§ Jonathan ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pre-school places the Government funded in Medway in(a) 1996 and (b) 2002; and what the change in cost is. [87729]
§ Mr. MilibandThe available information relates to early years places for three and four-year-olds and is shown in the table.
Nursery Education Grant (NEG) funding for early years places for four-year-olds was introduced in 1996–97; the NEG rate was £1,100 per place. Places in the private, voluntary and independent sectors were eligible for NEG funding. Standard Spending Assessment (SSa) funding for early years places for four-year-olds was introduced and replaced NEG funding in 2001–02; the SSA rate was £2,341 per place in maintained nursery and primary schools and £1,188 per place in the private, voluntary and independent sectors.
470W
(Percentages) 1997–19981 1998–19991 1999–20002 Full-time Part-time3 Full-time Part-time3 Full-time Part-time3 North East 15.0 36.0 11.4 31.4 11.6 31.4 North West 15.4 33.6 11.4 29.0 13.2 30.3 Yorkshire and The Humber 16.1 31.8 11.4 26.2 13.0 27.7 East Midlands 14.9 33.6 13.5 30.1 14.6 31.3 West Midlands 15.2 32.2 13.8 32.3 14.1 32.9 East of England 16.3 32.8 15.8 32.7 16.7 33.7 London 20.1 31.0 18.4 27.2 19.7 28.8 of which: inner London 22.3 34.1 19.3 28.8 21.3 30.3 outer London 18.9 29.6 18.1 26.4 18.8 28.1 NEG funding of free early years places for three-year-olds was introduced in 1999–2000; for 2001–02, the NEG rate was £1,188 per place. Places in the private, voluntary and independent sectors were eligible for NEG funding.
In 1996–97, Medway received £3.3 million to fund early years places for four-year-olds. In 2001–02, Medway received £6.6 million to fund early years places for four-year-olds and £2.6 million to fund early years places for three-year-olds. Total funding of early years places increased by £5.9 million, from £3.3 million in 1996–97 to £9.2 million in 2001–02.
Number of three and four-year-olds taking up free early education places, January 1997 and 2002 Medway2 1997 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools1 310 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers n/a 4-year-olds 3,000 Total 3 and 4-year olds4 3,300 2002 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools1 390 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 2,200 4-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools1 2,400 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 860 Total 4-year-olds 3,300 Total 3 and 4-year-olds 5,900 1 Headcount of children at 31 December in the previous calendar year, from the Annual Schools' Census. 2 Local Government re-organisation established Medway as a local authority in 1998; figures for 1997 were obtained by apportionment. 3 Part-time equivalent number of children at 31 December in the previous calendar year, from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. 4 Summer term 1997.