MINISTERS have welcomed Bury's plans to educate the borough's under-fives in the wake of the ill-fated Nursery Voucher Scheme.
This week, education standards minister Estelle Morris said she was "delighted" that councils, including Bury, had prepared plans to provide education for all local four-year-olds from September in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors.
Bury's interim plan was approved by the Government. It will guarantee nursery places for four-year-olds in local education authority (LEA) private or voluntary nursery classes, depending on what parents want.
Ms Morris said: "We believe that the best way to provide nursery places is through a partnership between all providers of early years education - LEAs, and the private and voluntary sectors.
"That is why we asked LEAs to prepare these plans with their partners to provide the high quality nursery places that our children deserve."
Bury is one of 79 LEAs across the country to have prepared such a plan.
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