Nursery World - The number of children receiving pre-school education in Scotland

The number of children receiving pre-school education in Scotland grew by 6 per cent overall between January 2002 and January 2003, according to statistics published by the Scottish Executive last week. The summary results of the 2003 Pre-school and Daycare Census have revealed a 22 per cent increase in the number of private sector centres providing pre-school education, compared with a growth of 4 per cent in council-run centres and 7 per cent in voluntary sector centres. However, there was an 18 per cent drop in the number of playgroups, from 1,069 to 875. A Scottish Executive spokesperson said, 'The expansion in funded pre-school education places will have had an effect on the traditional services. However, the number of places available for children has increased to cope with the changing demand.'

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