§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what financial incentives exist under the local management of schools system for schools to recruit pupils who are aged under five years at the start of the school year; what guidance his Department offers to local education authorities on education provision for rising-fives; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FallonThe admission of four-year-olds to school is a matter for the schools and their local education authorities in the light of local needs and circumstances. The Department offers no guidance to local education authorities on provision for rising-fives. However, under local management of schools, all pupils registered at a school, including those under five years at the start of the school year, are funded through the age-weighted pupil element of the local education authority's resource allocation formula.