By Lisa Ramsden
Hopes of opening a nursery unit at All Children’s Integrated Primary School in Newcastle have been dashed. Last week, Education Minister Paul Givan refused the school’s plans to open the pre-school unit, which would have catered for 26 children. In his published response, the minister cited that the establishment of the unit could lead to “a negative impact on other preschool settings in the area.” The school had applied to establish the unit from the start of September 2026.
This ‘risk of displacement and harm to existing providers,’ coupled with what the report describes as ‘financial burden and inefficient use of public funds,’ are highlighted as deciding factors. The response, which includes comment from Minister Givan, states that the capital cost of the new unit would be around £500,000, plus yearly costs of around £65,000. The proposal included two part-time staff.
School principal Neville Watson spoke of the school’s deep disappointment. Sharing the news online, as well as being in direct communication with the families of children who attend All Children’s IPS, Mr Watson said that despite this setback “we remain dedicated to our vision of providing high-quality education that promotes harmony, nurtures every child’s potential, and strengthens community bonds.”
All Children’s is one of the main feeder schools for Shimna Integrated College, which is located next door. Acknowledging the nursery unit would have provided parents “with a dedicated integrated pathway from preschool to post-primary and would have put integrated education in Newcastle on an equal footing to other sectors,” Mr Watson said the school “will continue to advocate for equality of access to integrated education at every phase and work constructively to make this vision a reality.”
In its social media post, the school said it was ‘deeply disappointed by the Education Minister’s decision to reject our proposal for nursery provision.’ Describing All Children’s and Shimna as ‘grassroots schools created by parents to foster shared learning,’ the post added that, for almost 40 years, both have ‘thrived thanks to strong parental demand and community support.’
It continued: ‘Parents seeking an integrated preschool option in Newcastle still have no provision comparable to other sectors, even where demand is lower. This is a clear inequality, and it is depressing to see the Department disregard its duty to encourage and support integrated education. The reasons given – overprovision and financial pressure – are short-sighted. “Overprovision in the area is concentrated in certain settings, reflects planning decisions taken decades ago, and ignores significant demographic change in the interim, to which there has been limited coherent area planning response. This approach also conflicts with the Department’s own commitment to standardise preschool provision and provide full-time nursery places for all children. How can that goal be achieved fairly if some areas have no integrated option?”
“Sustainable provision required forward planning, not restricting places where parental demand is clear. Investing in stable, community-driven provision is cost-effective in the long term – the ‘too expensive, so do nothing’ argument undermines both equity and efficiency.”
Describing it as “a disappointment” and adding that turning down the proposal signals “a return to that all too familiar feeling that we’re going to be stuck with what we’ve got instead of what we need for longer than we should have to,” the statement made it clear that despite this setback, the Newcastle school continues to look forward. It concluded by reaffirming that its “vision remains strong.”
“We will continue to advocate for equality of access to integrated education at every stage and work constructively to make this vision a reality.”
Within the minister’s comments, included as part of the response to the school’s proposal, Mr Givan acknowledged that there is no alternative local integrated pre-school, and that ‘the ongoing applications of reception pupils’ indicates ‘a clear level of demand,’ but said if approved, the unit could ‘have an impact on existing good quality pre-school education provision in the area, which may result in displacement of existing funded places at other pre-school settings.’
The Department responds
Responding to the disappointment voiced by the local school, the Department of Education said its decision had not been “taken lightly.” It added that it was taken against a backdrop of “significant financial constraints” and acknowledged that when the department does not approve development proposals, it can be a source of disappointment for schools and the local communities they serve.
Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the department told the Mourne Observer that Minister Givan “must balance all information and evidence presented to him to ensure that the decision is the right one in the circumstances.” “It must be recognised that any decision in relation to a development proposal is not taken lightly and it is acknowledged that a ‘do not approve’ decision can be disappointing for a school and its community,” the statement from the department added.
“It is in that context that the minister must balance all information and evidence presented to him to ensure that the decision is the right one in the circumstances.” Noting that “all evidence on which the decision was taken” has been published to the department’s website, the representative explained that “at present the need for an additional nursery unit in the area must be balanced against the budgetary position.” She concluded: “As mentioned in the decision, currently overprovision in the area leads to additional costs for the department by accommodating under-target age children in statutory settings. Furthermore, the projected capital costs involved for a new statutory nursery must be considered in the context of significant financial constraints.”
The document – which can be found on the NI Executive’s website – also confirmed that two local pre-school providers ‘expressed concerns about sustainability’ if the proposal were to be approved.
Community support
On hearing of the news, local councillor, Jill Truesdale, described it as “a dreadfully shortsighted decision,” whilst former local woman, Anne Carr-Pettifer, who was central to helping establish the school, described Minister Givan’s decision as ‘totally unacceptable.’ Responding to the school’s Facebook post, she wrote: ‘I am committing myself from today to supporting All Children’s to achieve the nursery provision they have campaigned so diligently for.’ She added: ‘Forty years ago last month we started this journey. It is an amazing journey of parents demanding change, working tirelessly to create a beacon of excellence in truly shared, integrated education from nursery onwards. This is so disappointing. We campaigned for years for nursery provision for All Children’s. Shameful minister. Really shameful.’
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