Scottish Government

NEWS RELEASE
SUMMARY RESULTS OF THE 2002 PRE-SCHOOL AND DAYCARE CENSUS

10 September 2002
A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication

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SUMMARY RESULTS OF THE 2002 PRE-SCHOOL AND DAYCARE CENSUS

Statistics on children in pre-school education and daycare centres in Scotland in January 2002 have been published today.

This news release updates the figures published in August 2001 in the news release Provisional Results of the 2001 Pre-School and Daycare Census. The Notes section of the news release gives some background to the data and important advice on interpreting the figures.

The main points are:

• Nearly 99,000 children, aged 3 to 5, were attending centres providing pre-school education in January 2002. This figure remains almost unchanged from the equivalent figure for January 2001.
• Almost three quarters of children attending pre-school education provision were attending Local Authority pre-school centres with the remainder in private and voluntary sector centres which were working in partnership with their Local Authority.
• Of the total number of children attending pre-school education centres, 68 per cent attended for 5 sessions a week, 19 per cent attended for between 6 to 10 sessions and the remaining 13 per cent attended for between 1 to 4 sessions.
• The maximum number of pre-school and daycare places available at any one time to children in Scotland was 145,447 in school termtime. This figure reduced to 53,806 in school holidays.
• The total number of children attending centres covered by the census (both pre-school education and daycare centres) was just over 188,000. Of these, 59 per cent were either 3 or 4 years old. The age profile varied according to the type of centre.
• Of the children attending all centres, 65 per cent attended on every weekday, 33 per cent attended on between one and four weekdays and 2 per cent attended at weekends only.
• There was a total of just over 27,000 people working in pre-school and daycare centres of which 56 per cent worked part-time. The staff involved in centres equated to a total full-time equivalent of 16,794. Of the total hours worked, 98 per cent were worked by female staff members.
• The average full-time equivalent child to staff ratio in pre-school education provision was 5.5. This ratio ranged between local authority areas from 7.6 in West Lothian to 4.4 in Eilean Siar.
• In January 2002 there were over 4,100 centres offering pre-school education or daycare for children. Just over half of the centres described themselves as nurseries and a further 26 per cent as playgroups. The remaining 23 per cent of centres were made up of out of school care clubs (11 per cent), playschemes (4 per cent), crèches (4 per cent) and family centres (4 per cent).
• Most centres offered more than one type of service with, on average, each centre offering 3 types. Family centres offered the most diverse range of services with an average of 9 different types of service offered. Playgroups were the most focused with each centre offering an average of 2 different services.

The following tables are available:

NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS

1. In 2001 the Census of Children's Daycare and Pre-School Education Centres replaced both the Census of Pre-School Education Centres and the Survey of Social Work Daycare Services for Children in Scotland. The results in this release are derived from the second annual daycare and pre-school census. All figures relate to a census week beginning 28 ^th January 2002. The census covered all centres registered with Local Authority Social Work departments to provide pre-school education or children's daycare. The census covered centres of all kinds of management arrangements including Local Authority, voluntary and private provision. It did not include childminders (unless these were also providers of government funded pre-school education), nannies or other carers providing services within the parental home.

2. Of an estimated total of 4,117 open centres, replies to the census were received from 3,650 giving a response rate of 89 percent. In order to give the most complete picture possible of pre-school and daycare centres in Scotland, figures in this publication have been grossed up to take account of non-response. Some alterations and imputations have also been made to compensate for problems caused by incomplete or incorrect data.

3. In 2002 improved address lists were used and information was obtained from Local Authorities about centres which did not respond to the census. These improvements have allowed us to make better estimates than in 2001 about which non-responding centres had actually closed or moved out of scope of the census. It is likely that our estimates of the number of daycare centres in existence and the number of children attending were slightly too high in 2001 and therefore caution should be used when comparing figures to those published in 'Provisional Results of the 2001 Pre-School and Daycare Census'. Due to differences in rates of non-response in the pre-school and daycare sector our over-estimation is unlikely to have had a significant effect in the pre-school education sector.

4. For the purposes of this census, 'pre-school education sessions' means half-day periods in centres run or commissioned by a Local Authority to provide pre-school education, in line with national curricular and other guidance. The Scottish Executive is committed to providing a part-time, funded pre-school education place for each child from the term after their 3 ^rd birthday. The latest figures available from grant applications data indicate that the take-up rate for this provision in the summer of 2002 was 96 percent of all 4 year olds and 85 percent of 3 year olds. (Grant applications data announced by Cathy Jamieson on 21 August 2002 can be accessed on the Scottish Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2002/08/SEed086.aspx).The pre-school figures included in this news release (and shown separately in Tables 1, 8 and 9) relate to all activity in the sector, not just that which is funded through central government grant as pre-school education; they therefore differ from the take-up figures previously announced. Sessions taken beyond those funded by the Executive under it's pre-school initiative (but which may be the same, in practical terms, as funded sessions) may be financed by parents, by a Local Authority or by voluntary means (including charities).

5. The census was undertaken at individual centre level and some questions included a certain degree of subjectivity of response. Each centre was asked to indicate the main type of facility offered (one type only from: nursery, playgroup, playscheme, out of school care club, crèche or family centre), the type of premises used (one type only from a list including school, community centre, workplace etc.) and to identify the range of services provided (any number of services from a list including nursery, playscheme, learning library etc.). It is important to be aware that, for the purposes of this census, a centre offering, for example, both a nursery service and an out of school care service may choose to class itself as either predominantly a nursery or predominantly an out of school care club. These details were self reported by each centre and the results are shown in Tables 2, 3 and 4.

6. A result of the classification process described in Note 5 is that a child may appear to be attending a centre which is inappropriate for their age group, this is particularly noticeable in Table 2. For example, an 8 year old child would not normally be expected to attend a nursery. However, a centre that classifies itself as a nursery, for the purposes of the census, may also offer out of school care, a playscheme or any of a range of other services which would be suitable for an 8 year old.

7. A feature of the census being carried out at individual centre level with each centre returning data independently of all others is that children attending more than one centre can not be identified. This may result in some double counting of attendance. For example a child attending 3 sessions per week in one centre and 3 sessions per week in another centre will be recorded as 2 children each attending 3 sessions per week rather than 1 child attending 6 sessions per week.

8. There is no bulletin publication for these figures. Supporting tables are, however, available on request - media should contact Julie Grant on 0131-244-3070 - and on the Scottish Executive web site ( www.scotland.gov.uk).

9. This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

10. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News Release should be addressed to:
Angus MacDonald,
Scottish Executive Education Department,
Area 1-A,
Victoria Quay,
Edinburgh,
EH6 6QQ.
Telephone 0131 244 3551
or e-mail: angus.macdonald@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Contact: Brian Robinson 0131 244 2968