Changes are ahead for pre-school education in Northern Ireland, says the Education Minister.

John O’Dowd decided that children born in July and August will no longer have priority in the admissions process. He also said that the preference given to children whose parents receive benefits would also be re- assessed.

Alongside the outcome of the review, the Minister has allocated an additional £1.25million to private and voluntary pre-school providers for this year. This equates to an additional payment of £150 per place.

Explaining the rationale for the changes, the Minister said: "My priority as Education Minister is to create an education service that ensures that all our young people receive a high quality education. That applies to pre-school education in the same way as to any other sector.

"In the current year, there are over 23,000 children in funded pre-school education with a budget of approximately £50million. This is a significant investment. The vast majority of pupils are allocated places in the provider they want, and they all receive a good quality pre-school education which prepares them for the next important phase of primary school and indeed for later life."

He also said there was concern at the number of two-year-old children still getting places and intended to tighten up the rules.

The review contains 17 actions in total. The Minister has indicated that the report should be regarded as a framework for action and while some of the actions are straightforward, others are more complex and may require legislative change. They will require further investigation and detailed costings before decisions will be taken.

(LB/GK)