Number of children in free nursery education rises

The statistics, published on the Department for Education's website, are the first since free nursery education was extended from 12-and-a-half to 15 hours a week.

Overall, 95 per cent of all three and four-year-olds - 1, 186,365 children – are registered with early years settings and taking up at least some free hours.

The number of children accessing the free entitlement (based on January figures) is up by 38,100 compared with data for 2010.

The figures also show that four-year-olds are more likely to access the full 15-hour entitlement than three-year-olds.

Number of three- and four-year-olds benefiting from some free early education by type of provider

Source: Department for Education

However, a small percentage of three- and four-year-olds, largely from disadvantaged families, do not use any of the free hours they are entitled to.

Research by the National Centre for Social Research, published earlier this year, found that unemployed parents from poor families were less likely to use free nursery places than better-off parents.

The Government said that it was targeting poorer families by funding voluntary and community organisations, and using health visitors to encourage them to take up the 15 hours, as well as extending free early education to all disadvantaged two-year-olds by 2013.

A Department for Education spokesperson said, ‘Free early education is a vital step in children’s development, giving them the chance to play, learn and thrive. One of the first things the Coalition Government did was to extend the free entitlement for three- and four- year-olds to 15 hours a week. It is encouraging to see from new statistics out today that 86 per cent of children accessing the free entitlement are taking up this extended offer.’

The spokesperson added, ‘However, there is still a minority of children who are not accessing free early education. They are among the most disadvantaged children in the country. Missing out on quality early education can have a real and long term impact on their development. That's why, we are funding voluntary and community organisations over the next two years, and working through health visitors, to specifically target these disadvantaged families.

'By getting this support to poorer families earlier we hope they will continue to take up the free entitlement until their children start school.’