AQW 43168/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 25/03/2026
Answered On Date: 08/04/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 42083/22-27, to detail the number of penultimate age children who were placed in (i) Nursery School (FT); (ii) Nursery School (PT); (iii) Nursery Unit (FT); and (iv) Nursery Unit (PT), in each of the last five academic years.

Answer:

The information requested is set out in the table below.

School Type	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25	2025/26
Nursery School FT	205	163	207	263	331
Nursery School PT	328	407	275	325	163
Nursery Unit FT	258	201	192	314	381
Nursery Unit PT	468	571	385	494	526
TOTAL	1259*	1342	1059	1396	1401

Source : NI School Census

*Includes 6 additional penultimate age children not previously included for one setting that closed in August 2022.

Data for 2023/24 was also impacted by industrial action due to ongoing Action Short of Strike at that time, resulting in full coverage of age data not being available for the 2023/24 census.