Member's statement: Community-based Playgroups

Member's statement by Mr Timothy Gaston on 7 April 2025.

MLA

Mr Timothy Gaston

Party at the time

Traditional Unionist Voice

Date

7 April 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Community-based Playgroups

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4890289

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I appeal to the Education Minister regarding the current allocations for community-based playgroups in North Antrim. To date, TUV has received representations from See-Saw Playgroup in Mosside; Kirkinriola Early Years Playgroup; Rasharkin Community Playgroup; Glenravel Community Playgroup; and Cloughmills Early Years. All those playgroups have the same problem: their pupil allocation numbers for this year are too low to deal with the number of parents listing them as their preferred preschool choice. Each playgroup can take more children than the number allocated to them for this year. Take Cloughmills Early Years as an example. Over the past five years, it has had an average enrolment of 14. Last year, the Education Authority threatened to remove its funding, as it had below the minimum of eight children due to a low birth year in the village.? Thankfully, the EA saw the folly of its decision, and the playgroup picked up its eighth child during October. This year, instead of allowing the playgroup to return to its previous numbers, it has been told that it can accept only eight, with 11 parents listing it as their first choice.? For next year, it already has 14 parents who have signalled that they want their child to attend that playgroup. ?The staff in Cloughmills have poured their hearts into the playgroup over the past 12 months to ensure that they would not find themselves in the same position as they were in last year. The group now boasts one of the best facilities in my constituency, and its reward is that the Education Authority has slapped a cap on it, whilst children from the village have to go elsewhere to get a preschool place. ?Let us look at See-Saw in Mosside. The?facility can offer 24 places. It has 24 first-preference applications but is being limited to 19 places. The enrolment number over the past number of years has been between 24 and 26, yet the powers that be, like in Cloughmills, are forcing children who can be catered for in their first-choice setting to go elsewhere. That puts?unnecessary stress and hardship on parents. What makes matters worse and, indeed, discriminatory is that the criteria provide that, in the Irish-medium sector, all first preferences are guaranteed their place of choice.? However, in Cloughmills, Kirkinriola, Glenravel, Rasharkin and Mosside, the EA is slamming the door in the faces of local children destined to progress through the controlled sector. Where is the fairness in that, Minister Givan? I trust that you will act on that great injustice.

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

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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