How funded preschool admissions work

1. Check your child’s age group

Funded pre-school education is for children in their final pre-school year. They are called target age and are placed first. Children a year younger are underage. They are only offered places left after target-age children have been placed, so underage places are much less certain.

Summer-born children may be able to defer starting school in some circumstances. See nidirect guidance on deferral ↗ and ask the Education Authority before applying.

2. Key dates for September 2027

1. 1

   9 December 2026

   Criteria published

   Each setting’s admissions criteria for September 2027 appear on its Education Authority profile. Read them before ranking your preferences.

2. 2

   6 January 2027

   Stage 1 opens

   Apply online through the Education Authority. You rank the settings you would accept in order of preference.

3. 3

   20 January 2027, noon

   Stage 1 closes

   On-time applications are considered first. An application made after the deadline is treated as late and considered later in the process.

4. 4

   Spring 2027

   Offers and Stage 2

   Families hear about Stage 1 outcomes. Stage 2 fills the remaining places from children still without one, late applications and underage children. Check the official timetable for exact dates.

5. 5

   Late spring 2027

   End of Stage 2 figures

   The Education Authority publishes applications and allocations for every setting at the end of Stage 2. This planner picks them up automatically.

Check the official timetable ↗ for offer and Stage 2 dates.

3. Types of setting

Funded places in Belfast are offered by:

• Nursery schools and nursery units in primary schools. Programmes are listed as full-time (FT) or part-time (PT) where a setting runs both.
• Voluntary and private settings such as playgroups (often “PG” in names), funded through the Pre-School Education Programme for their funded places.
• Irish-medium settings (naíscoileanna) and integrated settings.

Session lengths differ between settings and programmes. Check hours on each setting’s profile, especially if you need to fit work or wraparound care around them.

The directory’s type filter uses the management type the Education Authority publishes.

4. How places are decided

When a setting has more applicants than places, it uses its published admissions criteria in order. Target-age children come before underage children. Statutory rules have required priority for target-age children from socially disadvantaged circumstances. Settings then add their own criteria, for example:

• a brother or sister at the setting or school;
• a first or only child, or a family connection to the setting;
• distance from home, often measured in a straight line;
• listing the setting as a first preference (only some settings use this).

You may need to provide evidence for the criteria you rely on. The application and each setting’s criteria explain what is accepted.

5. Ranking your preferences

• Rank in your true order. Put the setting you most want first.
• Check for first-preference rules. If a setting gives priority to first preferences, ranking it lower may reduce your chance there. The planner warns you where this site has a criteria summary.
• Add realistic options. If your favourites turned away first-choice applicants in recent years, add settings that had places left. Use the “Places left” filter.
• Only list settings you would accept. Think about travel, session hours and wraparound care for each one.

6. Stage 1 and Stage 2

Stage 1 covers applications made on time. Settings apply their criteria and children are offered places.

Stage 2 fills places that remain. It considers target-age children still without a place, late applications and underage children.

At the end of Stage 2 the Education Authority publishes, for each setting, how many children applied and were offered a place at each preference. Those workbooks are the source for this site.

7. If your child is not placed

• Look at settings that had places left in recent years, including in neighbouring areas.
• Make sure your child is considered at Stage 2 and follow the Education Authority’s instructions.
• Contact the Education Authority admissions team ↗ for current advice.

8. Using this planner

1. 1
   Check the age group

   Use the checker above or in your planner.

2. 2
   Explore settings

   Filter the directory by area, type and outcome, and read each setting’s page.

3. 3
   Build your list

   Add up to eight settings to your planner, order them and note what matters to you.

4. 4
   Check and apply

   Review the list check, read the criteria, then apply through the Education Authority.