Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start children's centres closed in England in 2016.

As at 31 December 2016 there were 3,251 main children’s centres and sites open to families and children providing children's centre services as part of a network. Children’s centre records are maintained by local authorities and are made publicly available via the Department’s “EduBase portal” at: http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/home.xhtml

Based on information supplied by local authorities, 64 children’s centres closed in 2016[1].

[1] The total number of closures in 2016 is based on data supplied to Edubase by local authorities as at 20 January 2017; and local authorities could report additional closures in 2016.