Schools and infrastructure

Under the Local Management of Schools (LMS) arrangements, the Board of Governors of every school receives a delegated budget to meet the on-going costs of running their school, enabling them to plan and use resources to maximum effect in accordance with their school’s needs and priorities.

Details of the School Enhancement Programme, projects to be advanced to planning, and the protocol for the School Enhancement Programme.

Area Planning

The consultation on School Uniform Policy ran from 20 June 2024 to 27 September 2024 and sought views on making it a legal requirement for schools to follow the Departmental guidance on school uniforms.

About the Department of Education

A record of the decisions taken by the Minister of Education to date on pre-school settings that have requested changes under the “Standardisation Programme” to deliver new or additional full-time (22.5 hours per week) funded pre-school education from September 2025 is provided in the tables below.

Guidance on how to apply for a funded pre-school education place as well as information about the Department of Education (DE) run Pre-School Education Programme (PSEP).

Department of Education Youth Work

The Department of Education (DE) invests circa £36m per annum in youth work to support and encourage children and young people to mature and reach their full potential as valued individuals and responsible citizens. Youth work is valued for its contribution to personal and social development and to encourage engagement or re-engagement in positive learning.

Department of Education Circulars