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Summary
Official statistics are used to describe trends in nursery and other provision for under‐fives in maintained schools in England and Wales from 1971 to 1979. Three separate factors are examined for their effect on the proportion of the three‐ to four‐year population for whom places in LEA schools were available: growth in the absolute level of provision, policy concerning part‐time attendance and the decline in the three‐ to four‐year population due to the falling birth rate. It is shown that the third factor, declining population, was of most importance in increasing the proportion of three‐ to four‐year‐olds in maintained schools. Also, despite a decline in the number of places for under‐fives in infant classes since 1976, in 1979 more under‐fives were in infant classes than were in nursery schools or nursery classes.
1 The statistical material in this article is used with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
Notes
1 The statistical material in this article is used with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.