Education System in England
The education system in England
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Pre-school education
The pre-school sector includes a patchwork quilt of places provided by state, voluntary and private nurseries, childminders and playgroups - available to children between the ages of two and five.
At the end of 2000 there were 937,000 pre-school places available - 264,000 in day nurseries, 353,000 in playgroups and other settings and 320,000 with childminders.
The government has promised to improve the quality of education available for this age group and to increase the quantity of available places.
All four year olds are now promised a part-time place of five morning or afternoon sessions per week, and the government has set a target of providing a place for two thirds of three year olds by 2002.
Downside
The push to make more pre-school places available has prompted many primary schools to open nursery classes, offering parents a free place in classes that often become "feeder" classes to the first formal year of school.
While this has benefited the budgets of primary schools, there have been claims that this has forced thousands of playgroups to close.
Between 2000 and 2001 provisional official statistics show there were 300 more day nurseries - a rise of 3%. These accounted for 20,900 more places (8% more).
Playgroups declined by the same number, 300 or 2% of the total - a loss of 22,900 places (6%).
And there were 3,300 (4%) fewer childminders, who had provided places for 15,800 children (a 5% fall).
Five hundred more out-of-school clubs (11%) are reported.
Overall, more places are being created than are lost.
Early learning goals
The government's efforts to raise levels of education in the pre-school sector have met with a mixed reception.
The publication of the level of skills that should be achieved brought criticisms that this was putting unnecessary pressure on the very young.
It contributed to a debate over whether children benefited from an early start to learning or whether there were
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Pre-school education
The pre-school sector includes a patchwork quilt of places provided by state, voluntary and private nurseries, childminders and playgroups - available to children between the ages of two and five.
At the end of 2000 there were 937,000 pre-school places available - 264,000 in day nurseries, 353,000 in playgroups and other settings and 320,000 with childminders.
The government has promised to improve the quality of education available for this age group and to increase the quantity of available places.
All four year olds are now promised a part-time place of five morning or afternoon sessions per week, and the government has set a target of providing a place for two thirds of three year olds by 2002.
Downside
The push to make more pre-school places available has prompted many primary schools to open nursery classes, offering parents a free place in classes that often become "feeder" classes to the first formal year of school.
While this has benefited the budgets of primary schools, there have been claims that this has forced thousands of playgroups to close.
Between 2000 and 2001 provisional official statistics show there were 300 more day nurseries - a rise of 3%. These accounted for 20,900 more places (8% more).
Playgroups declined by the same number, 300 or 2% of the total - a loss of 22,900 places (6%).
And there were 3,300 (4%) fewer childminders, who had provided places for 15,800 children (a 5% fall).
Five hundred more out-of-school clubs (11%) are reported.
Overall, more places are being created than are lost.
Early learning goals
The government's efforts to raise levels of education in the pre-school sector have met with a mixed reception.
The publication of the level of skills that should be achieved brought criticisms that this was putting unnecessary pressure on the very young.
It contributed to a debate over whether children benefited from an early start to learning or whether there were