Fiona MactagartTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) nursery and (b) after-school child care places were available in Slough in (i) April 1997 and (ii) April 2001. [160787]
§ Ms HodgeIn January 1997, 1,790 early education places for three and four-year-olds were taken up in the Slough local education authority area. By January 2000, this had increased to 2,434. Figures for the numbers of early education places for three and four-year-olds taken up in January 2001 are not yet available.
From September 1998, all four-year-olds have been able to access a free, part-time, early education place, From autumn 2004, all three-year-olds in England will also be entitled to a free early education place, if their parents want one.
We are unable to show statistics for out of school child care places prior to January 1999. In January 1999, there were 54 out of school child care places in group-based care in the Slough area. There was a slight decline in the year to January 2000 but we have yet to receive the figure for January 2001. Furthermore, 1,130 out of school places in both group-based care and with child minders are planned to be created between April 2001 and March 2004. Data for January 2001 are not yet available.