* The Government's support for private day nurseries and a more unified approach to pre-school education will lead to 'sustained strong growth', according to a report on the nursery education sector by Market and Business Development. The market research company predicts that private day nurseries will account for 92 per cent of the industry by the end of 2003 and says that the number of local authority nurseries will fall by around 4 per cent. It also predicts that growth in the sector will in part be due to an increase in the number of three- and four-year-olds in formal daycare.
* The Government's support for private day nurseries and a more unified approach to pre-school education will lead to 'sustained strong growth', according to a report on the nursery education sector by Market and Business Development.
The market research company predicts that private day nurseries will account for 92 per cent of the industry by the end of 2003 and says that the number of local authority nurseries will fall by around 4 per cent. It also predicts that growth in the sector will in part be due to an increase in the number of three- and four-year-olds in formal daycare.
But the report warns that the increase in availability of pre-school nursery classes in the maintained sector is one of the greatest threats to potential investors in private daycare. It says the lack of suitably qualified staff is also likely to remain a problem.
The report costs 550 from MBD at the website www.mbdltd.co.uk.