08-05-2025
Dozens of children in Fermanagh and South Tyrone miss out on pre-school choices
Thirty children in Fermanagh and South Tyrone have not secured a place in any of their first, second or third choice pre-schools for the upcoming academic year, according to new figures released by the Department of Education.
The statistics, provided by Education Minister Paul Givan in response to a question from Ulster Unionist MLA Colin Crawford, show that 838 children across Northern Ireland were left without an offer for a place in one of their top three preferred pre-school settings as of April 3, 2025.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone is among the affected constituencies, with 30 families facing disappointment at this critical stage of early years education.
While 222 children across the region were offered places in their fourth or lower preference settings, others remained unplaced. The Education Authority (EA) has said that 2,316 pre-school places were still available across Northern Ireland at the time, though not necessarily in the areas or settings parents had hoped for.
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In total, 20,481 applications for pre-school places were received during Stage One of the admissions process. Of those, 19,861 children (97 per cent) were offered a funded place, but not all in their top choices.
The Department has noted that further offers may have been made following the end of Stage One, but these figures were not included in the breakdown.
