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MORE full-time nursery places are to be made available across Tyrone from next September, after nine local settings were approved under the Department of Education’s Pre-School Standardisation Programme.
The decision, taken earlier this month by Education Minister Paul Givan, will see the approved pre-schools transition to full-time provision as part of a wider move towards standardising pre-school education across the North.
The pre-schools have been approved in the three council areas covering Tyrone – Fermanagh and Omagh, Mid Ulster and Derry City and Strabane.
They include Artigarvan Community Nursery, the Green Elves playgroup in Omagh, the Moy Area Playgroup, and the Naiscoil Eoghan Primary School in Cookstown and Naiscoil Naomh Colmcille in Carrickmore.
Also granted approval for full-time sessions were Omagh Integrated Primary School, the Rascals Community play group in Gortin, Sion Mills Integrated PS Nursery Unit and the Woodland Adventure Playgroup in Augher.
At Omagh Integrated Primary School, the approval means that they will be able to offer a total of 52 full-time nursery places from September 2026.
Martina Curry, OIPS nursery teacher, said, “This is great news for the school and nursery unit as we have been over-subscribed during recent years.
“There is most certainly a demand for the nursery places and this decision is significant because we will now receive funding from the Department of Education. It is also important because the school will be able to offer places to parents and families in the community who want their children to be educated in a pre-school setting at Omagh Integrated Primary.”
Commenting on the development, Education Minister, Paul Givan, said that it would mean around 50 per-cent of pre-school education would be full-time.
“Providing this additional time in the day will allow the children to benefit from the rich play-based learning environment of the pre-school setting, allow pre-school staff more time to interact with and support young learners and also provide access to a funded school meal for eligible children,” he said.
