Paul Givan: Children with a parent on benefits will not be eligible for priority pre-school place

Some assembly members criticised the move when unveiled by Givan in the Stormont chamber on Monday, with one – Sinn Féin’s Danny Baker – at one point describing him as “a disgrace”.

In questioning the move, SDLP’s Cara Hunter asked why he was removing the only statutory protection for children living “in absolute poverty”, while Alliance’s Nick Mathison said it was “something that could further disadvantage the children who are at the highest risk of educational disadvantage”.

In response, Givan said it was about not taking a blanket approach, adding that “those struggling to make end meets” should not be disadvantaged because they work.

Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, a lecturer at Ulster University, said SDC had been used to create an early education selection system that gave “our most vulnerable children” a “foot up on the ladder”.

Fitzpatrick said research showed children from working class backgrounds tended to be “educationally further ahead” than their peers from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and argued the education minister’s plans would widen this disparity.

“Pre-school education is not about childcare, it’s about early education.

“The evidence suggests that those children from socially deprived backgrounds have less communication skills, less school-readiness, less social skills.

“It means that early education is so important for them.

“It’s going to stick by them as they go through school.”

She also questioned how the move would affect how many hours a child would get a pre-school.

Currently, there is no standardised set hours for pre-school children across Northern Ireland, with some getting 12.5 hours of pre-school and others getting 22.5.

“Those less affluent children are prioritised for 22.5 hours because that is going to ensure they are not on the backfoot as they enter into primary school.”

On Monday, the education minister said those getting 22.5 hours of pre-school had grown significantly during his time, from 40% of pupils two years ago to 65% now.

He added that the executive has committed to delivering standardised full-time pre-school hours but that the Department of Finance need to make the money available to do so.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Nolan Show, Fitzpatrick said she understood “working-class parents have frustrations but that’s not on the back of these three and four-year-old children.”

She said it is a “crude measure that is going to impact our most vulnerable children”.