§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of three-year-olds have been in nursery places in maintained schools in each year since 1997. [38800]
§ Margaret HodgeThe available information on three-year-old provision in maintained nursery and primary schools is shown in the table.
Number1,2 and percentage of three year olds in maintained nursery and primary schools, England, 1997 to 2001, position in January each year Year Number Percentage3 1997 214,200 34 1998 222,000 35 1999 225,700 37 2000 229,900 38 2001 226,600 37 1 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest 100. 2 May include some two-year-olds. 3 Number of three-year-olds expressed as a percentage of the three-year-old population. The number of three-year-olds taking up places at private and voluntary providers increased from 268,800 or 44 per cent. of the population of three-year-olds in January 2000, to 285,100 or 47 per cent. in January 2001, an increase of 16,000.
The figures for three-years-olds in schools and private and voluntary providers were published in Statistical Bulletin 11–01 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2001" which is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics/and from the Library.