AQW 8019/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 04/03/2024
Answered On Date: 12/03/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail his plans to introduce a national curriculum for early years settings.

Answer:

All funded pre-school education settings participating in the Pre-School Education Programme (PSEP), including statutory and voluntary and private settings, are expected to adhere to the ‘Curricular Guidance for Pre-School Education’ published by CCEA. The curricular guidance is used by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) when evaluating the quality of provision and the outcomes for learners in all funded pre-school settings.

In addition, one of the potential actions being considered for inclusion within an Early Learning and Childcare Strategy is the development of a ‘Quality Framework’, co-designed with the sector, for use in all early learning and childcare settings. It would take account of the ‘Curricular guidance for Pre-School Education’, and ‘The Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care for Children Under Age 12’. Executive agreement and the allocation of appropriate resources would be required to take this forward.