To ask about nursery

[Letstryagainshallwe]

Sorry posting for traffic. My son starts nursery on Thursday. I was told he is to attend 5 days a week. Seems a lot. I thought it was only 2/3 days a week. Is this a lot? He is 3 and a half. Also if I wanted to keep him off for the day would it only be allowed for illness? (like with school)

Thanks @dementedpixie that makes sense! Genuinely didn't understand as my DD is only 5 months and wont be going to nursery.

Lots of misunderstanding here.

It's a school nursery offering afternoon sessions. Thats pretty standard. Once you accept the place you're expected to attend 5 days a week.

If you want different / more flexible childcare then you'll need to consider private nurseries (not attached to schools).

Yes normal!

School nurseries- not the same as private. Basically the free hours mean they get to come to 'school' for 2 1/2 hours every day :) - not exactly the same as nursery care proper.

OP- with a nursery (where you pay fees) you are the one who decides how many days your child will attend.

My LO is 3 years old and attends 3 days a week- family help on the other days- 3 days is mainly because we cannot afford to pay for full time childcare!

It seems like you might not be paying for it? If that's the case, see how your child gets on, if it seems a struggle for them then reduce it to 4 or 3 days. Free/subsidised nursery place is something we would love!

The 15 hours are for everyone, and because there's been shown to be a benefit in attending a setting from the age of 3 onwards.
So the term after they turn 3 you get your 15 hours which you can 'spend' either at school nursery or private preschool/nursery. School nurseries like you to attend 5 days whereas with the private ones you can chose, so if like me you have a summer baby and think 5 mornings is too much at just-turned-3 you can go private and choose to do 2 or 3 days

I came on to say the exact same thing as namechangedtoday15

School nurseries tend to be a regional thing. For example, Most London boroughs have them yet they are pretty rare in neighbouring Surrey.

With school nurseries, if you accept a place your child is expected to attend every day.

If you pay for your child to go to the nursery of your choice, then you choose the hours.

If you opt for the free pre school place, they choose the hours. 3 hours a day is standard. You aren't legally obliged to send him all 5 days, but they'd rather take someone who will want all 5 days for their funding.

He is YOUR child. He doesn't have to go to nursery or even school for that matter. No one can tell you he has to do X hours on Y days. You do realise this right? As your messages make it sound like you think you need to do as you are told by the nursery?

Doesn't really matter to be honest as I want him to go and he wants to go was just wondering if it was normal as seems like a big leap from nothing to 5 days a week but hopefully he will enjoy it anyway.

It's completely normal. Lots of babies go from being at home with mum to 7.30-6 in a day care nursery.

If it's a nursery school then you'll be expected to maintain attendance as funding can be pulled in extreme circumstamces and their waiting lists are often long. Drop off and collection times the usually make little exception for adjustments as they run a timetable similar to that of a school.

notanotherNC School nurseries are not private nurseries and if you take one of the -like gold dust- places, the nursery can withdraw the place if you don't use it fully (to do with funding) - you're right in that you don't have to send your child to this nursery (or any nursery) but certainly school nurseries are slightly odd in that they can tell a parent how the place should be used.

I can't believe you didn't look all this info up when you applied for his place? Yes it's completely normal for a school nursery, if you don't want him going for all 5 days then you need to find a private nursery or similar. That said I'm sure your son will take to it like a duck to water.

As your messages make it sound like you think you need to do as you are told by the nursery?

She doesn't need to do what the nursery says but she also cant expect her son to be able to keep his place if he's not attending regularly enough.

I'm in Wales, here it's always been term after you turn 3 you go to the nursery attached to the school. You wear the uniform, go to assembly and have to attend 5 days a week. It's always been known as school where I liv not nursery. Then the term after the child turns four they go all day with a lunch box or school dinner. The school my children go to is from age 3-11.

My ds is 2 and has a funded 2yo place. He goes in each afternoon from 1230 until 330.

It's normal if it's attached to a school they have morning and afternoon sessions you can't just pick and choose which days and sessions he attends unfortunately

My school nursery would only except either 5 mornings or 5 afternoons and I didn't want that, so we went to a different preschool.

Mine lets you choose when but it's a private one, I like him going 3 mornings a week. Choose somewhere else if you want flexible days

Why cant people comprehend that there is a difference between a private nursery and a school nursery?! 🙄

It's only mornings or afternoons though, not full days. Those sessions are over before you know it. Honestly he will be fine!

My youngest goes 5x morning a week from 9am to 12pm.

Nursery is optional not compulsory. You will I assume get up to 15hrs funded. You choose how much of that you want to use and should discuss that with the nursery. They will gave a preference in days and times based on their staff ratios and which days they are busiest.

If you want more flexibility, you've more chance of getting that with a private provider than a preschool. We used a private provider for the free 15 hours, I sent my child in when it suited us and not when it didn't. Attendance was about 75 or 80% and nobody said anything about it. We were paying a small amount to top up as well which may have made a difference.

Doesn't really matter to be honest as I want him to go and he wants to go was just wondering if it was normal as seems like a big leap from nothing to 5 days a week but hopefully he will enjoy it anyway

It's not 5 days though is it, it's 3 hours a day so the afternoon session of the funded hours.

You can use the funded hours in a private nursery so you could choose hours that suit you better but some private nurseries offer the 15 hours free as a minimum so you have to do more than the 15.

School nurseries where I am usually offer you a place for 5 half-days per week. That's what the government funding covers.

They have very limited spaces and if you only use 3 of those half-days they probably can't find someone to fill the other 2, so the place is only half used... which when we have 3yos who can't get into their own school nursery because its' oversubscribed would seem a bit silly. And most people are very happy to get a couple of hours of peace every day ;-)

BUT as others have said, it's nursery, it's voluntary, you don't have to use the place at all.