Nursery Education (Hansard, 11 July 1995)

§ Mr. Ancram

The aim in Northern Ireland, as in the rest of the United Kingdom, will be to ensure that all four-year-olds have access to good-quality education. In implementing the initiative here, the Government have to take account of the distinctive features of the Northern Ireland education system —in particular, the different arrangements for compulsory school age. In Northern Ireland, any child whose fourth birthday falls on or before 1 July in a given year starts compulsory primary education in September of that same year. This is different from the position in England, and pre-school arrangements need to take this into account.

The initiative will be based on a system of vouchers for pre-school provision which will give purchasing power to parents and promote consumer choice. More specifically, 520W the parents of four-year-olds who are not statutorily required to attend primary school will be entitled to a voucher for pre-school provision to cover the period from the beginning of the term after their fourth birthday until they reach compulsory school age; the voucher can be used for nursery education, reception class provision, private nurseries or playgroups; it will be exchangeable for a part-time place in a nursery school or private nursery or a full-time place in a playgroup or reception class and its value will be capable of being topped up by parents to meet the costs of a greater level of provision, if they wish it, in either the private or voluntary sectors; and it will be capable of being redeemed only if the provision offered is of a satisfactory educational standard. There will be inspections to ensure that that is so.

As all children begin compulsory schooling in Northern Ireland at the start of the relevant school year, the number of terms of pre-school education will vary depending on when the child's fourth birthday falls. Parents in Northern Ireland will therefore be issued with a voucher which reflects their child's entitlement.

I would stress that these are the entitlements that are conferred by this initiative. It will be open to nursery schools, for example, to offer additional provision where places are available and, of course, it will be open to parents to pay for additional provision in the voluntary or private sectors if they so wish.

I plan that the scheme will be introduced into Northern Ireland in 1997 in line with the proposals for England. Before then there will be consultation with all interested parties on the details of how the initiative will be implemented, including such matters as the standards that must be achieved by those institutions that will be allowed to redeem vouchers, and the inspection arrangements which will apply.

In conclusion, I would stress that this is a major initiative in pre-school education in Northern Ireland. At present, almost half the four-year-olds in Northern Ireland either have no pre-school provision or their parents have to pay for such provision in the private or voluntary sectors. This initiative will for the first time provide the opportunity for all four-year-olds who do not start primary school in the term following their fourth birthday to avail themselves of pre-school education, which will be guaranteed to be of real educational value to them. Importantly, this is being achieved not by cutting back on existing education budgets but by an injection of new money —over £8 million in a full year —to cover the costs. I am sure this will be welcomed by all those interested in the welfare and education of our children as the most significant single initiative we have ever undertaken at this vital stage in our children's development.