Assembly Committee Gives Education Programme An 'A' For Effort

A programme introduced by the Department of Education in 1998 to increase the number of children in funded pre-school places has been given an ‘A’ for effort—but the Northern Ireland Assembly Public Accounts Committee says it could still do better in a report launched today.

Key findings from the Report, entitled The Pre-School Education Expansion Programme, show that although the numbers of funded pre-school places has almost doubled from 11,000 to over 21,000, some 10% of children are still not participating in the scheme.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Paul Maskey MLA, Chairperson of the Committee, said: “The Committee was pleased to see how much pre-school provision has improved since the scheme was introduced in 1998. However, we are concerned that there are still parents who are not taking up places for their children. We have recommended that the Department should commission research to identify any obstacles to participation, as it is particularly urgent that non-attending children from disadvantaged areas, who are not likely to receive support from other sources, are identified and benefit from the scheme.”

One issue that the Report focused on was the quality of provision offered to two-year-old children, a group not originally targeted in the Programme, but brought in due to excess places intended for three-year-olds. Some 1,500 places were funded at a cost of more than £10 million, and there were concerns raised over this.

Mr Maskey said: “The Committee was concerned by evidence from the Department on the quality of provision for the two-year-olds. There does seem to be some benefit for children from disadvantaged communities to have age appropriate pre-school education, and a new programme is being developed through Sure Start. However, the Committee has recommended that the Department needs to carefully consider the needs of these very young children in its new 0-6 Early Years Strategy which is currently being developed.

“The Department and Education and Library Boards (Boards) have achieved a great deal, expanding pre-school provision substantially over the past ten years. They have worked hard to do this, and in many cases have made a significant cultural shift to work with partners in a mixed economy. As we move forward, and as the 0-6 Early Years Strategy comes to completion, we are challenging the education system to develop provision to achieve the wider aims of pre-school education. The child’s social and educational development, nurtured through play in the pre-school environment, should continue seamlessly into Primary 1 and beyond.”

ENDS