Education Minister has today welcomed the first
cohort of pre-schools to expand their provision to full-time
sessions under the Pre-School Standardisation Programme.
This standardisation of pre-school settings forms part of a
package of measures to support children, parents and providers
with early learning and childcare.
It has expanded the length of pre-school education sessions to a
minimum of 22.5 hours per week for all children aged 3-4,
including access to free school meals for eligible children from
September 2025.
A total of 105 pre-school settings have transitioned to the
longer session length from September 2025, providing over 2,500
additional full-time pre-school education places in the first
cohort of the Standardisation Programme.
Drumadonnell Primary School Nursery Unit is one of the first
schools to successfully complete their transition to full-time
pre-school provision.
Speaking during a visit to the school, said: “There is a
compelling case for providing 22.5 hours of pre-school education,
particularly in terms of its positive impact on children's social
and emotional development. Full-time provision allows children
extended engagement with pre-school educators, giving them the
time and support they need to build essential early skills that
are the foundation of future learning.
“Longer session lengths will be especially beneficial for
children who require additional support, while also offering
significant advantages for many working parents by helping to
reduce childcare costs.
“I have secured £80million Executive funding over the
past two financial years to take forward a package of measures
for early learning and childcare services. A significant part of
this funding was invested in our pre-school sector which clearly
demonstrates the value that we place on early years education in
Northern Ireland and delivers on the Programme for Government
(PFG) priority of providing more affordable, accessible,
high-quality early learning and childcare.”
Lynn Wilson, Principal at Drumadonnell Primary School and Nursery
Unit added: “We are delighted to have been selected in the first
cohort of pre-schools to transition to full-time pre-school
provision. This transformation will make a real difference in our
rural community.
“By extending our nursery hours, we are able to further enhance
and enrich the educational experience of our young learners,
laying a strong foundation for the future. Full-time pre-school
provision offers additional support and greater flexibility for
working families and extends the hours of our dedicated nursery
staff.”
Work towards transitioning a further 2,200 additional pre-school
places across approximately 100 settings to full-time provision
from September 2026 is underway.
Consultation on the next cohort of 33 settings under
consideration for implementation of the Programme is open until
Friday 24 October 2025.
More information can be found at: https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/pre-school-standardisation-programme-cohort-two-tranche-one-consultation
Further consultations on additional settings under consideration
for further cohorts will follow in the coming weeks.
Notes to editors:
1. Drumadonnell Primary School Nursery Unit is a statutory unit
that provides 26 full-time pre-school education places.
2. The Pre-School Standardisation Programme is one component of
the Executive Early Learning and Childcare Strategy which is in
the final stages of development. The Early Learning and Childcare
Strategy is a priority within the Programme for Government
2024-2027.
3. To date 105 pre-school settings have been approved to
transition to the full-time session length from September
2025. It is the intention to transition a further 100
pre-school settings to deliver full-time pre-school education
from September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. For more
information, visit Pre-School Education Programme -
Standardisation | Department of Education
4. The full list of the 105 pre-school settings is available on
the Department's website at Minister's Decisions on
Pre-School Settings Requesting Transition from September 2025 |
Department of Education
5. The £80m support package provided by the Executive for early
years and childcare includes funding for the standardisation
programme for 24/25 and 25/26. However, it will take a
number of years for the full roll-out of standardisation to be
completed and the speed of transition will be dependent on the
resources available from the Executive at each stage as well as
individual circumstances of individual settings.
