Debate contribution: Nurseries: Penultimate-age Children
Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on .
- MLA
- Mr Paul Givan
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 6 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Nurseries: Penultimate-age Children
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5776936
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The strategy will build on what we have already implemented. I want to do more. We were able to expand Sure Start, for example, by making the temporary areas permanent. We also have been able to allow referrals to Sure Start settings from outside the identified catchment areas. I have been to a number of settings, as, I am sure, has the Member. In those settings, you see that that kind of support is more appropriate for penultimate-age children, who are younger, rather than their going into nursery school settings. The provision of Sure Start is one area that I want to see enhanced, and the strategy references that. Getting a more tailored and bespoke approach for penultimate-age children and those who are younger is the ambition of the draft early learning and childcare strategy. I make the point that it has not yet been approved by the Executive, and, obviously, funding issues are attached to it. In seeking to remove penultimate-age children from nursery schools, we need to make sure that alternative provision is in place. I do not believe, however, that the current position is right, based on the evidence on what is best for the children involved. I will do the consultation on that, and people will get the opportunity to feed into it, and we can move forward from there.
224 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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