Debate contribution: Playgroups in West Tyrone: EA Admission Allocations

Debate contribution by Mr Daniel McCrossan on 18 March 2025.

MLA

Mr Daniel McCrossan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

18 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Playgroups in West Tyrone: EA Admission Allocations

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4860853

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank my constituency colleague Nicola Brogan for securing this important Adjournment debate. The issue obviously is not unique to West Tyrone — it affects many constituencies across the North — but we are acutely aware of it in our rural constituency. It is also appropriate to record our sincerest appreciation to the staff and teachers for the huge amount of work that they do and the important role that they play in providing that vital service. As my colleague outlined, that enabling service has many benefits for local families in our community. Every year, my office, like those of many others in the House, is contacted by concerned parents and providers about the allocation of preschool places. It is a recurring issue that continues to cause considerable worry and frustration. The Education Authority determines the number of funded non-statutory preschool places annually based on an assessment of local need, but the reality is that the community and voluntary providers are not guaranteed a minimum allocation and, sometimes, not even a single funded place, which is causing numerous concerns. That approach creates a divide between the statutory and non-statutory sectors and undermines community and voluntary settings. It puts them at a disadvantage and limits the choice that is available to parents. Those providers are vital to our local communities. They offer trusted, high-quality early years education, often in areas where statutory provision simply does not exist, yet, year after year, they are left to struggle in uncertainty to secure places and funding without any actual reassurance, certainty or clarity and often without any fairness whatsoever. I acknowledge that steps are being taken. The Department for the Economy is carrying out a scoping exercise to assess business support needs across the early learning and childcare sector, and we are expecting a report soon in that regard. I also welcome the increase in funding from £2,150 to £2,550 per child per year from September 2024 and the one-off payment of £100 per child, which, although small, is also a recognition of the pressure that those settings are facing. Let us be honest, however: that is only part of the solution. What providers need is long-term stability and a fair, transparent allocation system. They need to be treated as equal partners, not as second-class providers. I have already been contacted by several such providers in West Tyrone who are very frustrated and concerned, not just because of the number of places that are allocated but because, in their opinion, there is no transparency about how those decisions are actually reached. They are asking who decides what criteria are used and how that can be appealed, if, indeed, there is any mechanism whatsoever. Those are entirely reasonable questions. They deserve answers. We cannot continue with a system that leaves providers in the dark and forces them to plan staffing and service delivery around unpredictable and unclear decisions and timelines. That is not sustainable. It is putting the sector at risk, and it is simply not fair or practical. The impact is real: community settings lose places or, in some cases, close entirely; families are left with fewer options; parents struggle to access childcare; children miss out on vital early learning experiences; and rural working-class communities are hit hardest. It is about more than numbers. It is about fairness, equality and giving every child the best start in life regardless of where they live or what type of setting they attend. We need a funding model that recognises and supports the vital role of all providers, statutory, community and voluntary alike; one that gives them the stability that they need to plan, grow and continue to deliver for our children. I will end my remarks with this appeal: let us listen to those on the ground — those who deliver these services day in, day out. Let us build a system that works for them and, most importantly, works for children and families right across West Tyrone and beyond.

664 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:11 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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