§ Mr BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what per cent. of under three-year-olds have been eligible for free pre-school education in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [82679]
§ Jane KennedyPre-school places in the statutory sector are, as has been the case since the early 1970s, open to children from two years old to the lower limit of compulsory school age. In all cases, however, applications from children in their immediate preschool year are given priority ahead of younger children. Children in their penultimate pre-school year who attend nursery schools and units are therefore occupying places that would otherwise be unfilled.
In the past three years, the number of children attending statutory nursery schools and units who had not attained the age of three by the date of the School Census was as follows.
549W
Number of children under three attending statutory settings Number of children under three as percentage of children attending statutory steetings Number of children under three as percentage of total number of children attending funded pre-school places 1999–2000 1,090 8.8 6.9 2000–01 992 7.1 5.6 2001–02 1,423 11 7