To ask the Minister of Education how his Department holds the Education Authority to account for ensuring that Published Admission Number decisions are fair and equitable, particularly for rural or voluntary pre-school providers that are the sole local provision.

The Education Authority (EA), in cooperation with the EA Pre-School Education Group (EA PEG), is responsible for setting Pupil Allocation Numbers for non-statutory pre-school settings; my Department plays no role in this process.

The EA wrote to providers on 7 February to set out the process for the allocation of initial PANs, as well as the process for reviewing those allocations. A copy of this letter was previously placed in the Assembly Library in response to AQW 24601/22-27. This process does include specific consideration of rural pre-school settings and those that are the sole provider in a locality.

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