HC Deb 14 November 2001 vol 374 cc797-9W
Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the location of the early excellence centres which(a) are in operation, (b) are in the process of implementation and (c) are planned, and what are the criteria for locations to be included in each element of the programme. [14132]

Mr. Timms

[holding answer 13 November 2001]: The Early Excellence Centre (EEC) programme is at the forefront of our policies to develop practice in integrated care, education and family services.

(a) The early excellence centres which are in operation are in:

  • Bath and North East Somerset
  • Bolton
  • Bradford
  • Bristol
  • Camden
  • Coventry
  • Cumbria
  • Cornwall
  • Derbyshire
  • Gateshead
  • Greenwich
  • Hammersmith and Fulham
  • Hampshire
  • Haringey
  • Hertfordshire
  • Kirklees
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester
  • Newham
  • North Tyneside
  • North East Lincolnshire
  • Northamptonshire
  • Northumberland
  • Oxfordshire
  • Portsmouth
  • Richmond-upon-Thames
  • Rotherham
  • Sheffield (2)
  • Somerset
  • Stockport
  • South Tyneside
  • St. Helens
  • Westminster
  • Wirral

(b) On 1 October we announced 14 new centres in Birmingham, Cornwall, Derby, Hackney, Herefordshire, Hillingdon, Islington, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lewisham, Rotherham, Surrey, Wirral and two projects working with the NHS, newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP) in Stockport and Waltham Forest. We are working with these centres to implement their proposals. At the same time we are continuing to receive further expressions of interest in joining the programme and to discuss with a number of individual centres how their plans could be developed further.

(c) Working closely with sure start and neighbourhood nurseries, we plan to have up to 100 centres across the country by 2004. The criteria for joining the programme are set out in the latest invitation to join the programme sent to all local authorities, early years development and childcare partnerships and other partners on 1 October. Location is not the prime criterion: quality of provision is, but our plans for the programme do include achieving good geographic spread.