§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of children receive publicily funded nursery places in(a) Belgium, (b) Italy, (c) Spain, (d) Greece, (e) Germany and (f) the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robin SquireInformation is not centrally available in the form requested. The table shows the latest available information on combined public and private participation rates in pre-compulsory schooling. Separate participation rates are not available. There are also some differences between countries in the distinction drawn between education and day care. If the United Kingdom figures are defined to include nursery schools, nursery classes, infant classes, pre-school play groups and group day care, the participation rates for both three to four and three to five-year-olds increase to over 90 per cent.
Participation in pre-primary education by age group,19891 Percentage of age group Age at which compulsory schooling starts Education Percentage of private sector provision 1987 3 to 5 3 to 4 Belgium1 6 96 96 58 Germany 6 63 52 271 Italy13 6 76 76 33 Spain 6 69 53 37
776W
1988–89 outturn £ million 1989–90 outturn £ million 1990–91 outturn £ million 1991–92 outturn £ million 1992–93 provisional £ million Grant-maintained schools 0 18 69 183 485 City technology colleges 14 30 58 56 50
Age at which compulsory schooling starts Education Percentage of private sector provision 1987 3 to 5 3 to 4 United Kingdom 5 64 46 6 466 450 11988 data for Belgium and Italy. 2In Germany, some providers of private sector provision receive some public subsidy. 3Estimated. 41991 data. Sources: Table AA: Education Statistics for the United Kingdom, 1992 edition.