§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in rural areas have been closed each year since 1991. [8577]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Department does not have reliable data on a year-by-year basis on the number of rural schools closed between 1991 and 1997. We estimate that in the period 1983 to the beginning of 1998 around 450 rural primary schools closed. Since we introduced our current policy, with a presumption against the closure of rural schools, in February 1998, the number of rural schools approved for closure has been as follows.
1997: 41998: 51294W
Number of three-year-olds1,2,3 by type of early years education provider in England 1997–2001—position as at January each year 1997 1998 1999 2000 42001 Private, voluntary and independent providers5 Number of three-year-olds 6— 6— 6— 294,700 312,300 of which: Number of funded places7 6— 6— 6— 39,500 123,000 Maintained schools8 Number of three-year olds 217,000 224,600 228,200 232,200 229,100 1 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year 2 Rounded to the nearest hundred 3 Any child attending more than one provider may have been counted twice 4 Provisional 5 Includes Independent schools 6 Information was not collected for Providers other than Independent schools 7 Children aged three with providers who claim Nursery Education Grant. Figures include independent schools 8 Includes maintained nursery, primary and special schools. Places are all funded
1999: 22000: 22001: 3.