PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Children: Day Care (25 September 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of children accessing the (a) 15-hours free childcare scheme for three and four-year-olds and (b) 12.5-hours free childcare offer which preceded it in (i) East Hampshire constituency, (ii) Hampshire local authority area and (iii) England in each year since the inception of each offer.

Asked by:
Damian Hinds (Conservative)

The number of 3 and 4-year-old children benefiting from 15 hours funded early education in Hampshire local authority and England are shown in the table below. Data is not published at parliamentary consistency level.

The increase from 12.5 hours to 15 hours was rolled out between April 2007 and September 2010. Due to the phased roll-out consistent data is not available for these years.

Number of 3 and 4-year-old children benefiting from 15 hours funded early education 2011-2019 Hampshire local authority and England

	Hampshire	England
2011	29,110	1,224,470
2012	29,690	1,264,420
2013	30,200	1,283,500
2014	30,460	1,299,910
2015	31,200	1,321,900
2016	31,690	1,339,430
2017	31,000	1,317,660
2018	30,060	1,284,630
2019	30,080	1,277,140

Source: Early Years Census, School Census, and School Level Annual School Census

(1) Count of children aged 3 and 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year.

(2) Any child attending more than one provider will have only been counted once.

(3) Includes general hospital schools and excludes pupil referral units.

Answered by:
Nick Gibb (Conservative)
4 October 2019