What is a nursery school? 

A nursery school is a place of education for children in their pre-school year (the year immediately before Primary School / P1).  There is a trained teacher in each class who is registered with the General Teaching Council of Northern Ireland and educated to Masters level and a highly qualified nursery assistant.  We are concerned with the education and holistic development of children which is planned for, observed and assessed. We follow the Northern Ireland Curricular Guidance for Pre-School Education. 

We are not a day nursery, which is a child care provider. 

Are you part of any other school?

No, we are not part of, or linked to, any other school. We are a stand alone nursery school. We have our own Board of Governors, Principal, budget, policies and procedures. 

Does my child have to attend a particular primary school if they attend your nursery school?

No, you can choose which primary school your child attends.  This will be done through a separate admissions procedure, similar to how you applied to nursery schools.  Our children move on to many different primary schools including Holy Rosary Primary School, St. Michael's Primary School, Rosetta Primary School, St. Ita's Primary School, St. Joseph's Primary School, Forge Integrated Primary School, Stranmillis Primary School amongst others. We are not attached, linked or affiliated with any primary school.

What is your staff: child ratio? 

Our staff ratio is a minimum of 1 staff member to every 13 children in accordance with the Department of Education Northern Ireland, however we usually have an extra assistant in each room, budget allowing, as well as students, volunteers, etc.

How much does Nursery Education cost?

Your child’s nursery education is fully funded by the Department of Education as part of the Pre-School Education Programme.  There is no cost to you, however we ask that you contribute £5 each week to cover healthy snack each day, resources for making dough, baking, gardening, birthdays and enrichment activities such as Make a Sound, Mr Hullabaloo, Carnival productions puppet shows, etc. 

When can my child start nursery school?

If your child is born on or between 2 July 2022 and 1 July 2023 they will be in their final pre-school year (Target Age) for the school year September 2025 to June 2026 and they can apply for a nursery school place.  

If your child is born on or between 1 April 2022 and 1 July 2022; OR if your child is born before 1 April 2022 but due to be born on or after 1 April 2022 if born at term; and you have submitted a request to defer your child from starting P1 in September 2026 you can apply for a pre-school place for September 2026 in a Nursery School.

Your child will start school in September 2026 and attend 5 days a week until June 2027 barring school holidays.

I don’t have my child on the waiting list, can I still apply? 

Yes, there is no need for your child’s name to be on a waiting list.  Parents/ carers apply in January whether or not you have their child’s name on a waiting list or expressed an interest in a school. Being on a waiting list does not give parents priority and you must still apply through Education Authority’s online application process which opens at 12 noon on Wednesday 7th January 2026 & closes at 12 noon on Wednesday 21st January 2026.

I have not had a child attend Holy Rosary Nursery School before, do I still have a chance of getting in? 

Yes. When allocating places, we apply our admissions criteria strictly to each application.  While we do have siblings that have attended or are attending the school as a criterion, our places are not historically filled at this. 


I do not live within the parish of Holy Rosary, do I still have a chance of getting in? 

Yes. Again this is only one of a number of admission criteria which we apply and we do not historically filled our places at this criterion.

Is the criteria for all nursery schools the same? 

No, there are statutory criteria set by the Department of Education and individual criteria set by each school.  Statutory criteria relating to social disadvantage and age are the same for all nursery schools.  Each school then chooses their own criteria, agreed by their Board of Governors which are applied strictly to each application.  Read the admissions criteria for each school you are applying to! 

How do I know if I am considered socially disadvantaged?

Check the Education Authority website for further details.  If you are eligible, please ensure your documentation is uploaded with your application.  This will mean that your application may be further up the criteria, however without the correct documentation, schools cannot apply the social disadvantage status to your application which could be the difference in you securing a place or not.  Please read carefully what documents are acceptable and which date ranges. 

How many children do you admit each year?

We have 52 full time places each year - 2 classes with 26 children in each.

My child has additional needs, will they receive support in nursery schools? 

Unfortunately, children will not receive 1:1 support unless they have been assessed by the Education Authority prior to admission and a Statement of Special Educational Needs is in place or if they have medical needs that qualify them for adult support which again is organised by the Education Authority.  

If you are worried about your child’s development or their needs, please speak to your health visitor or GP prior to starting nursery school. Please also speak to the Principal & let her know details of your child’s needs; this will allow us to plan more effectively for your child’s needs. In some cases, a full time session can be too challenging for a child and a shorter session is required until they are able to cope.  

My child is not fully toilet trained, will they be able to secure a place?

We ask that children are toilet trained before starting nursery school, unless there are documented medical reasons or additional needs for not doing so.  There may only be 2 staff in each class of 26 children and 1:1 support for intimate care is not possible with this level of staffing. Children should be independent at toileting and not wearing nappies or pull-ups prior to starting nursery school.

Do you offer breakfast club or after schools facilities? 

We do not offer any on site after schools facilities however there are a number of external facilitators who do collect from our nursery school and offer after school care.  These include Hillcrest day nursery and St. Jude’s after school club.