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This publication provides statistics on registered pre-school education, children's daycare and childminders in Scotland for 2006. The main points are:
- In January 2006 there were 4,306 registered childcare and pre-school education centres and 6,051 childminders in Scotland, of whom 5,460 were active.
- Of all registered childcare and pre-school education centres, 41.8 per cent were in the public sector, 22.3 per cent were in the private sector and 34.0 per cent were in the voluntary sector.
- More than two thirds (68.7 per cent) of registered centres had an outdoor play area, 16.6 per cent provided family support and 8.0 per cent provided professional health care.
- Approximately 30 per cent of active registered childminders had at least one childcare qualification. Nine per cent were training for qualifications.
- There were 2,761 local authority or partnership pre-school education providers in Scotland. There were additional centres that provided pre-school education not in partnership with the local authority.
- Approximately 97.5 per cent of children eligible for free ante-pre or pre-school education were registered with local authority or partnership pre-school education centres. Children are counted once for every pre-school centre they attend, so this figure may include some double counting.
- There were 1,648 whole-time equivalent General Teaching Council of Scotland registered teachers working in local authority or partnership pre-school education centres.
- Fifty centres reported providing pre-school education in Gaelic.
CHILDCARE (tables 1-10)
1.1 In January 2006 there were 4,306 registered childcare and pre-school education centres, of which 37.3 per cent were run from schools and 28.1 per cent had their own dedicated premises.
1.2 The proportion of centres in the public and private sectors varied a great deal between local authorities. Overall, 41.8 per cent were in the public sector, but in the Orkney Islands 92.0 per cent of the 25 centres were public sector, compared to just 7.7 per cent of the 39 centres in Eilean Siar.
1.3 There were 2,521 centres that provided a Nursery, of which 2,412 described Nursery as their main service. The majority of nurseries (1,552) were in the public sector. Of those centres that reported their main service to be a nursery, 46.5 per cent were situated in schools. 2,267 nurseries provided pre-school education.
1.4 There were 736 centres that provided a Playgroup, of which 627 described Playgroup as their main service. The majority of playgroups (590) were in the voluntary sector. 369 playgroups provided local authority or partnership pre-school education.
1.5 There were 1,051 centres that provided an Out of School Club, of which 762 described Out of School Club as their main service. Half of all Out of School Clubs (523) were in the voluntary sector.
1.6 There were 293 centres that provided a Crèche service, of which 168 described Crèche as their main service. Forty per cent of all crèches were in the voluntary sector.
1.7 There were 125 centres that reported their main service as a Children/Family Centre and an additional 52 that provided Children/Family Centre services. The majority of Children/Family Centres (107) were in the public sector.
1.8 There were 420 centres providing a Breakfast club of which just 2 reported that as their main service. 37.6 per cent were in the Voluntary sector, 30.2 per cent were in the pubic sector and 30.0 per cent were in the private sector.
1.9 There were 728 centres providing a Holiday Play Scheme of which 93 described that as their main service. The majority (382) were in the Voluntary sector.
1.10 Of all childcare centres, 16.6 per cent provided Family Support. Family support was most likely to be provided in Public Sector centres and in centres situated in the most deprived areas.
1.11 Eight per cent of all childcare centres provided Professional Health Care. Again, this was most likely to be provided in Public Sector centres and in centres situated in the most deprived areas.
1.12 Just less than two per cent of all childcare centres provided Gaelic Provision. This was most likely to be provided in Public Sector centres and in centres situated in rural areas.
1.13 Over two thirds of all childcare centres provided an Outdoor Play Area.
COSTS OF SERVICES (tables 11-14)
2.1 When considering the percentage of centres that charged or accepted donations it is important to consider that all 4 year olds, and 3 year olds from the term following their third birthday, are entitled to free pre-school provision. 94.0 per cent of nurseries and 58.9 per cent of playgroups provided pre-school education. Centres that provided free pre-school education were likely to provide further hours of either pre-school education or childcare and it is the cost of this provision that those centres reported.
2.2 The percentage of centres that charged or accepted donations varied according to the main service type. Overall, 49.9 per cent of all centres charged parents, 16.5 per cent accepted donations and 0.9 per cent charged and accepted donations. 14.7 per cent of centres were free to parents. Free centres were more common in areas of intermediate deprivation (17.3 per cent) than in the most deprived or least deprived areas (13.5 per cent and 13.2 per cent respectively).
2.3 Twenty percent of public sector nurseries reported that they charged parents, compared to 78.3 per cent of private sector nurseries and 65.7 per cent of voluntary sector nurseries. The median hourly all inclusive flat fee was less than 5 pence per hour for public sector nurseries, £2.90 per hour for private sector nurseries and £2.30 per hour for voluntary sector nurseries.
2.4 Where centres charged according to the age of the child, services for younger children tended to be more expensive (£2.90 per hour for under ones compares to £2.10 per hour for over fives).
2.5 The median suggested donation was 10 pence per hour while the median received donation was less than 5 pence per hour.
2.6 The median charges of childminders were £3 per hour, £18 - £21 per day or £69 - £100 per week.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDMINDERS (tables 15-16)
3.1 There were 6,051 registered childminders in Scotland in January 2006, a slight decrease from 6,100 in 2005 and 6,165 in 2004. 90 per cent of registered childminders were active during census week.
3.2 The majority of active childminders were females aged between 35 and 44 years old.
3.3 Forty-six per cent of active registered childminders had been registered for at least six years, and a further 26 per cent had been registered for between two and five years.
3.4 Approximately 30 per cent of childminders had childcare qualifications and 55 per cent had non-childcare related qualifications.
PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION (tables 17-23)
4.1 There were 2,761 local authority or partnership pre-school education providers in Scotland, of which 50 reported providing education in Gaelic. There were a number of pre-school centres that were not in partnership with the local authority and are excluded in this publication. For this reason, figures presented here are not directly comparable to those presented in previous publications.
4.2 Of the 12,544 staff providing pre-school education, 16.5 per cent were registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. 56.3 per cent of pre-school centres had at least one GTC registered teacher.
4.3 There were 2,040 students and volunteers providing pre-school education.
4.4 There were 105,814 pre-school education registrations (for any year of pre-school education) in Scotland, including 8,392 registrations for children aged under 3 and 4,380 for children deferring entry to primary school.
4.5 In January 2006, there were 41,671 registrations for the ante-pre-school year of pre-school education. This represents approximately 96.0 per cent of all children eligible. However it is important to consider that children may attend more than one pre-school centre, so this figure may include some double counting.
4.6 In January 2006, there were 51,371 registrations for the pre-school year of pre-school education. This represents approximately 98.8 per cent of all children eligible. Again, this figure may include some double counting.
4.7 The majority of all pre-school registrations (72,870) were in Education Authority ran nursery classes or schools. There were 12,603 registrations in voluntary sector pre-school education.
The following tables are available:
Table 1: Total number of centres and childminders, by main service type, management sector, area deprivation and rurality, January 2006
Table 2: Total number of centres and childminders, by main service type and local authority, January 2006
Table 3: Percentage of centres in each local authority by management sector (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 4: Total number of services, by management sector, area deprivation and rurality (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 5: Total number of services by local authority (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 6: Premises used by main service type, management sector, area deprivation and rurality (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 7: Total number of services by time of day provided (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 8: Total number and percentage of childminders by time of day services provided, January 2006
Table 9: Age and gender of children on the register of pre-school or daycare centres, or attending a childminder, during census week, January 2006
Table 10: Childcare information services, by management sector, January 2006
Table 11: Costs of childminders, January 2006
Table 12: Number of childcare services that charge, accept donations or are free to parents by main service type, area deprivation and rurality (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 13: Number of childcare services that charge, accept donations or are free to parents, by local authority (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 14: Costs of services, pounds per hour (excluding childminders), January 2006
Table 15: Characteristics of childminders, January 2006
Table 16: Qualifications and plans of childminders, January 2006
Table 17: Number of local authority or partnership pre-school education centres by type of centre and local authority, January 2006
Table 18: Staff in local authority or partnership pre-school education centres by local authority, January 2006
Table 19: Number of children attending local authority or partnership pre-school education by pre-school centre type and local authority, January 2006
Table 20: Number of children attending local authority or partnership pre-school education by pre-school centre type and local authority, excluding children under 3 years olds, January 2006
Table 21: Number of pre-school education registrations by year and centre type, January 2006
Table 22: Local authority or partnership pre-school education registrations by local authority, January 2006
Table 23: Local authority or partnership pre-school education registrations of children with disabilities or chronic illnesses by local authority, January 2006
Appendix 1: Estimated population of children eligible for pre-school education by local authority, January 2006
Appendix 2: 95% confidence interval look-up table for childminder estimates
The following charts are available:
Chart 1: Management sector of pre-school and childcare centres , January 2006
Chart 2: Management sector of centres by main service type, January 2006
Chart 3: Percentage of centres that charge or accept donations, January 2006
Chart 4: Highest held childcare qualification of childminders, January 2006
Chart 5: Highest held non-childcare qualification of childminders, January 2006
Chart 6: Percentage of pre-school education centres in partnership with the local authority by management sector, by local authority, January 2006
BACKGROUND NOTES
1. This publication provides information about pre-school education centres, children's daycare centres and childminders registered with the Care Commission. This differs to results in previous years publications which included some non-registered childcare centres. As a consequence many figures reported are not comparable to previous years.
2. Historical statistics, notes on the background to the surveys, the questionnaires, guidance notes, and related publications can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/childrenstats .
3. The response rate to the pre-school and childcare census was 82 per cent. The 792 centres that did not return a questionnaire were sent a letter to ask them their main service type and whether or not they provided pre-school education in partnership with a local authority. The centres that did not respond to the letter were telephoned and all but 23 were contacted.
4. 705 childminders were sampled, of which 423 (60 per cent) responded. Responses were grossed up to 6,051, the total number of childminders in Scotland in the first week of February 2006 according to the Care Commission. The sample was stratified by urban-rural and area deprivation.
5. Because figures reported for childminders are based on a sample, they are best understood as estimates with some level of statistical error surrounding them. For this reason all childminder figures have been reported to the nearest 10 and confidence intervals should be considered when using the figures. Appendix 2 provides a rough guide to the confidence intervals for childminders. For example, where a figure of 900 is presented, the 95 per cent confidence interval is 202, so the true number probably lies between 900 - 202 and 900 + 202, or 698 and 1,102.
6. The figures in Table 16 show the numbers of childminders whose highest qualification is at the level equivalent to the SVQs shown below.
Childcare qualifications:
SVQ1: Or SGA Care Intermediate 1, National certificate units, City & Guilds foundation, BTEC, Skills for Work (Early Education & Childcare) Int 1
SVQ2: Or PDA (classroom/learning assistants), NVQ2, SGA Care Intermediate 2, SCOTVEC modules, ACT, National Certificate module, City & Guilds craft, Skills for Work (Early Education & Childcare) Int 2.
SVQ3: Or a higher grade, NVQ3, GNVQ3/ GSVQ3, NNEB, SNNEB, City & Guilds adv. Craft, 'AS'/'A' levels, ONC/ OND, National Certificate Group Award in Early Education & Childcare (Higher).
HNC: HNC only
SVQ4: Or advanced higher, HND, PDA (Early Education & Childcare), DCE, Diploma in Education, RSA adv. Diploma
Degree: B.Ed or other degree directly relevant to childcare, or PGCE
Non childcare qualifications:
SVQ1: Or standard/'O' grades (max grades 3-4), interm.grade1, City & Guilds foundation, BTEC
SVQ2: Or standard/'O' grades (grades 1-2), NVQ2, interm.grade 2, City & Guilds craft
SVQ3: Or a higher grade, NVQ3, GNVQ3/ GSVQ3, City & Guilds adv. craft, 'AS'/'A' levels, ONC/ OND, HNC
SVQ4: Or a HND, advanced higher, RSA adv. Diploma
Degree: Bachelors or Masters degree not directly relevant to childcare
7. Definitions of the services provided:
Nursery: This category includes daycare and pre-school centres for children aged 5 or under including local authority pre-school classes and nurseries; private and voluntary daycare nurseries including centres providing pre-school education in partnership with the local authority; and community and workplace nurseries. The services will normally be used by parents on a regular rather than a drop-in basis and be provided for at least the school term.
Playgroup: These provide sessional or daycare for children aged 5 or under. Most are run by groups of parents with parent-led committees, although some may be owned by individuals or organised by other voluntary bodies or by the local authority. They rely heavily on parents/carers who volunteer their services although they may employ paid staff e.g. a play leader or assistant. Some playgroups will provide pre-school education in partnership with the local authority.
Out of school club: Out of school clubs offer care for school age children in the absence of parents or carers from the end of the school day until parents can collect their children, and also before school starts.
Crèche: A crèche provides 'drop in' care for children in order to enable adults to engage in activities such as further education, shopping or attending a meeting.
Children/Family centre: Child and family centres provide services similar to those available in community nurseries and nursery centres. Day-care/education is provided along with a range of support services for families which can be adapted to meet local needs. They are usually managed by voluntary organisations or by the local authority's social work or education department.
Breakfast club: This is a specifically designated breakfast club that is likely to provide a meal and will take place before school hours.
Holiday play scheme: Holiday play schemes cater mainly for school age children and provide opportunities for children to participate in a broad range of supervised leisure and educational activities during school holidays.
Family support services / outreach / Parent's Support Group: This should be taken to mean services which offer parents opportunities to assist their child's development and achieve greater satisfaction in their role as parents, provide support to parents which will assist in providing a healthy upbringing for their child, promote self-esteem and personal confidence in both children and parents and provide opportunities for parents to acquire skills which lay the basis for more extensive training or subsequent employment.
Professional health care: Services provided by professional health staff such as midwives, health visitors, speech therapists, psychologists, doctors and dental practitioners including antenatal care, postnatal care and support, child health clinics/screening and support groups where these are run by health professionals.
Gaelic provision: Services wholly or primarily in the Gaelic medium.
Outdoor play area: Self explanatory - any area out of doors available to the children attending the centre, which may also be shared with others or available to the wider community.
8. Further information about the additional data sources used can be found through the following links:
Care Commission: http://www.carecommission.com/showpage.php?pageid=68
General Register Office - Scotland: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk
Rurality: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/rural/seurc-00.asp
Area deprivation: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/society/simd04-00.asp .
9. The categories of urban-rural were derived from the Scottish Executive classifications published in June 2004. This provides a mapping from individual postcodes to six categories of rurality. Individual pre-school and childcare service providers were assigned to one of these categories based upon the category in which they are located. Urban areas are settlements over 10,000 population. Small towns are settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people. Rural areas are settlements of less than 3,000 people. There are 6 childcare and preschool centres that do not have an urban-rural classification because they are not situated in residential areas.
10. The categories of deprivation were derived from the Scottish Executive classifications published in June 2004. This provides an indicator of deprivation for each of the 6,500 data zone areas of Scotland. The category "least deprived" included the 33.33 per cent least deprived data zones, "most deprived" was the 33.33 per cent most deprived data zones and "intermediate" made up the remaining 33.33 per cent. Individual pre-school and childcare service providers were then assigned to one of these categories based upon the data zone in which they are located. There are 6 childcare and preschool centres that do not have an area deprivation classification because they are not situated in residential areas.
11. Where data are spread very widely in one direction, as is often the case with monetary values, the 'mean' is an unreliable measure of central tendency. In these cases, it can best be to use percentiles instead as the 50th percentile (or median) is a more robust measure of the 'average' value. Percentiles are values that divide sorted (in ascending order) data into 100 equal groups. The 50th percentile is the middle value of the sorted data, 5 per cent of values lie below the 5th percentile etc.
12. Whole time equivalent is the total number of hours worked by all staff members divided by the number of hours considered to be the standard full-time week.
13. Costs were reported per hour, session, day, week, term or year and standardised to 'per hour'. Per hour costs based on costs reported per session or day were calculated using either the reported number of hours per session or day, or if this was not available, the average number of hours per session or day. It was assumed that there were 5 days a week, 64 days a term or 192 days a year.
14. This year, centres that provide pre-school education but do not do so in partnership with a local authority have been excluded from the pre-school tables. This means that the number of centres providing pre-school education, as well as the number of staff and pupils in pre-school education reported in this publication are not directly comparable to previous year's estimates.
15. Furthermore, in previous year's publications the percentage of children registered for pre-school education have been estimated using the number of children aged 3, 4 or 5 years old as at January that year. This year the estimates have been improved by estimating the percentages using the number of children eligible for ante-pre, pre-school and deferred entry places. For this reason, in addition to that given in the previous paragraph, the proportions of children attending pre-school reported this year are not comparable to those reported in previous years.
16. For public enquiries ( non-media) about the information contained in this Statistics Publication Notice, or for more detailed information, please contact Sara Grainger, Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1-B, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ. Telephone 0131 244 0314 or e-mail children.statistics@scotland.gsi.gov.uk . Media should contact Sarah Cuthbert-Kerr on 0131 244 2972 - and on the Scottish Executive web site ( www.scotland.gov.uk ).
17. 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.
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