§ Mr. Freemanasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give figures showing the numbers of children entering primary school education in each of the past five years, and for 1975, in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Northamptonshire.
§ Mr. DunnThe Department does not collect information on pupils entering school. The numbers of pupils aged five years attending maintained primary schools in England and Northamptonshire for the years concerned were as follows:
January of each year Northamptonshire England 1975 8,461 702,975 1980 7,432 570,944 1981 7,015 540,893 1982 6,723 516,954 1983 6,403 495,738 1984 6,664 507,909 Information about schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.