HC Deb 29 October 1975 vol 898 cc495-6W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to whether the size of the nursery school age group, coupled with the current programme of nursery education building in the London borough of Newham, will be such as to achieve his aims of inceasing the proportions of 3 and 4 year olds receiving nursery education.

Miss Joan Lestor

In the London borough of Newham there were at January 1974, 1,799 children between 2 and 4 years of age attending nursery schools and nursery classes in maintained primary schools mainly on a half-day basis. Assuming that the number of children of nursery school age can be taken as one-half of the 1–4 age group, some 24 per cent. of the nursery school age

Mr. Mulley

It is for local education authorities and the schools and colleges themselves to decide which subjects should take priority. I accept the importance of this aspect of environmental education, but I have no powers to determine the curricula in schools.