Pre-school Places (Hansard, 30 April 2004)

§ Mr. Pike
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Burnley in each of the last seven years. [167918]

§ Mr. Hendrick
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Preston in each of the last seven years. [168135]

§ Margaret Hodge
The information is not available in the form requested.
Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four year olds in Lancashire local education authority area are shown in the table.
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The latest figures on provision for three and four-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, are eligible for a free, part-time early education place.

Number of free nursery education places^1,2 taken up by three and four-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers—Lancashire local education authority area—1997 to 2003

Position in January each year

Three-year-olds Four-year-olds

1997 4,400 12,400

1998 4,400 13,500

1999 4,400 16,000

2000 4,300 15,900

2001 9,400 15,700

2002 9,400 13,000

2003 10,100 12,600

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 three and four-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers—Lancashire local education authority area—1997 to 2003
Position in January each year
	Three-year-olds	Four-year-olds
1997	4,400	12,400
1998	4,400	13,500
1999	4,400	16,000
2000	4,300	15,900
2001	9,400	15,700
2002	9,400	13,000
2003	10,100	12,600
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.