Places left
52places
31first choices
16left after Stage 2
demand trend
Places remained after Stage 2
BELFAST EAST · CONTROLLED
McArthur Nursery School (Belfast)
DE reference 1110002 · Managed by the Education Authority.
2026/27 intake in brief
Places leftIn 2026/27, 9 target-age children listed McArthur Nursery School (Belfast) as their first choice. The setting had 52 funded places. All of them were offered a place. 1 place went to target-age children who ranked it second or lower. 23 underage children also got a place. 19 places were still unfilled at the end of Stage 2.
52funded places
9target-age first choices
0first choices not placed
19places left after Stage 2
Ranked 18 of 18 Belfast East settings by first-choice applicants per place (0.17 here; 0.83 across Belfast).
Three intakes compared
Funded places against the number of target-age children who listed this setting first.
- Funded places
- Target-age children who chose it first
- 2024/25 Filled 25 first choices for 52 places · 0 left
- 2025/26 Places left 19 first choices for 52 places · 1 left
- 2026/27 Places left 9 first choices for 52 places · 19 left
Admissions criteria
2026/27 criteria (manually summarised)
Within the applicable target-age category, the school gave priority to siblings of current or former pupils, other children living permanently at the same address, or a first or only child. It then considered straight-line distance to the nursery.
Session for that intake: 8.30 am–1.00 pm
Read the original criteriaCriteria for September 2027 are due on 9 December 2026. Find them on the EA profile .
Before you rank it
- Read the criteria for your intake year, not an older one.
- Check the session times (full-time or part-time) suit your family.
- Visit or call if you can, and ask whether the setting holds an open day.
Full figures by preference
“1st” counts children who listed this setting as their first preference, and so on. “Other” is fourth or later. Places cover the whole programme, shared by both age groups.
| Programme | Age group | Places | Applications | Offered a place | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | |||
| McArthur Nursery School (Belfast) | Target age | 52 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| McArthur Nursery School (Belfast) | Underage | 52 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 23 |
| Programme | Age group | Places | Applications | Offered a place | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | |||
| McArthur Nursery School (Belfast) | Target age | 52 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 30 |
| McArthur Nursery School (Belfast) | Underage | 52 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 21 |
| Programme | Age group | Places | Applications | Offered a place | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | |||
| McArthur Nursery School (Belfast) | Target age | 52 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 30 |
| McArthur Nursery School (Belfast) | Underage | 52 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 44 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 22 |
ALTERNATIVES
Belfast East settings with places left in 2026/27
Places left
40places
31first choices
5left after Stage 2
demand trend
Places remained after Stage 2
Places left
32places
26first choices
5left after Stage 2
demand trend
Places remained after Stage 2
Places left
16places
13first choices
1left after Stage 2
demand trend
Places remained after Stage 2
How to read these figures
The Education Authority counts applications and allocations at the end of Stage 2. A child can appear in several settings’ application counts but is offered at most one place. Late changes, withdrawals and offers made after Stage 2 are not included, so the figures are not live vacancies.
“Target age” children are in their final pre-school year and are placed first. “Underage” children are a year younger and only receive places that remain. More about the data.