HC Deb 06 February 2001 vol 362 cc474-9W
Mr. Willis

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for the(a) United Kingdom and (b) each local authority, the number of three-year-olds with free early years education places providing five or more sessions of education per week in (i) 1979, (ii) 1990 and (iii) for each year from 1992 to 2000. [147244]

Ms Hodge

The information is not available in the form requested. Up to September 1999, free places for three-year-olds were available only in maintained nursery and primary schools. Since September 1999 specific funding by the Government for three-year-olds has been extended to private, voluntary and independent providers via the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. The table accounts for places only in the maintained sector.

The available information on the numbers of three-year-olds in free early years provision for England and in each local education authority up to January 2000 is shown in the table. During 2000–01, £100 million has been made available to provide a further 40,000 free places for three-year-olds. In 2001–02, £250 million will be made available to provide 80,000 new additional places.

All four-year-olds have been guaranteed a free place since September 1998. By September 2004 all three-year-olds will have a free early education place. By 2004 expenditure on nursery education will have doubled from £1 to £2 billion.

For information on three-year-olds with free early years places in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, I refer the hon. Member to the Ministers responsible for Education in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively.

Table 1: Children aged three in free early years education places1

England and each local education authority in England, 1996–2000

Position as at January 19962 19972 19982 19992 20003,7
Durham5 5,161 5,132
Darlington6 1,082 1,002 980
Durham4,6 3,935 3,786 4,150
Northumberland 2,194 2,255 2,207 2,109 2,120
Gateshead4 1,334 1,259 1,340 1,314 1,940
Newcastle-upon-Tyne4 1,896 1,878 1,755 1,789 2,340
North Tyneside4 1,905 1,837 1,783 1,816 1,840
South Tyneside4 1,599 1,525 1,470 1,476 1,450
Sunderland4 2,439 2,420 2,324 2,342 2,860
North West 42,042 42,204 41,967 41,667 49,920
Cheshire5 3,839 4,021 3,856
Halton4,6 663 1,190
Warrington6 880 960
Cheshire6 2,242 2,250
Cumbria 2,256 2,597 2,609 2,490 2,420
Bolton4 2,250 2,295 2,177 2,104 2,950
Bury 1,092 1,079 1,071 1,045 1,050
Manchester4 3,744 3,722 4,382 4,229 4,490
Oldham4 1,626 1,540 1,547 1,594 2,370
Rochdale4 1,421 1,407 1,476 1,374 2,180
Salford4 2,597 2,231 2,181 2,113 2,190
Stockport 1,386 1,634 1,494 1,608 1,630
Tameside4 1,732 1,705 1,631 1,620 2,090
Trafford 1,877 1,856 1,684 1,627 1,580
Wigan 1,436 1,434 1,428 1,443 1,510
Lancashire5 5,601 5,648 5,623
Blackburn with Darwen4,6 1,024 1,250
Blackpool4,6 316 1,590
Lancashire6 4,427 4,250
Knowsley4 2,104 2,044 2,037 2,032 2,140
Liverpool4 4,433 4,187 4,039 3,920 5,060
St. Helens4 1,108 1,108 1,050 1,113 1,460
Sefton4 2,028 2,051 1,975 2,089 2,370
Wirral4 1,512 1,645 1,707 1,714 2,940
Yorkshire and the Humber 31,407 31,844 32,499 32,884 38,730
Humberside5 4,670
East Riding of Yorkshire6 1,053 1,110 1,103 1,030
Kingston-upon-Hull, City of4,6 2,240 2,284 2,252 2,570
North East Lincolnshire4,6 922 978 1,010 1,520
North Lincolnshire6 521 551 554 590
North Yorkshire 2,174
York6 676 752 811 790
North Yorkshire6 1,642 1,728 1,808 1,800
Barnsley4 1,269 1,264 1,394 1,406 1,630
Doncaster4 2,435 2,364 2,294 2,249 2,330
Rotherham4 1,251 1,304 1,310 1,443 2,170
Sheffield4 2,542 2,594 2,707 2,837 4,550
Bradford4 4,132 4,376 4,795 4,694 5,510
Calderdale 1,240 1,309 1,281 1,234 1,310
Kirklees4 3,030 2,974 2,679 2,627 2,990
Leeds4 6,023 6,065 6,074 6,231 6,950
Wakefield4 2,641 2,540 2,562 2,625 3,010
East Midlands 16,772 17,140 17,985 18,333 21,450
Derbyshire5 5,013 4,943
Derby6 1,690 1,645 1,930
Derbyshire6 3,387 3,472 4,240
Leicestershire5 2,365 2,479
Leicester4,6 2,361 2,343 3,230
Rutland6 41 75 100
Leicestershire6 72 89 90
Lincolnshire 1,563 1,686 1,752 1,744 1,790
Northamptonshire 2,214 2,277 2,398 2,330 2,300
Nottinghamshire5 5,617 5,755 6,284
Nottingham4,6 2,573 3,310
Nottinghamshire6 4,062 4,460
West Midlands 29,020 29,098 30,665 30,522 35,690
Hereford and Worcester5 567 762 1,663
Herefordshire6 313 340
Worcestershire6 1,376 1,530
Table 1: Children aged three in free early years education places1

England and each local education authority in England, 1996–2000

Position as at January 19962 19972 19982 19992 20003,7
Shropshire5 749 790 955
Telford and Wrekin4,6 510 1,000
Shropshire6 381 420
Staffordshire5 4,630 4,664
Stoke-on-Trent4,6 2,023 1,950 2,290
Staffordshire6 2,745 2,656 2,560
Warwickshire 1,408 1,357 1,415 1,490 1,600
Birmingham4 7,488 7,427 7,527 7,420 10,200
Coventry4 1,420 1,674 1,905 1,968 2,920
Dudley 2,270 2,267 2,279 2,283 2,230
Sandwell4 3,290 3,035 3,104 3,106 3,240
Solihull 1,188 1,250 1,359 1,464 1,540
Walsall4 3,239 3,079 3,004 2,951 3,000
Wolverhampton4 2,771 2,793 2,686 2,654 2,820
East of England 9,642 11,658 13,331 14,048 14,870
Bedfordshire5 1,937 2,035
Luton6 889 966 950
Bedfordshire6 1,245 1,269 1,210
Cambridgeshire5 1,495 1,466 1,511
Peterborough6 318 320
Cambridgeshire6 1,161 1,090
Essex5 1,166 1,964 2,353
Southend-on-Sea6 392 450
Thurrock6 435 470
Essex6 1,984 1,960
Hertfordshire 3,853 4,095 4,951 4,908 5,890
Norfolk 739 1,493 1,823 1,898 1,890
Suffolk 452 605 559 717 630
London 39,869 40,536 42,304 44,864 57,190
Inner London 18,696 18,959 19,597 21,437 29,160
City of London 12 11 15 11 10
Camden4 765 802 890 928 1,450
Hackney4 1,536 1,474 1,543 1,624 2,430
Hammersmith and Fulham4 1,055 1,053 1,055 1,061 1,470
Haringey4 1,894 2,004 1,944 1,949 2,210
Islington4 1,342 1,266 1,256 1,283 1,840
Kensington and Chelsea 486 542 523 513 590
Lambeth4 1,396 1,462 1,855 1,911 3,150
Lewisham4 1,363 1,412 1,475 1,877 2,560
Newham4 2,074 2,030 2,103 3,189 3,860
Southwark4 2,158 2,222 2,290 2,278 2,820
Tower Hamlets4 2,288 2,340 2,264 2,405 2,610
Wandsworth4 1,590 1,614 1,590 1,584 2,860
Westminster4 737 727 794 824 1,300
Outer London 21,173 21,577 22,707 23,427 28,030
Barking and Dagenham4 1,331 1,332 1,408 1,329 1,630
Barnet 1,780 2,021 2,010 2,026 2,010
Bexley 1,009 1,069 1,242 1,300 1,390
Brent4 1,778 1,712 1,706 1,708 2,380
Bromley 111 107 197 216 240
Croydon 1,420 1,537 1,720 1,859 1,830
Ealing4 2,705 2,625 2,692 2,686 3,140
Enfield 1,110 1,112 1,136 1,235 1,230
Greenwich4 1,785 1,981 1,841 1,889 2,600
Harrow 489 451 588 576 620
Havering 378 449 464 459 550
Hillingdon 473 560 620 636 1,360
Hounslow4 1,562 1,563 1,605 1,505 1,990
Kingston upon Thames 931 888 892 892 940
Merton 1,749 1,644 1,707 1,668 1,670
Redbridge 626 687 824 1,318 1,600
Richmond upon Thames 597 570 587 555 590
Sutton 270 325 259 289 250
Waltham Forest4 1,069 944 1,209 1,281 2,040
South East 10,128 10,602 11,763 12,155 13,300
Berkshire5 1,427 1,413 2,049
Bracknell Forest6 90 110
Windsor and Maidenhead6 290 310
West Berkshire6 216 260
Table 1: Children aged three in free early years education places1

England and each local education authority in England, 1996–2000

Position as at January 19962 19972 19982 19992 20003,7
Reading6 614 740
Slough6 822 930
Wokingham6 90 140
Buckinghamshire5 758 887
Milton Keynes6 301 313 370
Buckinghamshire6 695 686 690
East Sussex5 1,351 1,383
Brighton and Hove4,6 816 770 1,460
East Sussex6 606 595 570
Hampshire5 1,396 1,459
Portsmouth6 459 495 440
Southampton6 406 428 440
Hampshire6 559 60S 600
Isle of Wight4 124 115 125 118 160
Kent5 1,676 1,847 1,812
Medway6 359 420
Kent6 1,495 1,410
Oxfordshire 705 770 866 908 1,000
Surrey 2,053 2,080 2,234 2,384 2,430
West Sussex 638 648 835 877 840
South West 7,240 7,384 8,573 8,744 10,930
Avon5 3,551
Bath and North East Somerset6 308 309 317 300
Bristol, City of6 2,755 2,817 2,836 2,800
North Somerset6 159 164 157 200
South Gloucestershire6 403 320 325 330
Cornwall4 976 988 962 1,042 2,710
Isles of Scilly 1 0 3 2 0
Devon5 1,384 1,378 2,210
Torbay6 326 390
Plymouth4,6 747 1,130
Devon6 1,172 1,200
Dorset5 545 554
Bournemouth6 287 246 270
Poole6 92 78 80
Dorset6 214 208 250
Gloucestershire 17 58 72 83 70
Somerset 401 472 499 477 470
Wiltshire5 365 309
Swindon6 324 428 410
Wiltshire6 300 300 320
1 Prior to September 1999, free places for three-year-olds were available only in maintained nursery and primary schools. Since September 1999 funding has been extended to private, voluntary and independent providers.
2 Headcount numbers collected from maintained schools in January each year as part of the Annual Schools' Census.
3 Combining Annual Schools' Census data from maintained schools in January 2000 and data submitted by LEAs for Nursery Education Grant purposes relating to private, voluntary and independent providers in spring 2000.
4 LEA's eligible to provide funding for three-year-olds in the private, voluntary and independent sectors via Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. In spring 2000 there were a total of 65 such LEAs in England.
5 Before Local Government Re-organisation.
6 After Local Government Re-organisation.

Note:

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.