Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Pre-School Education in Schools (Admissions Criteria) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and shall come into operation on 6th July 2012.

Application

2.  These Regulations shall apply in relation to the admission of children to part-time and full-time pre-school education at schools commencing with admissions in the school year ending on 31st July 2014.

Amendment of the Pre-School Education in Schools (Admissions Criteria) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

3.—(1) In the Pre-School Education in Schools (Admissions Criteria) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999(2), regulation 4 (matters to be included in the criteria) is amended as provided by paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) For paragraph (1)(e) substitute—

“(e)subject to paragraph (2), provision to give priority, in the following order of priority, to—

(i)children from socially disadvantaged circumstances in their final pre-school year; and

(ii)children not falling within sub-paragraph (i) in their final 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.”.

(3) In paragraph (2) for “paragraph (1)(e)(iv)” substitute “paragraph (1)(e)(ii)”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Education on 12th June 2012

Linda Wilson

A senior officer of the Department of Education

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Article 32 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 requires the Board of Governors of each grant-aided nursery school and each grant-aided primary school with a nursery class to draw up the criteria to be applied in selecting children for admission to nursery education at the school. Article 32(6) also enables the Department of Education to make regulations requiring the criteria to include, or not to include, such matters or matters of such description as are specified in the regulations. The Pre-School Education in Schools (Admissions Criteria) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 (“the 1999 Regulations”) specify the matters to be included in the criteria for the admission of children to grant aided nursery schools and grant-aided primary schools with a nursery class.

These Regulations amend regulation 4 of the 1999 Regulations to remove the criteria relating to children with a July or August birthday commencing with admissions for the school year 2013/14. The existing criteria will continue to apply until then.