Education Minister Paul Givan has agreed to look into the Education Authority's decision to withdraw funded pre-school places from Kirkinriola Early Years unit at Kirkinriola Primary School near Ballymena. North Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan raised the matter during question time at the Northern Ireland Assembly on 24 February. He cited enrolment figures at the unit of 15, 16, 17, 21 and 19 children over the previous five years.

The authority notified the unit on 23 February of the removal of places for the 2026/27 academic year after it received fewer than eight applications. Last year the unit had 19 applications with 13 funded places provided. Parents have contacted the authority about errors on some forms and confirmed plans to enrol children there.

North Antrim DUP MLA Paul Frew visited the unit on Friday to back staff and pledged efforts to overturn the decision. He argued the eight-application threshold fails to account for rural circumstances and called for assessments based on trends over multiple years.

Kirkinriola Primary School has 90 pupils enrolled and future expansion plans. Principal Emily McCaffrey said the unit supports smooth progression to primary education with 13 children due to enter P1 from the unit this year. The unit now serves 24 children including 15 in pre-school and employs three staff members.

An Education Authority statement indicated sufficient pre-school places exist locally for all applicants. The authority described the step as a temporary one-year measure following standard admissions procedures.