Key points

  • There are 22,042 funded pupils in the Pre-School Education Programme and reception, a decrease of 430 on last year.

  • There are 167,523 pupils in primary schools (years 1-7), this has fallen by over 1,940 pupils this year.

  • In total 156,889 pupils are enrolled in post-primary schools, increasing by nearly 490 pupils from 2023/24. There are approximately 29,550 pupils in sixth forms in schools, 58% of all 16-17 year olds in Northern Ireland.

  • Over 70,230 pupils in schools have some form of special educational need; this is 19.8% of the entire school population. Nearly 29,500, or 8.3% of pupils, have a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of pupils in SEN stages 1-2 is 11.5%.

  • Over 90,940 pupils in Northern Ireland are entitled to free school meals; this is 26.2% of the entire school population.

Introduction

Provisional enrolment data from the 2024/25 annual school census was released in December 2024. The purpose of this statistical release is to present the final enrolment figures and a more detailed analysis of this information.

The data are taken from the school census exercise, which ran in October 2024. Data collected through the school census exercise are used by the Department of Education (DE) to inform a wide range of policy areas, including finance allocations, school estate development and planning, special education, school improvement, area-based planning, extended schools, additional educational needs, early years and integrated and Irish medium education. Other users include the Education Authority, the Education and Training Inspectorate and to inform responses to Assembly questions and requests from academic researchers, journalists, lobby groups and the public.

Statistics relating to school numbers and enrolments can be found on the Statistics and Research section of the DE website. Analysis is provided at Northern Ireland and school level.

This is an annual publication. Provisional data relating to the 2025/26 academic year will be released in December 2025, with a 2025/26 update of this publication being released in February/March 2026.


Section 1: Funded pre-school education


1.1 Number of institutions

  • There are a total of 715 institutions in Northern Ireland providing funded pre-school education (Table 1a). The total number of institutions offering pre-school education has decreased by 12 this year.

  • Just under half of all funded pre-school providers are funded voluntary and private pre-school centres, that is, playgroups and day nurseries. There are 322 funded centres this year.

  • Compared to last year, the number of funded voluntary and private pre-school centres has decreased by 17. The number of primary schools that have reception provision has increased by one compared to last year and the number of primary schools with nursery provision has increased by four. Meanwhile the number of nursery schools has stayed the same.


1.2 Enrolments

  • There are 22,042 children in funded pre-school education (Table 2a). This has fallen by 430 compared to last year. Over 9,450 (42.9%) were in full-time provision.

  • Nearly 6,400 pupils were enrolled in voluntary and private pre-school centres, over 5,700 were enrolled in nursery schools, 9,750 in nursery classes in primary schools and over 180 in reception classes (29.0%, 26.0%, 44.2% and 0.8% respectively).

  • Figures exclude pre-school aged pupils in Specialist Provision in Mainstream as these are not part of the Pre-School Education Programme. These pupils are included in (Figure 4b).

Figure 1: Enrolments in funded pre-school education in Northern Ireland 2014/15 - 2024/25

The number of children in pre-school education has fallen in recent years, in line with population estimates.

Note:

  1. Population figures are based on NISRA mid-year estimates. As 2024 figures were unavailable at the time of publication, the NISRA population projections have been used instead.

  2. Figures exclude pre-school aged pupils in Specialist Provision in Mainstream as these are not part of the Pre-School Education Programme. These pupils are included in (Figure 4b).


Section 2: Primary school education


2.1 Number of schools

  • There are 781 primary schools (including preparatory departments) in Northern Ireland. This has dropped by 25 schools since 2019/20 (Table 1b).


2.2 Enrolments

  • Enrolments of pupils in years 1 to 7 has fallen for the sixth year. In October 2024 the total number of year 1-7 pupils was 167,523 (Table 2a). Enrolments have decreased this year by over 1,900 pupils compared to last year (Figure 2). The decrease observed is in line with the fall in the number of 4-10 year olds over the last few years in the population.

  • With the reduction in the number of schools, the mean number of pupils per school has risen from 198 in 2014/15 to 214 in 2024/25.

Figure 2 - Enrolments in primary schools in Northern Ireland, 2014/15 - 2024/25

The number of pupils in all primary schools has fallen

Note: graph has a non-zero axis


Section 3: Post-primary school education


3.1 Number of schools

  • The number of post-primary schools in 2024/25 is 190 (Table 1b), a decrease of 3 from 2019/20. This is accounted for by a drop in the number of non-grammar schools.

  • One-third (66) of post-primary schools are grammar schools and the remaining two thirds (124) are non-grammars.

  • A total of 158 schools had pupils in approved sixth form.


3.2 Enrolments

  • The number of pupils in post-primary schools is 156,889 (Table 2a), a rise of nearly 490 pupils in 2024/25 compared to the previous year (Figure 3a). Enrolments have increased by nearly 14,340 pupils since 2014/15.

  • A decrease in enrolments in non-grammar schools was witnessed this year for the first time since 2016/17, with a decrease of over 160 pupils in 2024/25 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, there was an increase in grammar school enrolments by over 650 compared to last year. The proportion of post-primary school pupils attending grammar schools remains high (42.4% in 2024/25).

Figure 3a - Enrolments in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland- non-grammar/grammar split, 2014/15 - 2024/25

The number of pupils in all post-primary schools has increased

Note: graph has a non-zero axis


3.3 Enrolments by year groups

  • The number of pupils in years 8-12 increased by only 16 pupils compared to last year. This is mirrored by a small decrease in the number of 11-15 year olds in the population.

  • There are 29,550 pupils studying A Level or equivalent qualifications in schools in Northern Ireland in 2024/25. This has increased by over 470 pupils compared to last year. This is reflected in the number of 16-17 year olds in the population.

Figure 3b - Enrolments in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland- years 8-12/sixth form split, 2014/15 - 2024/25

The number of pupils in years 8-12 has remained consistent, while sixth form has increased

Note: Population figures are based on NISRA mid-year estimates. As 2024 figures were unavailable at the time of publication, the NISRA population projections have been used instead.

  • Overall, 58% of all 16 and 17 year olds in the population are studying A Level or equivalent qualifications in schools. This has dropped slightly this year in comparison to last year (60%), but still represents a large increase from 46% in 2003/04. This differs by sex; 65% of all girls aged 16 or 17 are studying A Levels or equivalent in schools compared to 51% of all boys.


Section 4: Special education

4.1 Special educational needs

  • Over 70,200 pupils in schools have some form of special educational need; this is 19.8% of the entire school population. Nearly 29,500, or 8.3% of pupils, have a statement of special educational needs (Table 7). The proportion of pupils in SEN stages 1-2 is 11.5%.

  • In 2024/25, 83.0% of pupils with any special educational needs were educated in a mainstream class in a mainstream school; 6.4% in Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools (SPiMS); and 10.6% in special schools.

Figure 4a - Pupils with Special Educational Needs, 2014/15 - 2024/25

The total number of pupils with Special Educational Needs has increased.

Note: In 2019 changes were made to the SEN register categories and definitions, and a medical register was created. In 2021 changes were made to SEN stages, where the five stage approach to identification, assessment and provision of SEN was replaced with three stages. Caution should be taken when comparing years due to the changes in categories and definitions in 2019 and stages in 2021.


4.2 Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM)

  • Specialist Provision in Mainstream (previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’) refers to classes/units in mainstream primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs (see Notes point 8 for further information).

  • Nearly 4,500 pupils (6.4% of all SEN pupils in schools and pre-school settings) were enrolled in specialist provision in nursery, primary and post-primary schools (Figure 4b; Table 7b). This is an increase of 2,450 pupils and 3.4 percentage points since 2019/20.

  • 221 schools had operational SPiMs on census day 2024; 4 nursery schools, 157 primary schools and 60 post primary schools. This is an increase of 33 from the previous year, and of 128 from 2019/20 (Table 1c).


4.3 Special school enrolments

  • Nearly 7,500 pupils (10.6% of all SEN pupils in schools and pre-school settings) were enrolled in 40 dedicated special schools (Figure 4b; Table 1b; Table 2a). This is an increase of 270 pupils from 2023/24.

Figure 4b - Pupils in Special Schools or Special Provision in Mainstream, 2014/15 - 2024/25

The number of pupils in special school and Special Provision in Mainstream (SPiM) has increased.

Section 5: Free school meal entitlement

  • The overall percentage of children entitled to free school meals has dropped compared to the previous year (27.2%) at 26.2% in 2024/25. This 26.2% equates to nearly 91,000 free school meal entitled pupils in nursery, primary, post primary and special schools (Table 3a).

  • There are some differences in free school meal entitlement by school type. Special schools have a much higher than average proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals (54.2%). Non-grammar pupils are also much more likely than grammar school pupils to be entitled to free school meals (32.3% compared to 11.2%; Table 3a).

Figure 5 - Percentage of Free School Meal Entitled Pupils, 2014/15 - 2024/25

The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals has decreased.


Section 6: Changes in enrolment patterns

This final section details changes in enrolment patterns in schools in recent years.


6.1 Diversity in schools

  • There has been an increase in the number and proportion of newcomer pupils in schools in Northern Ireland (Table 6b). A newcomer pupil is one who has enrolled in a school but who does not have the satisfactory language skills to participate fully in the school curriculum. In 2024/25, there were over 21,350 newcomer pupils accounting for 6.0% of the school population. This has risen by over 3,960 pupils since 2019/20.

  • The growth in diversity in the school system may be explained by increased levels of migration among school age children over the last number of years.


6.2 Integrated education

  • There are over 28,400 pupils enrolled in integrated schools – over 100 in nursery schools, more than 12,900 in primary schools and over 15,400 in post primary schools. The number enrolled has increased by over 700 pupils compared to last year, and more than 4,100 pupils from 2019/20.


6.3. Irish medium education

  • Nearly 7,600 pupils participate in funded Irish medium education, with over 5,900 pupils educated in dedicated Irish medium schools and pre-school settings, and over 1,600 pupils educated in Irish medium units attached to English-medium schools (Table 2b).

  • The total number of pupils in funded Irish medium education has steadily risen over time, increasing by nearly 800 pupils since 2019/20 and nearly 200 pupils since last year. Two-thirds of this increase is coming from greater enrolments in Irish medium schools.


6.4. Educated other than at school (EOTAS)

  • EOTAS makes educational provision for children with social, emotional, behavioural, medical, or other issues who, without its provision cannot access suitable education.

  • In total, 429 pupils were enrolled in EOTAS centres on census day in 2024. This includes pupils that are ‘dual registered’ with a mainstream school and may be accessing the EOTAS centre for a temporary period. Just 25 pupils are ‘single registered’ at EOTAS centres; this means that they no longer have a link to a mainstream school.


Contact Details

Published by: Statistics and Research Team, Department of Education

Lead Statisticians: Gemma Thomson and Conor McLean

Telephone: 028 9127 9707, 028 9127 9703

Email: census@education-ni.gov.uk

Press Office: press.office@education-ni.gov.uk

Notes for readers

Accredited Official Statistics

  1. These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics which broadly means these statistics are:
  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

  1. Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

  2. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing or via the OSR website.

School Census

  1. The statistics in this release have been derived from the annual School Census; details about the data collection may be found at School enrolments data collection and validation publication. For voluntary and private pre-school centres and nursery schools, the census consists of a return via an online app/ paper return comprising a number of tables; for post-primary, primary and special schools, and EOTAS centres, it consists of an electronic return comprising individual pupil records, made over a secure file transfer system.

    The tables presented in the release reflect key information on enrolments, as determined by Departmental needs and on requests for information from other sources.

    The figures for pre-school children in this release relate to children in funded pre-school education. The figures for nursery schools and classes relate to approved nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools. The figures for reception refer to pupils who were below compulsory school age at 1st July 2024, who were admitted to a reception class or group in primary school following their 4th birthday. Schools may admit reception pupils throughout the year, but only those who have been admitted or will be admitted by 31st October are counted in the school census. Figures for pre-school aged pupils who are not part of the Pre-school Education Programme, but rather are in Specialist Provision in Mainstream for Early Years have been included separately [PSEP overview - Pre-school education places] (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/pre-school-education-places).

  2. The figures in this statistical release are based on information as at 11 October 2024. They may be subject to minor revision and these will be notified in accordance with our revisions policy, see Statistical Revisions documentation (.pdf file, size: 25KB).

  3. Further statistics relating to school numbers and enrolments can be found on the DE website under the Statistics and Research section. The DE website presents figures taken from the school census, summarised at regional, and school level. Statistics on pupil attendance, pupil: teacher ratios, school leaver destinations and qualifications may also be accessed via the website.

  4. Information on enrolments collected via the school census process are used to inform DE policy and procedures (particularly School Funding), as well as to inform Education Authority of detailed information useful to them in their auditing processes.

  5. The data is produced at aggregate level only, therefore individual pupils cannot be identified. More information on confidentiality can be found in the DE Confidentiality and Access Statement.

  6. The categories for recording pupils with special educational needs (SEN) were revised in 2019, along with the creation of an electronic Medical Register. A pupil’s placement on the SEN register, as required under the SEN Code of Practice, means that the child has a SEN which requires special educational provision to be made. For further information, see the Department’s SEN and medical categories guidance.

    From 2021 the number of Special Education Needs (SEN) stages reduced from five to three. The three individual stages are defined in the draft SEN Code as follows:

    • Stage 1: School delivered special educational provision by the teacher, working with the SENCo.
    • Stage 2: School delivered special educational provision plus external special educational provision is being implemented, for example by the EA or HSC Trust.
    • Stage 3/ Statement: School delivered plus special educational provision as set out in a Statement.

    For further information, see DE Circular 2021/06 - Three Stages of Special Educational Provision.

  7. Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM; previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’) refers to classes/units in mainstream primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs. There are several different types of Specialist Provision for example, Social Communication (Autism), Learning, Behaviour, Hearing, Physical, or Speech.

School types

  1. Definitions of school management types are as follows:
  • Controlled: Schools are managed and funded by the Education Authority through Boards of Governors (BoG). Primary and post-primary school BoGs consist of representatives of transferors - mainly the Protestant churches - along with representatives of parents, teachers and the EA.
  • Voluntary: Self-governing schools, generally of long standing, originally established to provide an academic education at post primary level on a fee paying basis. Now funded by the Department and managed by Boards of Governors. The BoGs are constituted in accordance with each school’s scheme of management - usually representatives of foundation governors, parents, teachers and in most cases, DE or EA representatives. The BoGs is the employing authority and is responsible for the employment of all staff in its school.
  • Maintained schools are managed by Boards of Governors which consist of members nominated by trustees, along with representatives of parents, teachers and the Education Authority. These schools are funded through the EA for their running costs and directly by the Department in relation to capital building works. For Catholic Maintained schools, the Employing Authority is the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS). Other maintained schools are any schools that are not Catholic maintained. They are typically, but not exclusively, Irish medium schools.
  • Controlled integrated: Controlled schools which have acquired integrated status.
  • Grant Maintained integrated: Self-governing schools with integrated education status, funded directly by the Department of Education and managed by Boards of Governors. The BoG is the employing authority and responsible for employing staff.
  1. Definitions of other school types are as follows:
  • A special school is a controlled or voluntary school which is specially organised to provide education for pupils with special needs and is recognised by the DE as a special school.
  • An independent school is a school at which full-time education is provided for pupils aged from 4 to 16 and is not grant aided. These schools set their own curriculum and admissions policies and are funded by fees paid by parents and income from investments. Each independent school must be registered with DE and is inspected regularly by ETI.
  • Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) includes all forms of education that takes place outside the formal school environment.

  1. Action Short of Strike

    For the 2023/24 academic year, the school census exercise was impacted by industrial action, due to ongoing Action Short of Strike (ASOS). For further information please see Annual Enrolments at schools and in funcded pre-school education in Northern Ireland, 2023/24.

Feedback on this publication can be provided directly to Gemma Thomson (contact details above) or contact the Statistics and Research Team

Accessibility contact

Please contact Dissemination Branch for assistance with accessibility requirements or alternative formats. Contact details are:

Email:

Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836

Dissemination Branch
NISRA
Colby House
Stranmillis Court
BELFAST
BT9 5RR

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List of Tables

  • Table 1a: The number of pre-school providers with funded places, by centre type and management type, 2019/20 - 2024/25
  • Table 1b: The number of schools by school type and management type, 2019/20 - 2024/25
  • Table 1c: The number of Special Educational Needs providers by school type, 2019/20 - 2024/25
  • Table 2a: Pupils by school type and management type, 2024/25
  • Table 2b: Pupils in Irish-medium education, 2019/20 - 2024/25
  • Table 2c: Pupils in Integrated education1, 2019/20 - 2024/25
  • Table 3a: Pupils entitled to Free School Meals by school type, 2024/25
  • Table 3b: Pupils entitled to Free School Meals by school type and management type, 2024/25
  • Table 4: Average class size by school type and management type, 2024/25
  • Table 5: Religion of pupils by school type and management type, 2024/25
  • Table 6a: Ethnicity of pupils by school type, 2024/25
  • Table 6b: Newcomer pupils by school type, 2019/20 – 2024/25
  • Table 7a: Percentage of children with Special Education Needs at schools and funded pre-school education centres in 2024/25
  • Table 7b: Number of Specialist Provision in Mainstream pupils by school type, 2019/20 - 2024/25

Tables

Table 1a

The number of pre-school providers with funded places, by centre type and management type, 2019/20 - 2024/25

School and Management Type 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Nursery schools - Controlled 64 64 62 60 60 60
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 31 31 31 31 31 31
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 0 0 1 2 2 2
Nursery schools - Total 95 95 94 93 93 93
Nursery class in primary school - Controlled [1] 119 120 121 122 121 119
Nursery class in primary school - Catholic Maintained [2] 90 90 90 90 90 90
Nursery class in primary school - Other Maintained [3] 16 16 16 16 17 21
Nursery class in primary school - Controlled Integrated 4 5 5 6 7 9
Nursery class in primary school - Grant Maintained Integrated 17 17 17 17 17 17
Nursery class in primary school - Total 246 248 249 251 252 256
Reception classes in primary schools - Controlled 16 14 15 16 18 17
Reception classes in primary schools - Catholic Maintained 26 29 21 25 22 24
Reception classes in primary schools - Other Maintained 0 0 0 0 0 0
Reception classes in primary schools - Controlled Integrated 3 2 3 4 3 3
Reception classes in primary schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 0 0 0 0 0 0
Reception classes in primary schools - Total 45 45 39 45 43 44
Voluntary pre-school education centres 326 312 308 301 294 278
Private pre-school education centres 54 50 48 48 45 44
Voluntary and private pre-school education centres - Total 380 362 356 349 339 322
All centres - GRAND TOTAL 766 750 738 738 727 715

Notes:

  1. Figures exclude Specialist Provision in Mainstream settings as these are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ point 10. For Pre-school aged Specialist Provision settings see Table 1c.

  2. PSEP overview - Pre-school education places (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/pre-school-education-places)


Table 1b

The number of schools by school type and management type, 2019/20 - 2024/25

School and Management Type 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Nursery schools - Controlled 64 64 62 60 60 60
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 31 31 31 31 31 31
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 0 0 1 2 2 2
Nursery schools - Total 95 95 94 93 93 93
Primary schools - Controlled [1] 361 360 355 354 351 346
Primary schools - Catholic Maintained [2][3] 360 358 355 354 351 346
Primary schools - Other Maintained - Irish Medium 25 25 25 25 25 25
Primary schools - Other Maintained - Other 3 3 2 2 2 2
Primary schools - Controlled Integrated 22 22 24 24 25 27
Primary schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 23 23 23 23 23 23
Primary schools - Total 794 791 784 782 777 769
Preparatory depts in grammar schools - Controlled 1 1 1 1 1 1
Preparatory depts in grammar schools - Voluntary 11 11 11 11 11 11
Preparatory depts in grammar schools - Total [4] 12 12 12 12 12 12
Primary schools and preparatory depts - Total 806 803 796 794 789 781
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Controlled 48 48 48 47 47 47
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Catholic Maintained 57 57 56 56 56 54
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Other Maintained 2 2 2 2 2 2
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Controlled Integrated 5 5 5 6 6 6
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 15 15 15 15 15 15
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Total 127 127 126 126 126 124
Grammar schools - Controlled 16 16 16 16 16 16
Grammar schools - Voluntary - under Catholic management 29 29 29 29 29 29
Grammar schools - Voluntary - under other management 21 21 21 21 21 21
Grammar schools - Total 66 66 66 66 66 66
Post primary schools - Total 193 193 192 192 192 190
Special schools 39 39 39 39 39 40
Hospital schools [5] 1 1 1 1 1 0
Independent schools 14 15 14 14 14 13
GRAND TOTAL 1136 1134 1124 1121 1116 1105

Notes:

  1. Includes 2 Irish Medium Controlled schools.

  2. Includes 1 Irish Medium Catholic schools.

  3. Catholic maintained total in 2019/20 includes a school that did not have any pupils enrolled on census day. In 2023/24, there were 2 Catholic maintained schools that did not have any pupils enrolled on census day and formally closed on 31 October 2023, and 1 school that had pupils but also closed on 31 October 2023.

  4. These are part of grammar schools.

  5. Figures include all schools that were open on census day. For example, Belfast Hospital school ceased to exist as a school from 19 February 2024 and became part of EOTAS, however it was still in operation on census day 2023. Similarly, Downey House Prep closed December 2024, and is included in the census 2024 figures.


Table 1c

The number of special educational provision settings by school type, 2019/20 - 2024/25

School Type 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Nursery Schools 0 0 0 0 1 4
Primary Schools - Pre-school age 0 0 0 6 12 23
Primary Schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 62 71 89 100 131 155
Post-primary 31 36 45 48 53 60
Total SPiM 93 107 134 150 188 221
Special Schools 39 39 39 39 39 40
ALL SPiM and Special 132 146 173 189 227 261

Notes:

  1. Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM; previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’) refers to classes/units in mainstream primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs. There are several different types of Specialist Provision for example, Social Communication (Autism), Learning, Behaviour, Hearing, Physical, or Speech.

  2. From 2022/23, Specialist Provision was extended to pre-school aged pupils. A primary school may have SPiM provision for both pre-school aged pupils and pupils in years 1-7. These have been counted as one setting in the Total SPiM and All SPiM and Special total.

  3. In 2022/23, 4 of the 6 schools with preschool aged SPiM also have SPiM provision for Years 1 - 7.

  4. In 2023/24, 9 of the 12 schools with preschool aged SPiM also have SPiM provision for Years 1 - 7.

  5. In 2024/25, 21 of the 23 schools with preschool aged SPiM also have SPiM provision for Years 1 - 7.


Table 2a

The number of pupils by school type and management type, 2024/25

School Type Controlled Catholic Maintained Other Maintained Controlled Integrated Grant Maintained Integrated Voluntary Under Catholic Management Voluntary Under Other Management Grand Total
Funded Voluntary Pre-schools - Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,458
Funded Private Pre-schools - Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 930
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,388
Nursery schools - Full-time 2,345 1,577 0 53 0 0 0 3,975
Nursery schools - Part-time 1,539 154 0 52 0 0 0 1,745
Nursery classes in a primary school - Full-time 2,319 2,470 274 99 132 0 0 5,294
Nursery classes in a primary school - Part-time 2,147 1,350 299 157 503 0 0 4,456
Nursery schools and classes - Total 8,350 5,551 573 361 635 0 0 15,470
Pre-school Specialist Provision in nursery schools 11 6 0 4 0 0 0 21
Pre-school Specialist Provision in primary schools 37 49 0 0 0 0 0 86
Pre-school Specialist Provision - Total 48 55 0 4 0 0 0 107
Reception classes in a primary school 56 104 0 24 0 0 0 184
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 75,018 75,537 3,667 5,439 6,550 0 0 166,211
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) 95 0 0 0 0 0 1,217 1,312
Primary schools and preparatory depts (Reception to Year 7) - Total 75,169 75,641 3,667 5,463 6,550 0 1,217 167,707
Secondary (non grammar) schools 32,487 41,070 1,366 4,450 10,948 0 0 90,321
Grammar schools 14,733 0 0 0 0 30,749 21,086 66,568
Post primary schools - Total 47,220 41,070 1,366 4,450 10,948 30,749 21,086 156,889
Special schools 6,957 415 90 0 0 0 0 7,462
Educated off site but not at school (EOTAS) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25
Independent schools 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 732
GRAND TOTAL 137,744 122,732 5,696 10,278 18,133 30,749 22,303 354,780

Notes:

  1. Enrolments for special schools and EOTAS centres relate those where pupils are single registered to the school or are dual registered and the special school/EOTAS centre is recorded as the main school. Enrolments including these dual registered pupils are 6,952 for special schools and 535 for EOTAS centres. These additional pupils have been counted in another setting in the table above.

  2. Previous bulletins provided enrolments in hospital schools. These pupils have been counted in their main school.

  3. Voluntary and Private Pre-schools, EOTAS and Independent Schools do not fall under the same management type as other schools and have only been included in the Grand Total column.

  4. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM) have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.

  5. PSEP overview - Pre-school education places (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/pre-school-education-places)


Table 2b

The number of pupils in Irish-medium education, 2019/20 - 2024/25

School Type 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 480 452 414 410 411 365
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium school - Full-time 323 318 309 308 315 301
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium school -Part-time 150 149 148 148 174 272
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium unit - Full-time 30 30 25 26 26 29
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium unit -Part-time 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nursery classes - Total 503 497 482 482 515 602
Irish-medium primary school (Year 1 - Year 7) 3,565 3,637 3,686 3,675 3,636 3,638
Irish-medium unit in a primary school (Year 1 - Year 7) 945 967 975 997 996 983
Primary schools (Year 1 to Year 7) - Total 4,510 4,604 4,661 4,672 4,632 4,621
Irish-medium post-primary school 895 1,019 1,113 1,177 1,265 1,366
Irish-medium unit in a post-primary school 428 492 562 569 591 644
Post primary schools - Total 1,323 1,511 1,675 1,746 1,856 2,010
GRAND TOTAL 6,816 7,064 7,232 7,310 7,414 7,598

Notes:

  1. Figures relate to pupils in funded Irish-medium units in English-medium schools and pupils in Irish-medium schools.

  2. Figures relating to 2023/24 may have been impacted by Action Short of Strike (ASOS). See ‘notes for readers’ point 13.


Table 2c

The number of pupils in integrated education, 2019/20 - 2024/25

School Type 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Nursery schools 0 0 26 104 105 105
Pre-school Specialist Provision in nursery schools 0 0 0 0 8 4
Nursery classes in a primary school - Full-time 213 266 211 210 209 231
Nursery classes in a primary school -Part-time 497 463 518 555 605 660
Pre-school Specialist Provision in primary schools 0 0 0 0 0 0
Reception class in a primary school 29 25 18 29 19 24
Primary schools (Year 1 to Year 7) 10,547 10,640 11,167 11,162 11,362 11,989
Primary schools (Nursery to Year 7) - Total 11,286 11,394 11,914 11,956 12,195 12,904
Secondary - Year 8 to Year 12 11,200 11,513 11,751 12,997 13,218 13,196
Secondary - sixth form 1,775 1,954 2,103 2,126 2,149 2,202
Secondary - Total 12,975 13,467 13,854 15,123 15,367 15,398
GRAND TOTAL 24,261 24,861 25,794 27,183 27,675 28,411

Notes:

  1. Figures include children attending Controlled Integrated schools and Grant Maintained Integrated Schools

  2. Sixth form figures are based solely on pupils studying A Level or equivalent qualifications

  3. Figures relating to 2023/24 may have been impacted by Action Short of Strike (ASOS). See ‘notes for readers’ point 13.


Table 3a

The number and percentage of free school meal entitled pupils by school type, 2024/25

School Type Number Enrolment Percentage
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 1,317 6,388 20.6
Nursery schools - Full-time 2,060 3,975 51.8
Nursery schools - Part-time 315 1,745 18.1
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time 2,292 5,294 43.3
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time 702 4,456 15.8
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school [2] 15 21 71.4
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school [2] 23 86 26.7
Reception class in a primary school 23 184 12.5
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 44,789 166,211 26.9
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) 15 1,312 1.1
Total primary and preparatory school (Year 1 - Year 7) 44,804 167,523 26.7
Non grammar schools 29,182 90,321 32.3
Grammar schools 7,476 66,568 11.2
Total post-primary schools 36,658 156,889 23.4
Special Schools 4,043 7,462 54.2
EOTAS Centres 8 25 32.0
All Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, And Special Schools, and EOTAS Centres [3] 90,943 347,660 26.2

Notes:

  1. Figures for pupils in nursery schools/units and pre-schools include parents who are entitled to receive Income Support, or Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Employment Support Allowance where an award of income-based job-seekers allowance has been converted; and Universal Credit are some of the benefits which determine eligibility for free school meals

  2. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM) have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.

  3. Excludes Voluntary and Private Pre-schools


Table 3b

The number and percentage of free school meal entitled pupils by school type and management type, 2024/25

School and Management Type Number Enrolment Percentage
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Voluntary 1,184 5,458 21.7
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Private 133 930 14.3
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Total 1,317 6,388 20.6
Nursery schools - Full-time - Controlled 1,221 2,345 52.1
Nursery schools - Full-time - Catholic Maintained 817 1,577 51.8
Nursery schools - Full-time - Controlled Integrated 22 53 41.5
Nursery schools - Full-time - Total 2,060 3,975 51.8
Nursery schools - Part-time - Controlled 282 1,539 18.3
Nursery schools - Part-time - Catholic Maintained 23 154 14.9
Nursery schools - Part-time - Controlled Integrated 10 52 19.2
Nursery schools - Part-time - Total 315 1,745 18.1
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Controlled 984 2,319 42.4
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Catholic Maintained 1,069 2,470 43.3
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Other Maintained 128 274 46.7
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Controlled Integrated 52 99 52.5
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Grant Maintained Integrated 59 132 44.7
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Total 2,292 5,294 43.3
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Controlled 338 2,147 15.7
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Catholic Maintained 187 1,350 13.9
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Other Maintained 42 299 14.0
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Controlled Integrated 33 157 21.0
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Grant Maintained Integrated 102 503 20.3
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Total 702 4,456 15.8
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school 15 21 71.4
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school 23 86 26.7
Reception class in a primary school 23 184 12.5
Total Pre-school age 6,747 22,149 12.5
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled 18,924 75,018 25.2
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Catholic Maintained 21,545 75,537 28.5
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Other Maintained 1,235 3,667 33.7
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled Integrated 1,543 5,439 28.4
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Grant Maintained Integrated 1,542 6,550 23.5
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 44,789 166,211 26.9
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) 15 1,312 1.1
Total Primary And Preparatory Departments (Year 1 - Year 7) 44,804 167,523 26.7
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled 9,946 32,487 30.6
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Catholic Maintained 13,815 41,070 33.6
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Other Maintained 552 1,366 40.4
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled Integrated 1,596 4,450 35.9
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 3,273 10,948 29.9
Total Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools 29,182 90,321 32.3
Grammar Schools - Controlled 1,353 14,733 9.2
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Catholic Management 4,503 30,749 14.6
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Other Management 1,620 21,086 7.7
Total Grammar Schools 7,476 66,568 11.2
Total Post-Primary Schools 36,658 156,889 23.4
Special Schools 4,043 7,462 54.2
EOTAS Centres 8 25 32.0
All Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, And Special [3] 90,935 347,635 26.2
All Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special Schools, And EOTAS Centres [3] 90,943 347,660 26.2

Notes:

  1. Figures for pupils in nursery schools/units and pre-schools include parents who are entitled to receive Income Support, or Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Employment Support Allowance where an award of income-based job-seekers allowance has been converted; and Universal Credit are some of the benefits which determine eligibility for free school meals

  2. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM) have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.

  3. Excludes Voluntary and Private Pre-schools


Table 4

Average class size by school type and management type, 2024/25

School and Management Type Average number of pupils per class
Nursery schools - Controlled 26
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 26
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 26
Nursery schools - Total 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Controlled 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Catholic Maintained 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Other Maintained 25
Nursery class in a primary school - Controlled Integrated 23
Nursery class in a primary school - Grant Maintained Integrated 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Total 26
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled 25
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Catholic Maintained 24
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Other Maintained 22
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled Integrated 25
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Grant Maintained Integrated 27
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 25
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Controlled 14
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Voluntary 18
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Total 17

Notes:

  1. Class size data is only collected in respect of nursery and primary schools and prep. departments.

  2. Children in specialist provision or reception classes are excluded.


Table 5

Religion of pupils by school type and management type, 2024/25

School and Management Type Protestant Catholic Other Total
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Voluntary 1,132 2,716 1,610 5,458
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Private 254 304 372 930
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Total 1,386 3,020 1,982 6,388
Nursery schools -Controlled 1,489 1,017 1,378 3,884
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 34 1,387 310 1,731
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 30 30 45 105
Nursery schools - Total 1,553 2,434 1,733 5,720
Nursery class in a primary school -Controlled 1,852 565 2,049 4,466
Nursery class in a primary school - Catholic Maintained 63 3,419 338 3,820
Nursery class in a primary school - Other Maintained 39 421 113 573
Nursery class in a primary school - Controlled Integrated 72 91 93 256
Nursery class in a primary school - Grant Maintained Integrated 149 250 236 635
Nursery class in a primary school - Total 2,175 4,746 2,829 9,750
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school 5 10 6 21
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school 9 51 26 86
Reception class in a primary school 32 110 42 184
Pre-school age - Total 5,160 10,371 6,618 22,149
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled 40,017 5,923 29,078 75,018
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Catholic Maintained 714 69,211 5,612 75,537
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Other Maintained 219 2,988 460 3,667
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled Integrated 1,658 1,491 2,290 5,439
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Grant Maintained Integrated 1,692 2,521 2,337 6,550
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 44,300 82,134 39,777 166,211
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Controlled # c 63 95
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Voluntary # # 712 1,217
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Total 367 170 775 1,312
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled 22,229 1,648 8,610 32,487
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Catholic Maintained # 37,573 # 41,070
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Other Maintained c 1,300 # 1,366
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled Integrated 2,261 781 1,408 4,450
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 3,485 4,337 3,126 10,948
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Total 28,760 45,639 15,922 90,321
Grammar Schools - Controlled 8,630 1,934 4,169 14,733
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Catholic Management 432 28,563 1,754 30,749
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Other Management 11,039 3,442 6,605 21,086
Grammar Schools - Total 20,101 33,939 12,528 66,568
Special Schools - Controlled 2,073 2,850 2,034 6,957
Special Schools - Catholic Maintained 11 357 47 415
Special Schools - Other Maintained 22 30 38 90
Special Schools - Total 2,106 3,237 2,119 7,462
EOTAS Centres 10 10 5 25
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, And Special 100,794 175,490 77,739 354,023
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special Schools, And EOTAS Centres 100,804 175,500 77,744 354,048

Notes:

c denotes fewer than 5 pupils suppressed due to sensitive nature and potential identification of individual pupils # denotes figure >=5 counter suppressed due to potential identification of individual pupils

  1. The ‘other’ category includes pupils that are classified as other Christian, non-Christian, no religion or where religion is unknown or not provided.

  2. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM) have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 6a

Ethnicity of pupils by school type, 2024/25

School Type White (excluding Irish Traveller) Chinese Irish Traveller Indian/ Sri Lankan Pakistani Black Mixed ethnic group Other ethnic group Total
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 6,049 9 11 # 7 68 # 96 6,388
Nursery schools 5,234 19 18 78 27 105 127 112 5,720
Nursery and reception classes in a primary school 8,959 17 40 178 30 177 248 285 9,934
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school # 0 0 c 0 0 0 c 21
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school # 0 0 0 0 0 c c 86
Primary and preparatory school (Year 1 - Year 7) 153,493 603 723 2,522 396 2,840 3,597 3,349 167,523
Secondary (non grammar) schools 84,307 181 219 592 126 1,573 1,685 1,638 90,321
Grammar schools 61,962 642 19 1,040 133 512 1,332 928 66,568
Special Schools 6,925 28 61 42 14 83 135 174 7,462
EOTAS Centres # 0 0 0 0 0 c 0 25
GRAND TOTAL 327,051 1,499 1,091 4,496 733 5,358 7,232 6,588 354,048

Notes

c denotes fewer than 5 pupils suppressed due to sensitive nature and potential identification of individual pupils # denotes figure >=5 counter suppressed due to potential identification of individual pupils

  1. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM) have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 6b

The number of newcomer pupils by school type, 2019/20 - 2024/25

School Type 2019/20 Number 2019/20 % 2020/21 Number 2020/21 % 2021/22 Number 2021/22 % 2022/23 Number 2022/23 % 2023/24 Number 2023/24 % 2024/25 Number 2024/25 %
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 331 4.1 264 3.6 247 3.4 269 3.9 239 3.5 182 2.8
Nursery schools 407 7 446 7.7 443 7.6 468 8.1 476 8.2 475 8.3
Nursery and reception classes in a primary school 796 8.1 808 8.2 789 8.0 801 8 871 8.7 858 8.6
Primary and preparatory school (Year 1 - Year 7) 11,964 6.9 12,080 7.0 12,507 7.3 13,291 7.8 14,236 8.4 14,613 8.7
Secondary (non grammar) schools 3,242 4 3,395 3.9 3,765 4.3 3,916 4.3 4,331 4.8 4,353 4.8
Grammar schools 453 0.7 478 0.7 408 0.6 520 0.8 634 1.0 662 1.0
Special Schools # # 193 2.9 197 3.0 # # 200 2.8 209 2.8
EOTAS Centres c c 0 0.0 0 0.0 c c 0 0.0 0 0.0
GRAND TOTAL 17,391 5 17,664 5.0 18,356 5.2 19,471 5.5 20,987 5.9 21,352 6.0

Notes:

c denotes fewer than 5 pupils suppressed due to sensitive nature and potential identification of individual pupils # denotes figure >=5 counter suppressed due to potential identification of individual pupils

  1. A newcomer pupil is one who has enrolled in a school but who does not have the satisfactory language skills to participate fully in the school curriculum, and the wider environment, and does not have a language in common with the teacher, whether that is English or Irish. This has previously been referred to as English as an Additional Language. It does not refer to indigenous pupils who choose to attend an Irish medium school

  2. Enrolments for special schools and EOTAS centres relate those where pupils are single registered to the school, or are dual registered and the special school/EOTAS centre is recorded as the main school

  3. Figures relating to 2023/24 may have been impacted by Action Short of Strike (ASOS). See ‘notes for readers’ point 13.

Table 7a

The number and percentage of Special Educational Needs pupils by school type, 2024/25

School Type Statemented Stages 1 and 2 Total SEN Total enrolment Percentage Statemented Percentage Stages 1 and 2 Percentage SEN stages 1 to 3
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 84 496 580 6,388 1.3 7.8 9.1
Nursery schools 157 780 937 5,720 2.7 13.6 16.4
Pre-school Specialist Provision in nursery schools 21 0 21 21 100.0 0.0 100.0
Pre-school Specialist Provision in primary schools 86 0 86 86 100.0 0.0 100.0
Nursery class in a primary school 192 422 614 9,750 2.0 4.3 6.3
Reception class in a primary school 5 8 13 184 2.7 4.3 7.1
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 10,946 22,874 33,820 166,211 6.6 13.8 20.3
Preparatory depts in a grammar school (Year 1 - Year 7) 52 150 202 1,312 4.0 11.4 15.4
Primary and Preparatory Departments (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 10,998 23,024 34,022 167,523 6.6 13.7 20.3
Primary and Preparatory Departments (Nursery to Year 7) - Total 11,281 23,454 34,735 177,543 6.4 13.2 19.6
Secondary (non grammar) schools 8,683 12,850 21,533 90,321 9.6 14.2 23.8
Grammar Schools 1,807 3,138 4,945 66,568 2.7 4.7 7.4
Post primary schools - Total 10,490 15,988 26,478 156,889 6.7 10.2 16.9
Special Schools 7,455 7 7,462 7,462 99.9 0.1 100.0
Educated off site but not at school (EOTAS) 11 8 19 25 44.0 32.0 76.0
All Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, and Special 29,404 40,229 69,633 347,635 8.5 11.6 20.0
All Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special and Pre-school 29,488 40,725 70,213 354,023 8.3 11.5 19.8
All Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special, Pre-school and EOTAS 29,499 40,733 70,232 354,048 8.3 11.5 19.8

Notes:

  1. From 2021, children with Special Education Needs are assessed under the 3 stages of the SEN Code of Practice

  2. Enrolments for special schools and EOTAS centres relate those where pupils are single registered to the school or are dual registered and the special school/EOTAS centre is recorded as the main school

  3. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM) have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 7b

The number of pupils in special educational provision by school type, 2019/20 - 2024/25

School Type 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Nursery Schools 0 0 0 0 8 21
Primary Schools - Pre-school age 0 0 0 45 76 86
Primary Schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 1,230 1,318 1,558 1,829 2,255 2,700
Post-primary 810 855 1,147 1,300 1,499 1,683
Total SPiM 2,040 2,173 2,705 3,174 3,838 4,490
Special Schools 6,174 6,403 6,653 6,930 7,192 7,462
ALL SPiM and Special School pupils 8,214 8,576 9,358 10,104 11,030 11,952

Notes:

  1. Specialist Provision in Mainstream (SPiM; previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’) refers to classes/units in mainstream primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs. There are several different types of Specialist Provision for example, Social Communication (Autism), Learning, Behaviour, Hearing, Physical, or Speech.

  2. From 2022/23, Specialist Provision was extended to pre-school aged pupils.