AQW 3814/10

Mrs Naomi Long
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 12/01/2010
Answered On Date: 21/01/2010
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education if she has considered reviewing the nursery applications process to ensure that priority is given to children who are in their final pre-school year, regardless of the preference they have given, over under-age children who may have ranked the unit first on their list of preferences.

Answer:

Agus iad ag breithniú iarratas le linn phróiseas iontrála na réamhscoilíochta, tugann gach soláthar reachtúil naíscoilíochta tosaíocht d’iarratais ó pháistí a bhfuil ina mbliain dheireanach réamscoile ag gach céim thosaíochta. Ciallaíonn sé seo go mbeidh tosaíocht ag an iarratas le haghaidh páiste a bhfuil ina réamhscoil dheireanach ar iarratas le haghaidh páiste atá níos óige.

In considering applications during the pre-school admissions process, all statutory nursery providers give priority to applications in respect of children in their final pre-school year at each preference stage. This means that a stated preference for a child in their final pre-school will have priority over an application from a younger child. Nursery schools and units only consider applications from younger children once the admissions procedure has been applied to the applications for the children in their final pre-school year. Funded pre-school places in the voluntary and private sector are only open to children in their final pre-school year.