HC Deb 21 February 1995 vol 255 cc181-2W
Ms Hodge

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the qualifications required for staff working in state nursery schools.

Mr. Forth

The Education (Teachers) Regulations 1993, as amended, require that those employed as teachers at maintained schools shall be qualified teachers as defined in those regulations. There are certain limited exceptions to this rule, also set out in the regulations.

Expenditure on pre-primary education: 1991
Public current expenditure1 on pre-primary education (US$Million3 Public expenditure2per pupil in pre-primary education (US $3) Public current expenditure1 on pre-primary education as a percentage of gross domestic product Public current expenditure1 on pre-primary education as a percentage of total public expenditure
Denmark 144 4,736 0.2 0.3
France 5,619 2,163 0.5 1.1
United Kingdom 1,754 2,223 0.2 0.4

Sources

Education at a Glance, OECD, December 1993.

UNESCO Statistical Yearbooks 1993 and 1994 editions.

Notes

1 Excludes capital expenditure and loan charges.

2 Includes capital expenditure and loan charges.

3Adjusted to US dollars using Purchasing Power Parities published by OECD.

Ms Hodge

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment she has made of the level of staff turnover in public day nursery schools.

Mr. Forth

In maintained nursery schools in England in 1991–92, the turnover of full-time qualified teachers

There are no statutory requirements governing the qualifications of staff employed in other roles in maintained nursery schools.

Ms Hodge

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of registered disabled children get a place at a nursery school or in a nursery class in a primary school.

Mr. Forth

This information is not available centrally.

Ms Hodge

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of children with special educational needs as defined by the Children Act 1989 get a place at(a) nursery school and (b) nursery class in a primary school.

Mr. Forth

Figures for children in need as defined under section 17(10) of the Children Act 1989 are not collected centrally.

In 1994, 319 children with a statement of special educational need maintained by the local education authority under section 168 of the Education Act 1993 attended a maintained nursery school, representing 0.6 per cent. of the total maintained nursery population.

The numbers of children with statements of special educational needs attending a nursery class in a primary school are not available.

Ms Hodge

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total level of public expenditure on education for children under school age in(a) Denmark, (b) France and (c) the United Kingdom; what this sum is in each country per child under school age; what this sum is as a percentage of the national gross domestic product; and what this sum is as a percentage of public spending overall in the country concerned.

Mr. Forth

International comparisons of public expenditure on pre-primary education are difficult to make because of the need to ensure consistent definitions across countries. The latest available estimates based on information published by UNESCO and OECD are shown in the table.

was 14.4 per cent. Information on turnover rates of other staff is not collected centrally.