HC Deb 17 April 1975 vol 890 cc148-9W
Mr. Noble

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many additional nursery school places are included in the current proposals of the Lancashire county councils; and what is statistical distribution of such places by district.

Mr. Prentice

The Lancashire Local Education Authority has informed my Department that it intends to use none of its nursery education building allocation of £357,500 for 1974–75. but to use £357,000 of its allocation of £364,910 for 1975–76. It is for authorities to decide which individual projects should be started within their allocation, and the number of resultant places will vary with the cost of provision.

Mr. Noble

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nursery school places there are in the area of the Lancashire County Council; what is the statistical distribution of such places by district; and what is the estimated ratio of places to children of nursery school age by district, in the last available year.

Mr. Prentice

In January 1974 the areas now comprising the new county of Lancashire contained 38 nursery schools and 36 nursery classes together providing a total of 2,810 full-time equivalent places. Taking the size of the 3–4 year age group as half of the 1–4 age group, approximately 10.5 per cent. of 3- and 4-year-olds in those areas were receiving education in nursery schools or classes. Figures to show the distribution of these places and pupils among the 14 districts of Lancashire have not been collected by my Department.

Mr. Noble

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nursery school places there are in the Lancashire County Council, specifically for Roman Catholic children; and of those how many are in Rossendale.

Mr. Prentice

Any denominational places would be in nursery classes in voluntary aided primary schools. The detailed information requested is not available in my Department.