Debate contribution: Playgroups in West Tyrone: EA Admission Allocations

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on 18 March 2025.

MLA

Mr Paul Givan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

18 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Playgroups in West Tyrone: EA Admission Allocations

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4860879

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Mr Speaker, thank you. Today's debate is a useful opportunity to provide an update on the provision of a funded preschool education place for every target-age child in Northern Ireland whose parents want one. Thank you, therefore, to the Member who secured the Adjournment debate and to the Members who have contributed. We have a right to be proud of the preschool education programme. Every child in Northern Ireland has access to a year of fully funded, high-quality, curriculum-based education before they enter compulsory education, which, research demonstrates, provides children with the best possible start to their education journey. My aim is to provide every child with 22·5 hours of preschool education per week, which will enhance that even further. Last year, I made a commitment to use the funding made available by the Executive to help stabilise the sector and support 100 settings to deliver 22·5 hours of preschool education per week to 2,200 additional pupils from September. I have delivered on each of those commitments and more. I have approved significantly increased funding for non-statutory providers, including the largest increase that my Department has ever made in the funding rate, bringing the rate to £2,550 per pupil, which is slightly higher than the rate for part-time statutory nursery units. That investment means that non-statutory providers will receive approximately £3·2 million more in the 2024-25 academic year. For an average setting, 16 funded places will be provided, which represents an extra £8,000. In West Tyrone, approximately £235,000 of additional funding has been allocated to non-statutory providers. That also benefited my constituency, where a number of preschool providers that were concerned about the impact of rising costs, one of which was in Moira, sought support. I moved to provide that support. Some Members talked about non-statutory settings being disadvantaged, but the evidence shows that the decision that I took to inject £3·2 million into the sector has very much closed the gap. We have made significant progress, and the intervention that I was able to make was very much welcomed in those settings in my constituency. That was in addition to the £100 one-off payment that went to every setting in August last year.

That is a valid point about the stability of the sector, and it has been brought to my attention. The programme also provides the flexibility to have a responsive system in place. As demographics change and birth rates decline, we need to ensure that we can respond. That is what the programme provides for by offering flexibility. I will come to that point in due course. I have approved 106 preschool settings, which will deliver full-time preschool education to over 2,500 more children from September. I have also approved seven statutory settings to voluntarily remove 234 excess places that were placing a strain on the Education budget. My Department and the Education Authority have worked closely with the preschool sector to implement those changes in an incredibly short timescale. I am delighted to confirm that all 106 settings are on track for September 2025, with even the knives and forks for lunchtime ready and waiting. Not only will full-time preschool provision provide children with the best start in education, it will make a significant contribution to parents' childcare considerations, facilitating arrangements that are more akin to those for primary-school children. That will mean that parents will not incur the cost of full day care, as they would have in the past. That initiative does not stand in isolation. I have also introduced the Northern Ireland childcare subsidy scheme, whereby eligible working parents receive a 15% reduction in their childcare bills. To date, that scheme has provided over £6·5 million of savings for working families. That is £6·5 million that is now in Northern Ireland parents' pockets as a direct result of a scheme that we introduced only six months ago. When we combine that with tax-free childcare, it is estimated that those working families will have saved over £14 million since September 2024. I am also aware that many childcare providers plan to increase their fees over the coming weeks. In anticipation of that, I have already decided to increase the monthly subsidy cap for the scheme by 10%. Additionally, I will increase the administration payments for participating providers in recognition of their increased operating costs and to ensure that they are not passed on to parents. I am considering what more I can do in the current year, and I will bring proposals to my Executive colleagues when the Budget is agreed. The EA has responsibility for the allocation of funded places to non-statutory preschool providers via the allocation of the pupil allocation number. My Department does not have a role in that process. It is important to remember, however, that providers have a role. All preschool management types are represented on the EA advisory group that determines the PAN allocations, including community and voluntary providers. Their voice is important, and that is why they are involved. In allocating PANs, the EA must match the supply of funded places as closely as possible to the overall level of need. Allocating too few places risks children being unable to access preschool education. Allocating too many risks expensive over-provision and threatening the stability of the programme overall. The EA has written to preschool providers to explain the PAN allocation process in detail. In simple terms, for the majority of settings, the provisional PAN is based on their enrolment in October of the previous year, with adjustments made as necessary to reflect the overall level of demand in an area. The majority of settings have received an indicative PAN allocation that is the same as their enrolment at October 2024. At this stage of the process, the EA has allocated over 22,000 funded places to accommodate 20,636 applications. Therefore, there are sufficient places to accommodate every child. As expected, however, the popularity of full-time provision has led to an overall increase in applications for settings that are transitioning this year. It is important to remember that full-time and part-time provision, operating side by side, has been a feature of our system for many years. The situation that is being created by standardisation is not a new one. Nonetheless, it is not surprising that some settings have required extra reassurance. I have received correspondence from settings that are transitioning and are naturally keen to secure as many places as possible and from settings that are part-time and have concerns that they could suffer, if full-time providers are prioritised by the EA. At this time of transition, it is essential that all are treated fairly. The EA has made it clear that settings that have transitioned to full-time provision will not be given preferential treatment in PAN allocations. In practice, that means that, while the EA might increase PANs to meet overall need in an area, it will do so irrespective of the session length offered by settings. That provides equity and stability for all, while the standardised session length is rolled out. Settings that have not yet standardised must not be penalised or put at risk in favour of those that have standardised first. The overall aim of providing a funded place for every child whose parents want it must not be jeopardised. I conclude by acknowledging that many settings would prefer a higher PAN allocation than the one that they have received from the EA. If you consider only one preschool setting in isolation, it may seem that there is no real harm in increasing the PAN. The reality, however, is that birth rates are falling and fewer children require a funded preschool place compared with last year. Therefore, increasing the PAN for one setting above the overall level of need inevitably means a reduction for another setting, potentially putting it at risk and, importantly, risking overall under-provision of preschool places for target-age children. Much as we would all like every setting to have its preferred PAN allocation, that is simply not possible. The EA's allocation process is intended to treat all settings equitably, maintaining stability in the sector, avoiding unnecessary costs of over-provision and ensuring that all target-age children can access a funded preschool education place. In each of the last six years, at least 99·8% of target-age children were offered a place in a preschool setting of their parents' preference by the end of the admissions process, with places available each year for those who were not yet in that position.

1,415 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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