Pre-School Education in Schools (Admissions Criteria) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Matters to be included in the criteria

4.  The criteria to be applied in selecting children for admission to pre-school education at a school shall include the following matters–

(a) the order of priority in which children shall be admitted to full-time pre-school education at the beginning of the school year where the number of applications for such admission exceeds the full-time enrolment number determined by the Department under Article 25 of the 1998 Order for the school for that school year;

(b) the order of priority in which children shall be admitted to part-time pre-school education at the beginning of the school year where the number of applications for such admission exceeds the part-time enrolment number determined by the Department under Article 29 of the 1998 Order for the school for that school year;

(c) the order of priority in which children shall be admitted to full-time pre-school education at any time after the beginning of the school year where the number of applications for such admission exceeds the number of vacant full-time places for pre-school education for that school year;

(d) the order of priority in which children shall be admitted to part-time pre-school education at any time after the beginning of the school year where the number of applications for such admission exceeds the number of vacant part-time places for pre-school education for that school year;

(e) provision to give priority, in the following order of priority, to–

(i) children from socially disadvantaged circumstances who will be aged 4 before 1st September in their final pre-school year;

(ii) children from socially disadvantaged circumstances who will be aged 3 before 1st September in their final pre-school year;

(iii) children not falling within sub-paragraph (i) or (ii) who will be aged 4 before 1st September in their final pre-school year;

(iv) children not falling within sub-paragraph (i) or (ii) who will be aged 3 before 1st September in their final pre-school year;

(v) children from socially disadvantaged circumstances who will be aged 3 before 1st September in their penultimate pre-school year;

(vi) children from socially disadvantaged circumstances who will be aged 2 before 1st September in their penultimate pre-school year;

(vii) children not falling within sub-paragraph (v) or (vi) who will be aged 3 before 1st September in their penultimate pre-school year;

(viii) children not falling within sub-paragraph (v) or (vi) who will be aged 2 before 1st September in their penultimate pre-school year; and who at the time of their proposed admission will not have a pre-school education place whether full-time or part-time at another school or any other premises.