HC Deb 07 February 1975 vol 885 cc656-63W
Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the number of children in England in full or part-time nursery education; and if he will express this total per 100 children of nursery school age;

(2) what is the number of children in each local education authority in England in full or part-time nursery education; and if he will express each total in each authority area per 100 children of nursery school age.

JANUARY 1974—
Notes:
1. Full-time and part-time pupils in maintained nursery schools and in nursery classes in maintained primary schools.
2. Other under 5s full-time and part-time in maintained primary schools.
3. Percentages 1 and 2 of the estimated population (half of the 1–4 age group) as at 30th June 1973 (source: Registrar General's estimates).
(a) (b) (c) (d)
January 1974 Local Education Authority Full-time and part-time pupils in nursery schools and in nursery classes in primary schools Other under 5s full-time and part-time in primary schools (a) as a percentage of half the age-group 1–4 (at 30th June 1973) (b) as a percentage of half the age-group 1–4 (at 30th June 1973)
ENGLAND—
Greater London:
Barking 201 1,183 4.6 27.2
Barnet 837 2,284 10.7 29.1
Bexley 305 1,113 4.4 16.0
Brent 478 2,126 5.9 26.2
Bromley 114 1,076 1.3 12.4
Croydon 408 2,128 3.9 20.6
Ealing 1,114 2,408 12.9 27.8
Enfield 598 1,918 8.0 25.6
Haringey 1,216 1,968 17.8 28.7
Harrow 446 745 7.7 12.8
Havering 114 1,610 1.5 21.0
Hillingdon 731 1,647 10.8 24.4
Hounslow 690 1,736 11.4 28.7
Kingston-upon-Thames 823 690 22.2 18.6
Merton 790 922 17.2 20.0
Newham 1,799 704 24.0 9.4
Redbridge 80 879 1.3 14.1
Richmond-upon-Thames 230 1,088 5.5 25.9
Sutton 485 55 10.2 1.2
Waltham Forest 409 871 5.6 11.9
Total Outer London Boroughs 11,868 27,151 8.9 20.3
Total ILEA 14,895 9,242 22.8 14.2
Total Greater London 26,763 36,393 13.4 18.3
Metropolitan Districts:
West Midlands:
Birmingham 3,749 5,916 11.3 17.8
Coventry 1,010 3,597 8.5 30.1
Dudley 849 1,199 8.1 11.4
Sandwell 1,412 3,078 13.6 29.6
Solihull 97 1,981 1.3 25.9
Walsall 1,389 2,144 12.5 19.3
Wolverhampton 1,056 2,006 11.5 21.9
Total 9,562 19,921 10.2 21.2
Merseyside:
Knowsley 366 849 4.7 10.9
Liverpool 2,932 4,696 18.4 29.5
St. Helens 125 1,964 1.8 28.9
Sefton 1,107 2,331 11.0 23.1
Wirral 844 1,899 7.5 170
Total 5,374 11,739 10.4 22.7

Mr. Armstrong

On the assumption that the number of children of nursery age in any given new local education authority area may be taken to be about one-half of the 1–4 age group the figures are as follows:

(a) (b) (c) (d)
January 1974 Local Education Authority Full-time and part-time pupils in nursery schools and in nursery classes in primary schools Other under 5s full-time and part-time in primary schools (a) as a percentage of half the age-group 1–4 (at 30th June 1973) (b) as a percentage of half the age-group 1–4 (at 30th June 1973)
ENGLAND—
Greater Manchester:
Bolton 1,618 2,554 18.4 29.0
Bury 170 1,211 2.8 19.9
Manchester 5,687 2,615 37.3 17.1
Oldham 428 2,217 5.5 28.4
Rochdale 1,217 2,031 16.9 28.2
Salford 1,444 2,299 16.2 25.8
Stockport 447 2,363 4.6 24.1
Tameside 553 1,595 7.4 21.4
Trafford 319 1,649 4.4 22.6
Wigan 562 3,336 5.1 30.1
Total 12,445 21,870 13.9 24.4
South Yorkshire:
Barnsley 1,428 1,444 18.2 18.4
Doncaster 1,882 2,359 20.0 25.1
Rotherham 1,125 1,980 12.2 21.4
Sheffield 2,279 2,935 13.2 17.0
Total 6,714 8,718 15.3 19.9
West Yorkshire:
Bradford 2,539 2,768 16.5 18.0
Calderdale 624 1,217 10.2 20.0
Kirklees 1,362 1,782 10.6 13.9
Leeds 1,872 4,769 8.2 21.0
Wakefield 1,367 2,425 13.1 23.3
Total 7,764 12,961 11.5 19.2
Tyne and Wear:
Gateshead 477 1,712 6.9 24.6
Newcastle upon Tyne 905 2,531 11.2 31.4
North Tyneside 555 1,951 8.9 31.2
South Tyneside 486 1,231 9.6 24.4
Sunderland 769 3,134 7.8 31.7
Total 3,192 10,559 8.8 29.2
West Midlands 9,562 19,921 10.2 21.2
Merseyside 5,374 11,739 10.4 22.7
Greater Manchester 12,445 21,870 13.9 24.4
South Yorkshire 6,714 8,718 15.3 19.9
West Yorkshire 7,764 12,961 11.5 19.2
Tyne and Wear 3,192 10,559 8.8 29.2
Total Metropolitan Districts 45,051 85,768 11.8 22.4
Non-Metropolitan Counties:
Isles of Scilly
Avon 2,452 4,582 9.0 16.8
Bedfordshire 927 1,102 5.2 6.2
Berkshire 2,230 2,571 10.0 11.6
Buckinghamshire 1,287 2,509 7.8 15.2
Cambridgeshire 2,174 3,438 13.0 20.5
Cheshire 1,574 5,728 5.2 18.8
Cleveland 2,067 4,815 10.3 24.1
Cornwall 46 2,484 0.4 22.3
Cumbria 886 4,048 6.3 28.6
Derbyshire 2,010 4,818 7.3 17.5
Devon 571 3,344 2.4 13.8
Dorset 198 2,549 1.3 17.1

(a) (b) (c) (d)
January 1974 Local Education Authority Full-time and part-time pupils in nursery schools and in nursery classes in primary schools Other under 5s full-time and part-time in primary schools (a) as a percentage of half the age-group 1–4 (at 30th June 1973) (b) as a percentage of half the age-group 1–4 (at 30th June 1973)
ENGLAND—
Durham 2,090 5,769 11.4 31.4
East Sussex 665 3,034 4.2 19.2
Essex 1,319 4,800 2.8 10.3
Gloucestershire 146 3,099 1.0 20.4
Hampshire 787 3,217 1.7 6.8
Hereford and Worcester 288 2,888 1.6 15.7
Hertfordshire 4,110 5,532 14.1 18.9
Humberside 1,603 4,454 5.7 16.0
Isle of Wight 35 904 1.3 33.5
Kent 992 4,973 2.2 10.9
Lancashire 4,244 9,851 10.5 24.3
Leicestershire 4,615 1,238 17.0 4.6
Lincolnshire 633 2,744 3.9 17.0
Norfolk 722 5,598 3.8 29.6
North Yorkshire 764 2,128 4.1 11.4
Northamptonshire 839 3,119 5.0 18.5
Northumberland 156 2,760 2.1 36.8
Nottinghamshire 2,705 3,866 8.5 12.1
Oxfordshire 1,314 2,643 8.0 16.2
Salop 468 1,167 4.0 10.0
Somerset 244 2,795 2.2 25.5
Staffordshire 3,571 4,548 10.8 13.7
Suffolk 616 2,683 3.5 15.1
Surrey 1,401 3,916 5.1 14.1
Warwickshire 675 3,661 4.1 22.5
West Sussex 344 1,963 2.1 12.1
Wiltshire 9 2,965 0.1 17.0
Total Non-Metropolitan Counties 51,777 138,303 6.1 16.2
Total England 123,591 260,464 8.6 18.1

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nursery schools and classes will have been provided by the end of the 1976 financial year; and how many full-time places there will then be in England and Wales.

Mr. Armstrong

In January 1974 there were in England 523 maintained nursery schools and a further 1,997 nursery classes in maintained primary schools providing a total of 80,370 full-time equivalent nursery places. Nursery education building allocations for England for 1974–76 amount to £38.7 million. Local education authorities are responsible for deciding which projects would start within their allocations, and costs of individual projects vary. It is, therefore, not possible to say in advance how many schools, classes or places these resources will provide.

Nursery schools and classes in Wales are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his target for nursery education in the whole of the 3-to 5-year age group; and when he hopes that this will be achieved.

Mr. Armstrong

The Government's aim remains as stated by my right hon. Friend on 2nd April 1974to make provision as soon as possible for nursery education for children of three and four years of age, mainly on a part-time basis".—[Vol. 871, c. 1077.]

It is not possible to give a firm date by which sufficient places will be available in all parts of the country. This will depend on any future changes in the birth rate and demand for nursery education as well as the available resources.