The National Day Nurseries Association said the figures backed up its calls to ensure that private - and voluntary - sector providers are placed at the heart of nursery provision in Britain (Children Now, 26 May-1 June).
By January 2004, 93 per cent of three-year-olds were receiving free education, according to provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Private and voluntary providers took on another 26,000 three-year-olds in funded places, but the number attending maintained nursery and primary schools fell by more than 3,000.
Rosemary Murphy, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said the statistics should provide reassurance to providers and parents.
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