Teacher welcomes extra pre-school year

As a pre-school teacher, I welcome Ministers Joan Burton’s and Frances Fitzgerald’s appeal for another preschool year.

This would ensure children went to primary school ready for the curriculum, with knock-on benefits for literacy and numeracy, and educational achievements right up to college and beyond.

A further year of free pre-school would ease the burden on parents — they would not have to consider economic issues if their child had two preschool years.