O’Dowd approves nursery unit at Waringstown Primary School

Education Minister, John O’Dowd, has approved the establishment of a twenty-six place part-time nursery unit at Waringstown Primary School.
~ Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Commenting on his decision, the Minister said: “The establishment of this new facility will be a welcome announcement to the area and will provide nursery provision to children who currently travel outside their immediate locality to access a pre-school place.

“It is common knowledge that my Department faces significant financial pressures, particularly on its front-line schools budget. It is therefore important that we maximise the impact of available pre-school resources and avoid unnecessary over-provision or duplication. On this occasion there was a clear gap in provision and a need to create more pre-school places for the benefit of the children in the area.

“My Department is committed to providing a place for each child in their immediate pre-school year. Research has shown that there is no discernable benefit to children of a longer daily pre-school session, therefore in this instance I have modified the proposal and given approval for the establishment of a twenty-six place part-time unit.”

Notes to editors:

1. Waringstown Primary School is a controlled co-educational school located on the Banbridge Road in Waringstown. The school opened in 1989.
2. On 21 April 2010, the Southern Education and Library Board (SELB) published Development Proposal No 258 proposing the establishment of a new single full-time nursery unit at Waringstown Primary School, with effect from 1 September 2012, or as soon as possible thereafter.
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