§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance her Department gives to local education authorities on their relationship with early year development partnerships. [18499]
§ Margaret HodgeStrategic guidance is issued to local education authorities and early years development and child care partnerships every two years. This includes guidance on the relationship between the two.
76WThe strategic guidance is supported by implementation guidance issued annually which sets out the operational framework in which the local education authority and early years development and child care partnership should work over the coming year.
§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance her Department gives to local education authorities about providing additional funding to early year development partnerships to provide free nursery places for all three-year-olds. [18500]
§ Margaret HodgeThe Department for Education and Skills does not provide guidance to local education authorities on providing additional funding to their early years development and child care partnerships for free nursery education places for three-year-olds. Such spending priorities are determined locally and are at the discretion of the local authority.
In 2001–02 £3.1 million has been made available to provide 2,638 free nursery education places for threeyear-olds in Leicestershire. This level of funding could increase before the end of 2001–02, if Leicestershire receives additional funding in the spring term as a result of its recent bid for additional places.