Pre-school Education (Hansard, 7 September 2004)

§ Mr. Woodward
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. (1) what the Government's policy is on pre-school education access; and if he will make a statement; [186803]
(2) whether the Government expects to meet its target of providing free part-time nursery education places to all three and four year old children by September; and if he will make a statement; [186808]
(3) what plans the Government has to expand access to pre-school education; and if he will make a statement. [186802]

§ Margaret Hodge
In 1997 access to free nursery education was effectively a postcode lottery. We have since invested more than £11 billion as part of an unprecedented expansion of early years provision. From 1 April 2004, six months ahead of the original target, we have amended the regulatory framework to 997W require all local authorities to ensure there is sufficient provision to deliver a free part time nursery education place for all three and four-year-olds whose parents want one. Provisional data from the January 2004 Early Years Census, published in May, confirmed that around 93 per cent. of three-year-olds and virtually all four year olds were already benefiting from some free provision. The Department's Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners, presented to Parliament in July (Cm 6272) outlined our plans to transform and build on the basic free entitlement by enabling parents to use it more flexibly as part of a wider integrated offer of education and child care.

Mr. Anthony D. Wright
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how man) free(a) nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Great Yarmouth in each of the last seven years. [186713]

§ 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 Norfolk local education authority area are shown in the table.

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 Norfolk local
education authority area, 1997–2003

Position in January each year Three-year-olds Four-year-olds

1997 1,500 8,200

1998 1,800 8,400

1999 1,900 8,500

2000 1,900 8,900

2001 2,000 8,400

2002 4,800 8,400

2003 6,100 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.

The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical First Release, "Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England—January 2004", 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.

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 Norfolk local education authority area, 1997–2003
Position in January each year	Three-year-olds	Four-year-olds
1997	1,500	8,200
1998	1,800	8,400
1999	1,900	8,500
2000	1,900	8,900
2001	2,000	8,400
2002	4,800	8,400
2003	6,100	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.