AIBU to ask what to do with this preschool situation?

[HTruffle]

I’m hoping someone perhaps who have been in a similar situation could give me some advice please. We’ve applied for a nearby but not catchment area for our dd for this September. She stands a good chance of getting in based on previous years information. But you can’t be certain until the letter comes through (not for three months).

She is currently at a preschool attached to a different primary which she’d get into if not into our first choice. She is very happy there. We were not particularly impressed with the attached primary school hence not our first choice.

The 1st choice school also have a preschool and have offered us chance for her to join it now to prepare for reception in sept. However they need her to start now in order to secure the place and can’t guarantee any spaces will be available next term. We don’t find out which school we’ve got until April. So we risk sending her somewhere new now and go through the settling in period only to find it wasn’t necessary if she doesn’t get a place. Or, if we don’t take the place now and she does get in, we risk there being no spaces at all and she has to go to reception in a totally unfamiliar environment. I can’t remove her from the preschool she’s in now either in case she doesn’t get first choice school! But I could move her entirely over to the new one after Easter.

For note, the school informs us that the majority of pupils have been to the preschool.

What would you do, please?

I'd assume them asking her to join is a good thing and declining will indicate you don't want the place. I'd go for it.

Leave her where she is. It makes no difference and within weeks they all make new friends anyway.

Personally I'd leave things where they are, lots of children start school not knowing anyone, she won't be the only one. If you're happy where she is I wouldn't change anything until you know which school you get.

How are places at the preferred primary school allocated? Is it purely distance based ie school has no discretion? If so then I’d keep her where she is. But if school has some influence then I’d say move her.

Yes purely based on postcode (and a few other factors such as older sibling none of which apply to us).

Another option is for her to go to both preschools as she is only at the current one on two days.

Now you tell us she can go to both,

There's your answer then

Sorry yes I should have made that clearer as an option It just seems like such a lot of upheaval to start her somewhere new now which she may not need.

Keep her where she's happy.
It really is no big deal starting in Reception without going to the attached pre-school.

My DC both went to an infants school with an attached pre-school, where the majority of DC went to said pre-school.
DD went to the pre-school; DS didn't. After the first few days, I'm not sure it made the remotest difference.

Two preschools might be a bit confusing. Attending a preschool is good prep for reception but I don't think it matters where it is. I look after a boy who went into reception in September, he went to preschool attached to a primary that was his parents first choice, he didn't get a place at that school and ended up at the fourth choice school. Not attending that preschool hasn't been an issue at all - maybe a third of his class came from the school nursery, the rest were at different preschools, private nurseries or no preschool at all. They all get on well and have made friends no problem.