Admissions Criteria
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Admissions criteria for entry September 2026
Little Acorns Pre-School Clandeboye Primary School Clandeboye Road Bangor BT20 3JW
Person in Charge/Leader: Mrs Denise Reynolds Deputy Leader: Mrs Helen Smyth Voluntary Pre-School Provisional Number of Funded Places (Full-time): 22 Session Times: Monday to Friday: 9:00am – 1:30pm A mid-day meal is available
Telephone: 079 7404 2903
Website: littleacorns-preschool.org
Respective Functions of the Management Committee and Pre-School Leader in relation to admissions.
The Management Committee draws up the admissions criteria and delegates to the leaders, the responsibility for applying these criteria. The Management Committee have determined that, in the event of there being more applicants than places available the following admissions criteria will be applied, to select children for the available places. When considering which children should be selected for admission, the Management Committee will only take into account information which is detailed on or attached to the application form. Parents/guardians should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the preschool’s admissions criteria is stated on the application form or attached to it. Children who are not normally resident in Northern Ireland will not be considered for places until all children who live in Northern Ireland have been considered.
Full Time Provision
The Education Minister has given approval that Little Acorns will provide 22.5 hours per week for the 2026-2027 academic year. Admissions Criteria
A timetable of pre-school admissions procedures setting out the dates by which an application is to be submitted is available at www.eani.org.uk/admissions under ‘Pre-School Admissions’. During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria punctual applications will be considered before late applications are considered. The application procedure opens on 07 January 2026 at 12noon (GMT) and an application submitted by the closing date of 21 January 2026 at 12noon (GMT) will be treated as a punctual application. An application received after 12noon (GMT) on 21 January 2026 will be treated as a late application. As the pre-school admissions procedure is in two stages the timetable also specifies the relevant dates at Stage 2 which will determine if an application is to be considered as punctual or late.
Statutory Criteria
1 Children from socially disadvantaged circumstances in their final pre-school year who were born:
• on or between 2 July 2022 and 1 July 2023 (inclusive) and whose parents have not exercised their right to defer their child’s entry to primary school; or,
• on or between 1 April 2022 and 1 July 2022 (inclusive) or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,
• have not attended or are not currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged child; and,
• that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1 until September 2027.
Note: Children from ‘socially disadvantaged circumstances’ means a child whose parent has an entitlement to (i) Income Support, or (ii) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or (iii) Income related Employment and Support Allowance, or (iv) Universal Credit. When parents apply for places for their child on this basis they must provide Benefit Verification to confirm that they have an entitlement. The application procedure for Pre-School will outline how Benefit Verification can be submitted.
2 Children not from socially disadvantaged circumstances (as defined above) who are in their final pre-school year (as defined by Criterion 1).
Sub-criteria
In the event of over-subscription within any of the above criteria the following sub-criteria will apply: -
a) Children who are attending Little Acorns Pre-school in a paying capacity in their pre pre-school year.
b) Children who have previously had a brother/sister, half brother/sister attend Little Acorns Pre-school.
c)Children who are the eldest or only child of the family.
d)Children who have an older sibling attending Clandeboye Primary School
e)Other preferences as specified on application form e.g. 1st, 2nd
f) The geographical location of the child’s home address on the basis of proximity to the pre-school measured by Google www.eani.org.uk/admissions maps walking distance. Child closest in walking distance will be admitted first.
Non-Statutory Criteria
Note: Applications falling under Criterion 3 are processed only during Stage 2 of the admissions process, after final pre- school year (Statutory Criteria 1 and 2) applications.
3. Children who were born:
• on or between 1 April 2022 - 1 July 2022 (inclusive), or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,
• and have attended or are currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged (not penultimate aged) child; and,
• that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1.
Tie Breaker – Non-Statutory Criterion 3
Children born within criteria 3 will be selected by the following criteria:-
a) Children that already attend Little Acorns Pre-school in a funded Pre-School place
b) Chronological Order of age – eldest first.
c) The geographical location of the child’s address on the basis of proximity to the pre-school measured by Google maps, walking distance. Child closest in walking distance will be admitted first.
Duty to Verify
The Management Committee reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any application form. If the requested evidence is not provided to the Management Committee by the deadline given, this will result in the withdrawal of an offer of a place. Similarly, if information is supplied which appears to be false or misleading in any material way, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.
Waiting List Policy
The Waiting List Policy is available directly from the Pre-school.
Little Acorns Pre-School Clandeboye Primary School Clandeboye Road Bangor BT20 3JW
Person in Charge/Leader: Mrs Denise Reynolds Deputy Leader: Mrs Helen Smyth Voluntary Pre-School Provisional Number of Funded Places (Full-time): 22 Session Times: Monday to Friday: 9:00am – 1:30pm A mid-day meal is available
Telephone: 079 7404 2903
Website: littleacorns-preschool.org
Respective Functions of the Management Committee and Pre-School Leader in relation to admissions.
The Management Committee draws up the admissions criteria and delegates to the leaders, the responsibility for applying these criteria. The Management Committee have determined that, in the event of there being more applicants than places available the following admissions criteria will be applied, to select children for the available places. When considering which children should be selected for admission, the Management Committee will only take into account information which is detailed on or attached to the application form. Parents/guardians should therefore ensure that all information pertaining to their child and relevant to the preschool’s admissions criteria is stated on the application form or attached to it. Children who are not normally resident in Northern Ireland will not be considered for places until all children who live in Northern Ireland have been considered.
Full Time Provision
The Education Minister has given approval that Little Acorns will provide 22.5 hours per week for the 2026-2027 academic year. Admissions Criteria
A timetable of pre-school admissions procedures setting out the dates by which an application is to be submitted is available at www.eani.org.uk/admissions under ‘Pre-School Admissions’. During the admissions procedure when applying the criteria punctual applications will be considered before late applications are considered. The application procedure opens on 07 January 2026 at 12noon (GMT) and an application submitted by the closing date of 21 January 2026 at 12noon (GMT) will be treated as a punctual application. An application received after 12noon (GMT) on 21 January 2026 will be treated as a late application. As the pre-school admissions procedure is in two stages the timetable also specifies the relevant dates at Stage 2 which will determine if an application is to be considered as punctual or late.
Statutory Criteria
1 Children from socially disadvantaged circumstances in their final pre-school year who were born:
• on or between 2 July 2022 and 1 July 2023 (inclusive) and whose parents have not exercised their right to defer their child’s entry to primary school; or,
• on or between 1 April 2022 and 1 July 2022 (inclusive) or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,
• have not attended or are not currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged child; and,
• that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1 until September 2027.
Note: Children from ‘socially disadvantaged circumstances’ means a child whose parent has an entitlement to (i) Income Support, or (ii) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or (iii) Income related Employment and Support Allowance, or (iv) Universal Credit. When parents apply for places for their child on this basis they must provide Benefit Verification to confirm that they have an entitlement. The application procedure for Pre-School will outline how Benefit Verification can be submitted.
2 Children not from socially disadvantaged circumstances (as defined above) who are in their final pre-school year (as defined by Criterion 1).
Sub-criteria
In the event of over-subscription within any of the above criteria the following sub-criteria will apply: -
a) Children who are attending Little Acorns Pre-school in a paying capacity in their pre pre-school year.
b) Children who have previously had a brother/sister, half brother/sister attend Little Acorns Pre-school.
c)Children who are the eldest or only child of the family.
d)Children who have an older sibling attending Clandeboye Primary School
e)Other preferences as specified on application form e.g. 1st, 2nd
f) The geographical location of the child’s home address on the basis of proximity to the pre-school measured by Google www.eani.org.uk/admissions maps walking distance. Child closest in walking distance will be admitted first.
Non-Statutory Criteria
Note: Applications falling under Criterion 3 are processed only during Stage 2 of the admissions process, after final pre- school year (Statutory Criteria 1 and 2) applications.
3. Children who were born:
• on or between 1 April 2022 - 1 July 2022 (inclusive), or were due to be born on or between those dates but were born earlier; and,
• and have attended or are currently attending a funded pre-school setting under the Pre-School Education Programme as a target aged (not penultimate aged) child; and,
• that child’s parent has completed a request to defer their child starting P1.
Tie Breaker – Non-Statutory Criterion 3
Children born within criteria 3 will be selected by the following criteria:-
a) Children that already attend Little Acorns Pre-school in a funded Pre-School place
b) Chronological Order of age – eldest first.
c) The geographical location of the child’s address on the basis of proximity to the pre-school measured by Google maps, walking distance. Child closest in walking distance will be admitted first.
Duty to Verify
The Management Committee reserves the right to require such supplementary evidence as it may determine to support or verify information on any application form. If the requested evidence is not provided to the Management Committee by the deadline given, this will result in the withdrawal of an offer of a place. Similarly, if information is supplied which appears to be false or misleading in any material way, the offer of a place will be withdrawn.
Waiting List Policy
The Waiting List Policy is available directly from the Pre-school.