
Portsmouth 171 0 2,039 2,039
Reading 255 0 1,796 2,051
Slough 231 0 1,559 1,790
Southampton 196 0 2,148 2,148

Numbers of three and four-year-olds taking up free early education places, England, Government office regions and LEA areas 1997–2001 Position in January each year (spring term)
1997
3-year-olds
Maintained nursery and primary schools 1,2 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 4-year-olds4,5 Total
Surrey 2,080 0 12,051 14,131
West Berkshire 236 0 1,761 1,996
West Sussex 648 0 7,597 8,245
Windsor and Maidenhead 225 0 1,565 1,790
Wokingham 248 0 1,732 1,980
South-west 7,384 0 51,904 59,288
Bath and North East Somerset 308 0 1,685 1,993
Bournemouth 127 0 1,533 1,533
Bristol, City of 2,755 0 4,688 7,443
Cornwall6 988 0 5,136 6,124
Devon 866 0 6,866 7,732
Dorset 300 0 3,621 4,175
Gloucestershire 58 0 6,171 6,229
North Somerset 159 0 1,810 1,969
Plymouth 361 0 2,885 3,246
Poole 127 0 1,348 1,348
Somerset 472 0 5,204 5,676
South Gloucestershire 403 0 2,745 3,148
Swindon 94 0 2,142 2,142
Torbay 151 0 1,213 1,364
Wiltshire 215 0 4,858 5,167

2001
3-year-olds
Maintained nursery and primary schools 1 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 4-year-olds4 Total
England 226,634 108,815 589,293 924,742
North-east 21,871 3,288 29,436 54,595
Darlington 919 49 1,299 2,268
Durham 3,850 612 5,451 9,913
Gateshead 1,342 593 2,275 4,209
Hartlepool 961 34 1,130 2,125
Middlesbrough 1,849 115 1,537 3,502
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1,773 857 2,928 5,558
North Tyneside 1,767 232 2,291 4,290
Northumberland 2,139 136 3,421 5,696
Redcar and Cleveland 1,601 14 1,707 3,322
South Tyneside 1,450 143 1,719 3,312
Stockton on Tees 1,813 100 2,329 4,242
Sunderland 2,407 404 3,347 6,158
North-west 39,566 20,727 84,733 145,025
Blackburn with Darwen 966 679 2,030 3,676
Blackpool 314 1,075 1,562 2,951
Bolton 2,088 926 3,659 6,673
Bury 1,046 91 2,217 3,354
Cheshire 2,172 783 7,800 10,755
Cumbria 2,410 1,138 5,586 9,133
Halton 542 577 1,414 2,533
Knowsley 1,847 133 2,184 4,164
Lancashire 4,199 5,155 15,681 25,036
Liverpool 3,648 1,310 4,479 9,436
Manchester 3,890 713 5,375 9,978
Oldham 1,507 1,048 3,051 5,606
Rochdale 1,287 966 2,733 4,985
Salford 1,836 247 2,712 4,795
Sefton 2,103 778 3,155 6,036
St. Helens 1,084 495 2,079 3,659
Stockport 1,703 87 3,323 5,114

2001
3-year-olds
Maintained nursery and primary schools 1 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 4-year-olds4 Total
Tameside 1,580 581 2,764 4,925
Trafford 1,497 196 2,551 4,244
Warrington 889 1,099 2,360 4,348
Wigan 1,358 1,194 3,634 6,186
Wirral 1,600 1,455 4,383 7,438
Yorkshire and the Humber 31,804 15,223 58,804 105,831
Barnsley 1,356 529 2,098 3,983
Bradford 4,520 1,196 5,882 11,598
Calderdale 1,184 666 2,364 4,215
Doncaster 2,249 161 3,740 6,150
East Riding of Yorkshire 1,024 138 3,388 4,550
Kingston Upon Hull, City of 2,036 517 3,170 5,724
Kirklees 2,489 1,488 5,028 9,005
Leeds 5,642 1,786 8,436 15,864
North East Lincolnshire 933 554 1,902 3,388
North Lincolnshire 637 536 1,771 2,944
North Yorkshire 1,705 3,218 6,287 11,210
Rotherham 1,364 876 3,093 5,333
Sheffield 3,372 2,030 5,825 11,227
Wakefield 2,592 611 3,980 7,183
York 701 916 1,840 3,457
East Midlands 19,103 8,321 48,829 76,253
Derby 1,845 859 2,808 5,512
Derbyshire 4,016 3,099 8,384 15,499
Leicester 2,146 1,112 3,849 7,107
Leicestershire 129 639 6,641 7,408
Lincolnshire 1,749 41 7,022 8,812
Northamptonshire 2,294 835 7,876 11,005
Nottingham 2,509 700 3,557 6,765
Nottinghamshire 4,328 1,008 8,318 13,653
Rutland 87 30 374 491
West Midlands 30,441 9,450 65,826 105,717
Birmingham 7,200 3,844 14,033 25,076
Coventry 1,984 1,031 3,753 6,767
Dudley 2,336 738 3,743 6,816
Herefordshire 336 115 2,249 2,701
Sandwell 3,059 100 3,509 6,668
Shropshire 499 309 3,144 3,952
Solihull 1,499 59 2,711 4,270
Staffordshire 2,554 443 9,201 12,198
Stoke-on-Trent 1,842 367 2,836 5,044
Telford and Wrekin 651 596 2,115 3,363
Walsall 2,838 151 3,427 6,416
Warwickshire 1,473 813 5,964 8,250
Wolverhampton 2,584 134 3,010 5,728
Worcestershire 1,586 751 6,132 8,468
East of England 15,740 4,352 64,060 84,151
Bedfordshire 1,202 218 4,888 6,308
Cambridgeshire 1,154 867 5,897 7,918
Essex 1,992 221 15,051 17,264
Hertfordshire 6,406 257 13,495 20,159
Luton 975 996 2,643 4,614
Norfolk 1,932 126 8,404 10,462
Peterborough 288 593 2,132 3,013
Southend-on-Sea 446 440 2,087 2,973
Suffolk 857 477 7,617 8,950
Thurrock 488 157 1,845 2,490
London 46,679 20,825 87,835 155,339
Inner London 21,508 10,078 34,058 65,644
Camden 915 718 2,075 3,707
City of London 12 1 35 48
Hackney 1,520 968 2,714 5,202
Hammersmith and Fulham 1,025 586 1,564 3,174

2001
3-year-olds
Maintained nursery and primary schools 1 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers 3 4-year-olds 4 Total
Haringey 1,932 486 3,391 5,809
Islington 1,252 812 2,089 4,153
Kensington and Chelsea 612 277 1,031 1,920
Lambeth 1,955 1,163 3,062 6,180
Lewisham 1,892 968 3,018 5,878
Newham 3,306 551 3,947 7,804
Southwark 2,242 1,150 3,397 6,789
Tower Hamlets 2,358 281 2,809 5,448
Wandsworth 1,629 1,349 3,210 6,187
Westminster 858 768 1,717 3,343
Outer London 25,171 10,747 53,778 89,695
Barking and Dagenham 1,418 326 2,338 4,082
Barnet 1,995 389 3,665 6,049
Bexley 1,314 911 2,570 4,796
Brent 1,684 875 2,985 5,544
Bromley 247 428 3,657 4,332
Croydon 1,894 623 4,123 6,640
Ealing 2,604 527 3,725 6,856
Enfield 1,236 1,034 3,483 5,753
Greenwich 1,800 765 2,846 5,411
Harrow 615 350 2,379 3,344
Havering 603 1,210 2,317 4,130
Hillingdon 1,813 119 3,336 5,268
Hounslow 1,564 550 2,491 4,605
Kingston upon Thames 911 172 1,678 2,760
Merton 1,707 117 2,099 3,923
Redbridge 1,587 852 3,352 5,790
Richmond upon Thames 546 40 1,974 2,560
Sutton 266 360 2,037 2,663
Waltham Forest 1,367 1,098 2,723 5,188
South-east 12,705 14,255 93,691 120,651
Bracknell Forest 147 735 1,329 2,212
Brighton and Hove 732 1,032 2,560 4,325
Buckinghamshire 790 404 6,075 7,269
East Sussex 588 1,113 4,953 6,654
Hampshire 589 1,748 14,560 16,897
Isle of Wight 131 471 1,433 2,035
Kent 1,494 818 15,773 18,085
Medway 412 2,119 3,231 5,762
Milton Keynes 379 197 2,774 3,349
Oxfordshire 1,024 213 6,885 8,122
Portsmouth 441 880 2,501 3,822
Reading 716 202 1,721 2,639
Slough 976 32 1,655 2,664
Southampton 334 1,346 2,310 3,990
Surrey 2,426 2,145 12,755 17,326
West Berkshire 273 99 1,646 2,018
West Sussex 816 441 8,222 9,479
Windsor and Maidenhead 306 226 1,521 2,052
Wokingham 131 32 1,787 1,950
South-west 8,725 12,375 56,080 77,180
Bath and North East Somerset 288 195 1,827 2,310
Bournemouth 282 914 1,568 2,764
Bristol, City of 2,653 1,169 4,453 8,274
Cornwall6 987 2,089 5,208 8,284
Devon 1,200 630 7,330 9,159
Dorset 215 288 3,987 4,490
Gloucestershire 97 3,385 8,472 11,954
North Somerset 200 98 2,000 2,297
Plymouth 744 1,508 2,540 4,792
Poole 92 742 1,374 2,208
Somerset 503 217 5,404 6,124
South Gloucestershire 341 145 3,114 3,600
Swindon 412 172 2,346 2,930
Torbay 391 505 1,349 2,245
Wiltshire 320 319 5,108 5,747

Actual change in numbers 1997 to 20017 Percentage change in numbers 1997 to 20018
3-year-olds 4-year-olds 3-year-olds 4-year-olds
England 121,276 13,118 57 2
North-east 1,452 -2,375 6 -7
Darlington 53 10 6 1
Durham 245 -417 6 -7
Gateshead 676 34 54 1
Hartlepool -148 -85 -13 -7
Middlesbrough 45 -467 2 -23
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 752 -159 40 -5
North Tyneside 162 -150 9 -6
Northumberland 20 -216 1 -6
Redcar & Cleveland -373 -182 -19 -10
South Tyneside 68 -204 4 -11
Stockton on Tees -438 -185 -19 -7
Sunderland 391 -354 16 -10
0
North-west 18,089 1,385 43 2
Blackburn with Darwen 936 118 132 6
Blackpool 842 -32 154 -2
Bolton 719 319 31 10
Bury 58 -63 5 -3
Cheshire 319 245 12 3
Cumbria 951 -1 37 -0
Halton 561 -156 101 -10
Knowsley -64 -79 -3 -3
Lancashire 4,963 3,254 113 26
Liverpool 771 -1,116 18 -20
Manchester 881 -605 24 -10
Oldham 1,015 -73 66 -2
Rochdale 846 -58 60 -2
Salford -148 -551 -7 -17
Sefton 830 -71 40 -2
St. Helens 471 -121 43 -5
Stockport 156 50 10 2
Tameside 456 -117 27 -4
Trafford -163 -264 -9 -9
Warrington 1,162 33 141 1
Wigan 1,118 120 78 3
Wirral 1,410 553 86 14
Yorkshire and the Humber 15,183 -2,860 48 -5
Barnsley 621 -770 49 -27
Bradford 1,340 -755 31 -11
Calderdale 541 -262 41 -10
Doncaster 46 -60 2 -2
East Riding of Yorkshire 109 174 10 5
Kingston Upon Hull, City of 313 -346 14 -10
Kirklees 1,003 117 34 2
Leeds 1,362 -319 22 -4
North East Lincolnshire 565 -178 61 -9
North Lincolnshire 652 -72 125 -4
North Yorkshire 3,281 291 200 5
Rotherham 936 -304 72 -9
Sheffield 2,808 -127 108 -2
Wakefield 663 -236 26 -6
York 941 -13 139 -1
East Midlands 10,284 960 60 2
Derby 1,372 -248 103 -8
Derbyshire 3,503 89 97 1
Leicester 2,334 -60 253 -2
Leicestershire -706 720 -48 12
Lincolnshire 104 447 6 7
Northamptonshire 852 413 37 6
Nottingham 1,392 -314 77 -8
Nottinghamshire 1,397 -78 35 -1
Rutland 35 -8 43 -2
West Midlands 10,793 1,709 37 3
Birmingham 3,617 1,558 49 12
Coventry 1,341 102 80 3
Dudley 807 46 36 1

Actual change in numbers 1997 to 20017 Percentage change in numbers 1997 to 20018
3-year-olds 4-year-olds 3-year-olds 4-year-olds
Herefordshire 270 380 148 20
Sandwell 124 -481 4 -12
Shropshire 337 201 71 7
Solihull 308 137 25 5
Staffordshire -474 -362 -14 -4
Stoke-on-Trent 1,016 -249 85 -8
Telford and Wrekin 929 194 292 10
Walsall -90 -158 -3 -4
Warwickshire 929 412 68 7
Wolverhampton -75 -267 -3 -8
Worcestershire 1,757 194 303 3
East of England 8,434 2,055 72 3
Bedfordshire 155 183 12 4
Cambridgeshire 928 129 85 2
Essex 654 1,044 42 7
Hertfordshire 2,568 -301 63 -2
Luton 1,202 -31 156 -1
Norfolk 565 220 38 3
Peterborough 508 211 136 11
Southend-on-Sea 673 169 316 9
Suffolk 729 266 120 4
Thurrock 453 165 236 10
London 26,968 2,707 67 3
Inner London 12,627 2,264 67 7
Camden 831 266 104 15
City of London 2 5 18 15
Hackney 1,014 89 69 3
Hammersmith and Fulham 558 227 53 17
Haringey 414 479 21 16
Islington 798 -96 63 -4
Kensington and Chelsea 347 -182 64 -15
Lambeth 1,656 355 113 13
Lewisham 1,448 101 103 3
Newham 1,827 188 90 5
Southwark 1,170 330 53 11
Tower Hamlets 299 87 13 3
Wandsworth 1,364 175 84 6
Westminster 899 239 124 16
Outer London 14,341 443 66 1
Barking and Dagenham 412 -97 31 -4
Barnet 363 130 18 4
Bexley 1,156 -87 108 -3
Brent 847 -62 49 -2
Bromley 568 231 531 7
Croydon 980 172 64 4
Ealing 506 -126 19 -3
Enfield 1,158 303 104 10
Greenwich 584 -149 30 -5
Harrow 514 71 114 3
Havering 1,364 -97 304 -4
Hillingdon 1,372 68 245 2
Hounslow 551 -69 35 -3
Kingston upon Thames 195 114 22 7
Merton 180 -125 11 -6
Redbridge 1,752 409 255 14
Richmond upon Thames 16 131 3 7
Sutton 301 -104 93 -5
Waltham Forest 1,521 -271 161 -9
South-east 16,358 5,362 154 6
Bracknell Forest 664 -207 304 -13
Brighton and Hove 1,315 119 292 5
Buckinghamshire 597 397 100 7
East Sussex 768 154 82 3
Hampshire 1,245 1,451 114 11
Isle of Wight 487 131 424 10
Kent 780 1,138 51 8
Medway 2,216 269 704 9
Milton Keynes 286 31 98 1

Actual change in numbers 1997 to 20017 Percentage change in numbers 1997 to 20018
3-year-olds 4-year-olds 3-year-olds 4-year-olds
Oxfordshire 467 9 61 0
Portsmouth 1,150 462 672 23
Reading 663 -76 260 -4
Slough 778 96 337 6
Southampton 1,484 162 758 8
Surrey 2,491 704 120 6
West Berkshire 137 -115 58 -7
West Sussex 609 625 94 8
Windsor and Maidenhead 306 -44 136 -3
Wokingham -85 55 -34 3
South-west 13,716 4,176 186 8
Bath and North East Somerset 175 143 57 8
Bournemouth 1,069 35 845 2
Bristol, City of 1,067 -236 39 -5
Cornwall6 2,088 72 211 1
Devon 963 464 111 7
Dorset 203 366 67 10
Gloucestershire 3,424 2,301 5,903 37
North Somerset 139 190 87 10
Plymouth 1,892 -345 524 -12
Poole 707 26 556 2
Somerset 248 200 53 4
South Gloucestershire 83 369 21 13
Swindon 490 204 523 10
Torbay 745 136 494 11
Wiltshire 424 251 197 5
1 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
2 Figures for LEAs that were re-organised in April 1997 were obtained by apportionment.
3 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. Nursery Education Grant for three-year-olds was allocated to the 65 local education authorities in 1999–2000 and all LEAs in 2000–01.
4 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
5 Summer term 1997.
6 Includes Isles of Scilly
7 Expressed as the difference between the numbers of children attending a provider in 2001 compared to 1997.
8 Percentage change in the numbers of children attending a provider in 2001 compared to 1997.

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) three and (b) four-year-olds in St. Helens, South there are (i) with a full-time nursery place and (ii) without a full-time nursery place. [33697]

Margaret Hodge

The available information shows that there were 120 three-year-olds and 1,570 four-year-olds who took up full-time nursery education places in St. Helens local education authority area in January 2000.

My Department estimates that there are free part-time early education places available for all eligible four-year-olds in England. We are also committed to providing all three-year-olds, whose parents want one, with free part-time early years education places by September 2004.