§ Ms WalleyTo 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 Stoke-on-Trent North in each of the last seven years. [177642]
§ Margaret HodgeThe 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 Stoke-on-Trent local education authority area are shown in the table.
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/.
From 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.
1211W
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, Stoke-on-Trent local education authority area, 1997 to 2003 Position in January each year Three-year-olds Four-year-olds 1997 1,200 3,100 1998 2,000 3,000 1999 2,000 2,900 2000 2,300 2,800 2001 2,200 2,800 2002 2,000 2,900 2003 2,200 2,700 1Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children. 2 A 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.