Education (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Hansard, 29 April 2004)

§ Tim Loughton
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new nurseries have been set up in East Worthing and Shoreham since 1997. [169033]

§ Margaret Hodge
West Sussex local authority is responsible for determining the local need for nurseries in West Sussex and holding information on current provision. West Sussex local authority reported that between April 1999 and December 2003, 37 new nurseries have been established in the constituency of East Worthing and Shoreham. Thirteen of these are offering full daycare and 24 are offering sessional daycare, creating 1,301 additional places. West Sussex Local authority plan to create a Children's Centre in Worthing providing Children's Centre services for around 250 children and their families. The nursery attached to the Worthing Children's Centre (which has benefited from resources from the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative) is set to open iii October 2004 and will deliver 30 new full daycare places.

§ Tim Loughton
To ask the Sectretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three-year-olds and (ii) four-year-olds in East Worthing and Shoreham in each of the last seven years. [169035]

§ Margaret Hodge
The information is not available in the form requested.
Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds in West Sussex local education authority area are shown in the table.
The latest figures on provision for 3 and 4-year-olds in England were published in a statistical bulletin "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2003' which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
Since the beginning of April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, will be eligible for a free, part-time early education place.
1258W

Number of free nursery education places^1,2 taken up by 3 and
4-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and
private, voluntary and independent providers—West Sussex local
education authority area: 1997–2003

Position in January each year 3-year-olds 4-year-olds

1997 600 7,600

1998 800 7,900

1999 900 8,400

2000 800 8,700

2001 1,300 8,200

2002 2,600 8,100

2003 4,900 8,400

¹Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children.

²A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.

Number of free nursery education places^1,2 taken up by 3 and 4-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers—West Sussex local education authority area: 1997–2003
Position in January each year	3-year-olds	4-year-olds
1997	600	7,600
1998	800	7,900
1999	900	8,400
2000	800	8,700
2001	1,300	8,200
2002	2,600	8,100
2003	4,900	8,400
¹Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children.
²A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.