Children in funded pre-school

There are 19,919 children in funded pre-school education in Northern Ireland, according to the latest school census figures released by the Department of Education. There are 13,105 in nursery schools or nursery classes in primary schools, 1,474 in reception classes or groups and 5,340 in funded places in pre-schools, playgroups and private day nurseries. The religious make-up of the pre-school children is 51.2 per cent Catholic, 40.4 per cent Protestant, 1.1 per cent other Christian, 0.5 per cent non-Christian and 6.7 per cent who have no religion or it has not been recorded.