Topic guide to: Children at Childcare

Pre-school and childcare statistics, Scotland

Department: Scottish Government
Supply of childcare and pre-school provision and how many children receive care. Also includes information on the workforce and their qualifications.

Search for:

• Current and past editions
• Future Editions
• All Editions

Women in Northern Ireland

Department: Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Northern Ireland)
Statistics on women in Northern Ireland, labour market, childcare provision, earnings.

Search for:

• Current and past editions
• Future Editions
• All Editions

Back to the top

Information on the provision of education for children under five is based on children aged three and four years old.

Topic areas include:

• part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three- and four-year-olds

• number of three- and four-year-olds benefiting from some free early education

• number of three- and four-year-olds taking up any early education places

A funded place consists of a minimum of 12.5 hours of early education per week for 38 weeks of the year. The number of children benefiting from some free early education exceeds the PTE (part-time equivalent) number of places filled because places can be filled by more than one child (for example, one place could be filled by two children who take up less than the full free entitlement of 12.5 hours a week).

All four-year-olds have been entitled to a free early education place since 1998 and from April 2004 this entitlement was extended to all three-year-olds.

Back to the top

Data are collected on the Early Years Census, from all 150 local authorities, and provides the Department for Children, Schools and Families with child level information on take-up of free nursery education. Census day is the third Thursday in January each year, and information is based on either the status on that day or during that week, depending on the nature of the question.

Information collected includes the number of hours a child attends an Early Years provider, and of these how many are funded by the Government. This data can then be aggregated to provide information on the part-time equivalent number of places filled and also the number of three- and four-year-olds benefiting from some free early education.

Although figures are derived mainly from the Early Years Census, they also include figures from the School Census (formerly Annual School Census), such as information on three- and four-year-olds taking up early education places in maintained and independent schools. The School Census collects data on the number of three- and four-year-olds benefiting from some early years education in maintained and independent schools, at January of each year.

Population estimates are derived from mid-year estimates and projections provided by the
Office for National Statistics (ONS). They are subject to a margin of error and should be considered to be approximations.

Back to the top

Back to the top