NEWS RELEASE
Provisional Results of the 2001 Pre-School and Day care Census
A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication
This document is also available in pdf
format (65k)
|
The Scottish Executive
Media and Communications Group
News Release
|
St Andrew’s House
Regent Road
Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Telephone: 0131-244 1111
|
23 August 2001
Provisional statistics on children in pre-school education
and daycare centres in Scotland in January 2001 have been published today.
This news release updates some of the figures published in
July 2000 in the news release Summary Results of the 1999-2000 Census of
Pre-School Education Centres and in May 1999 in the statistical information
note Social Work Daycare Services for Children in Scotland, November 1997.
However, since the data is now collected together via an integrated census,
care must be taken when making comparisons between results from different years.
The figures are provisional and are national best estimates
based on the 79 per cent of centres which had responded at the time of going
to press. The Notes section gives further background and important advice on
interpreting the figures. Updated tables and more detailed analysis will be
available later in the year.
The main points are:
- Nearly 99,000 children, aged 3 to 5, were attending centres providing pre-school
education in January 2001. Almost three quarters of these children were attending
Local Authority pre-school centres with the remainder in 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 with 17 per cent attending for
between 6 to 10 sessions and 15 per cent attending for between 1 to 4 sessions.
- The total number of children attending all centres covered by the census
(which includes both pre-school education and daycare centres) was around
196,000. Of the children attending centres, 60 per cent were either 3 or 4
years old. The age profile varied according to the type of centre.
- In January 2001 there were over 4,300 centres offering pre-school education
or daycare for children. Nearly half of the centres were nurseries and a further
29 per cent were playgroups. The remaining 23 per cent of centres were made
up of out of school care clubs (10 per cent), playschemes (5 per cent), crèches
(4 per cent) and family centres (4 per cent).
- Most centres offered more than one type of service. On average, each centre
offered 3 types of service. Family centres offered the most diverse range
of services with an average of 9 different types of service each. Playgroups
were the most focused with each centre offering an average of 2 different
services.
The following tables are available:
|
Table 1 -
|
Number of children receiving pre-school education by
academic year, mode of attendance and management type of centre: January
2001 (provisional)
|
|
Table 2 -
|
Number of children attending pre-school education or
daycare centres by age of child and main type of facility: January 2001
(provisional)
|
|
Table 3 -
|
Pre-school education and daycare services provided by
main type of facility: January 2001 (provisional)
|
|
Table 4 -
|
Number of pre-school education and daycare centres by
type of premises: January 2001 (provisional)
|
NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS
- These results are derived from the first annual Census of Children’s
Daycare and Pre-School Education Centres. All figures relate to a census week
beginning 29th January 2001. The census replaced both the Census
of Pre-School Education Centres and the Survey of Social Work Daycare Services
for Children in Scotland. The census covered all centres registered with the
Scottish Executive to provide pre-school education or registered with Local
Authority Social Work departments to provide 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 Executive-funded pre-school education),
nannies or other carers providing services within the parental home.
- Of an estimated total of 4,328 open centres, (at the time of going to press)
replies to the census have been received from 3,425 giving a response rate
of 79 percent. The response rate to this census is in line with that of the
former Survey of Social Work Daycare Services for Children in Scotland. Some
replies are still being received and so figures published today are provisional;
figures from subsequent returns will be included in future publications.
- 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 the non-response described in Note 2. Some alterations and imputations
have also been made to compensate for problems caused by incomplete or incorrect
data.
- For the purposes of this census, ‘pre-school education sessions’
means half-day periods in centres registered with the Scottish Executive 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 3rd birthday.
The latest figures available from grant applications data indicate that the
take-up rate for this provision in the summer of 2001 was 97 percent of all
4 year olds and 80 percent of 3 year olds. The pre-school figures included
in this news release (and shown separately in Table 1) 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
published. 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 counted here
as 2 children each attending 3 sessions per week rather than 1 child attending
6 sessions per week.
- There is no bulletin publication for these figures. Supporting tables are,
however, available on request — media should contact David Hood on 0131-244-5033
- and on the Scottish Executive web site (www.scotland.gov.uk).
- 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.
- 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: Fiona Wilson: 0131-244-2910
News Release: ´NewsReleaseNoª
Internet: www.scotland.gov.uk
|
Press Releases 
Headlines
