AQW 44766/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 24/04/2026
Answered On Date: 06/05/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any action he can take to ensure the Education Authority is delivering a sustainable Educational Psychology service, given that the Ards and North Down area has not had service provision since November 2025.

Answer:

The Education Authority (EA) has advised the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) works in partnership with children and young people, parents, schools and EA services to promote learning, wellbeing, inclusion and positive life outcomes.

To ensure equity and consistency of provision across the region, the EPS revised its approach to working with non-statutory pre-school settings in the South Eastern Trust Area including North Down and Ards from September 2025, aligning its support with the level of service available to comparable settings elsewhere across Northern Ireland. The EPS continues to offer the same level of service to statutory nursery settings, primary schools and post-primary schools.