§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of children under the statutory school age are currently receiving nursery education; and how this compares with the position five years ago.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonIn January 1978, the latest date for which information is available, the number of full-time678W time pupils in classes with over 30 pupils in maintained primary and secondary scshools in England are as follows:
§ Miss Margaret JacksonIn January 1978, the last year for which figures are available, there were the full-time equivalents of 12. 1,220 and 1,339 qualified teachers respectively in the nursery, primary and secondary schools in Rotherham.
Pupil-teacher ratios for Rotherham and for England as a whole over the past five years are shown in the following table: and part-time pupils in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes of maintained primary schools in England was 17 per cent. of the estimated population aged 3 and 4 years. The comparable proportion for January 1974 was 8.6 per cent.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number and the number per 1,000 population of children receiving nursery education in each local authority area in England and Wales at the latest available date and five years earlier.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonThe information requested for England will take time to extract and I will write to my hon. Friend. Nursery education in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
679W
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current and the capital expenditure being devoted to provision for the under-fives in the current year and in each of the previous five years.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonThis information is set out in Table 2.10 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1979–80 to 1982–83"; Cmnd. 7439, a copy of which is available in the Library.