HC Deb 29 October 1975 vol 898 c496W
Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of (a) all, (b) male and (c) female secondary school pupils in England and in each English region were still at school at (i) 17 years and (ii) 18 years of age in 1974.

Miss Joan Lestor

In January 1974 the respective proportions in maintained secondary schools were as follows:

group in Newham—as at 30th June 1973, Registrar General's estimates—were receiving nursery education at that time. Under the nursery education building programme Newham has received allocations of £219,500 for 1974–75, £127,000 for 1975–76 and £80,000 for 1976–77. In view of the varying costs of different types of provision, it is not possible to estimate the total number of places that these allocations will provide and it is for authorities to decide which particular projects to carry out and the proportion of children attending whole day. However, on the basis of the authority's estimates of the number of full-time equivalent places in the borough after taking into use the allocations for 1974–76 and of the number of children in the 3–4 age group in 1976 and 1980 I would expect an increase in the proportion of 3 and 4 year olds receiving nursery education to result.