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Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Tim Loughton: 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-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. Number of free nursery education places1,2 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 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 Part-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.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

420 c1257-8W; 169035

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Pre-school education Nurseries West Sussex Worthing

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk