§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many four year-olds are currently attending(a) maintained nursery schools, (b) nursery classes in maintained primary schools, (c) reception classes, (d) voluntary sector pre-school provision and (e) private sector pre-school provision. [82017]
§ Ms HodgeThe available information is shown in the following table.
Number of four-year-olds in early years provision in maintained nursery schools, nursery and infant classes in maintained primary schools and the private, voluntary and independent sectors in England, January 1998: January 1998 Number of four-year-olds in maintained nursery schools 17,991 Number of four-year-olds in nursery classes in maintained primary schools 129,497 Number of four-year-olds in infant classes1 in maintained primary schools 350,959 Number of four-year-olds in private and voluntary providers and independent schools 82,599 1Includes reception and other classes (i.e. non nursery classes)
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will estimate how many pre-schools have closed since May 1997; and if he will set out the basis of the Government's calculation; [82016]
(2) what assessment he has made of the basis for the difference in figures produced by his Department and by the Pre-School Learning Alliance on the number of pre-schools that have closed since May 1997. [82019]
§ Ms HodgeThe Department's annual survey of day-care facilities in England, using data submitted by local authorities, shows a small fall in the number of registered playgroups at March 1998 compared with a year earlier. Officials have arranged to discuss with the Pre-School Learning Alliance differences between their figures and the latest survey data.