There are now 166,920 two-year-olds accessing some free early years education, equivalent to 68 per cent of twos eligible for the offer, according to statistics published by the Department for Education today.
This means there are now 9,880 more two-year-olds accessing the free places than in 2015.
The statistics are based on census data collected from schools, maintained nurseries, local authorities and private, voluntary and independent providers in January 2016.
The figures also show that the proportion of twos in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes in schools has risen from 3 per cent in 2014 to 9 per cent in 2016.
Meanwhile, the number of twos in PVI settings has dropped from 96 per cent in 2014 to 91 per cent in 2016.
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