§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the percentage of children aged three to four years attending any form of maintained school, at the latest date, for each local authority.
§ Mr. DunnThe percentages of children aged three and four attending maintained schools in each local educattion authority in England in January 1986, the latest date for which figures are available is given below:
28W
Percentage of 3 and 4 year old children attending maintained schools in England. January 19861 Percentage Barking 68 Barnet 51 Bexley 26
29W
Percentage Brent 62 Bromley 17 Croydon 37 Ealing 44 Enfield 51 Haringey 62 Harrow 32 Havering 37 Hillingdon 50 Hounslow 69 Kingston upon Thames 49 Merton 53 Newham 67 Redbridge 23 Richmond upon Thames 42 Sutton 17 Waltham Forest 51 ILEA 50 Birmingham 59 Coventry 52 Dudley 42 Sandwell 68 Solihull 57 Walsall 79 Wolverhampton 66 Knowsley 56 Liverpool 75 St. Helens 55 Sefton 54 Wirral 47 Bolton 61 Bury 47 Manchester 67 Oldham 63 Rochdale 58 Salford 77 Stockport 40 Tameside 66 Trafford 19 Wigan 54 Barnsley 62 Doncaster 71 Rotherham 55 Sheffield 56 Bradford 52 Calderdale 62 Kirklees 56 Leeds 54 Wakefield 63 Gateshead 57 Newcastle upon Tyne 68 North Tyneside 78 South Tyneside 78 Sunderland 63 Avon 43 Bedfordshire 34 Berkshire 25 Buckinghamshire 18 Cambridgeshire 40 Cheshire 35 Cleveland 64 Cornwall2 46 Cumbria 50 Derbyshire 48 Devoy 20 Dorset 14 Durham 62 East Sussex 36 Essex 18 Gloucestershire 31 Hampshire 20 Hereford and Worcester 15 Hertfordshire 47 Humberside 48 Isle of Wight 37 Kent 12 Lancashire 44
Percentage Leicestershire 30 Lincolnshire 26 Norfolk 31 North Yorkshire 40 Northamptonshire 46 Northumberland 49 Nottinghamshire 50 Oxfordshire 17 Shropshire 31 Somerset 33 Staffordshire 41 Suffolk 28 Surrey 20 Warwickshire 45 West Sussex 8 Wiltshire 16 1Full and part time pupils in nursery and primary schools. Ages at January. The number of pupils expressed as percentage of the estimated 3 and 4 year old population. Pupils in maintained special schools are excluded. 2Includes the Isles of Scilly.
§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the number of children aged three to four years attending any form of maintained school at the latest date; what proportion of the total this represents; and how that compares with each of the last five years.
§ Mr. DunnThe number and proportion of children aged three and four attending maintained schools in England in January 1986, the latest date for which figures are available, and for the preceding five years was as follows:
January each year Number of children attending maintained schools1 Percentage2 1981 401,000 37 1982 407,256 37 1983 431,886 38 1984 469,946 40 1985 487,849 41 1986 482,760 41 1Full and part-time pupils in nursery and primary schools. Ages at January. Comparable data for maintained special schools are not available. 2Number of 3 and 4 year old pupils expressed as a percentage of the estimated 3 and 4 year old population.
§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the expenditure on all maintained schools for under-fives for each of the last five years.
§ Mr. DunnThe net recurrent expenditure by local education authorities on under fives in maintained schools for each of the last five years is as follows:
£ million cash 1981–82 241 1982–83 274 1983–84 296 1984–85 331 11985–86 352 1Estimated.
§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of children aged three to four-years-old attended maintained schools in the 30W United Kingdom at the latest date, compared with other Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
§ Mr. DunnA study on this topic has recently been published in "Statistical Bulletin 16/86", a copy of which is in the Library.
The table below summarises the available information on both education and on day care (excluding child minders) covering both public and private sectors. Statistics are presented in that form because the division between categories is blurred by differing departmental responsibilities in different countries and by differing levels of Government subsidy to the private sector. Rates for both three to four, and three to five year olds are shown because compulsory schooling starts at age six or seven in the other countries.
Percentage of Age Group: 1982 Three to Five Year Olds Three to Four Year Olds Education Day Care1 Education Day Care1 Belgium 97 — 96 — Canada 34 29 13 210 Denmark 211 365 2— 366 Finland — 33 — 32 France 97 — 95 — Germany 60 — 51 — Ireland 450 14 427 n/a Italy 576 — 576 — Japan 44 627 33 626 Luxembourg 62 — 43 — Netherlands 66 17 50 25 Norway n/a n/a 4— 27 Sweden 35 n/a 3 27 United Kingdom 761 27 43 40 USA 52 n/a 36 4 n/a Not available —Nil, negligible or not applicable 1Includes day nurseries, playgroups, kindergartens and other grouped provision where these occur. Excludes care supervised by a childminder or relative. 21984. 31983. 41981. 5Estimated. 61979. 7Includes nursery schools and all pupils aged up to five in primary schools.