To ask the Minister of Education to detail any assessment his Department has made of the impact of basing Published Admissions Numbers for pre-schools on birth rate data, rather than live application demand from families.

The Education Authority (EA), in cooperation with the EA Pre-School Education Group, is responsible for setting Pupil Allocation Numbers for non-statutory pre-school settings.

The EA wrote to providers on 7 February to set out the process for the allocation of initial PANs, as well as the process followed in reviewing those allocations. This process includes consideration of a range of factors, including live application demand.

Each year, at least 99.8% children receive the offer of a funded place in a pre-school setting of their parents’ preference by the end of stage two of the pre-school admissions process. We are currently at the beginning of the second stage of the admissions process for the 2025-26 academic year. To date, 97% of children have already received the offer of a funded place in a setting of their parents’ preference. Should additional funded places be required to meet demand in local areas, the EA will adjust allocations to settings where necessary.

Nonetheless, I have requested that the EA review the PAN allocation process so that opportunities for improvement can be identified and explored.