Places left
52places
22first choices
12left after Stage 2
demand trend
Places remained after Stage 2
BELFAST WEST · VOLUNTARY
St Oliver Plunkett Pre School PG (Belfast)
DE reference 1BB0322 · Voluntary playgroups and settings funded through the Pre-School Education Programme.
2026/27 intake in brief
Places leftIn 2026/27, 12 target-age children listed St Oliver Plunkett Pre School PG (Belfast) as their first choice. The setting had 19 funded places. All of them were offered a place. 2 places went to target-age children who ranked it second or lower. 5 places were still unfilled at the end of Stage 2.
19funded places
12target-age first choices
0first choices not placed
5places left after Stage 2
Ranked 23 of 32 Belfast West settings by first-choice applicants per place (0.63 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 14 first choices for 24 places · 0 left
- 2025/26 Places left 17 first choices for 24 places · 4 left
- 2026/27 Places left 12 first choices for 19 places · 5 left
Admissions criteria
Each setting decides who gets a place when it has more applicants than places. Criteria commonly include target age, siblings, distance or other circumstances. Some give priority to a first preference.
Criteria 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 | |||
| St Oliver Plunkett Pre School PG (Belfast) | Target age | 19 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| St Oliver Plunkett Pre School PG (Belfast) | Underage | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Programme | Age group | Places | Applications | Offered a place | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | |||
| St Oliver Plunkett Pre School PG (Belfast) | Target age | 24 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| St Oliver Plunkett Pre School PG (Belfast) | Underage | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Programme | Age group | Places | Applications | Offered a place | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other | Total | |||
| St Oliver Plunkett Pre School PG (Belfast) | Target age | 24 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
ALTERNATIVES
Belfast West settings with places left in 2026/27
Places left
17places
10first choices
6left after Stage 2
demand trend
Places remained after Stage 2
Places left
52places
38first choices
2left after Stage 2
demand trend
Places remained after Stage 2
Places left
52places
42first 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.