I’m always surprised that other areas don’t have the school nursery just as standard. I went to school nursery in the very early 80s, when people said ‘nursery’ this is what they meant.
I taught in primary schools for 16 years, most of that in Early Years, including nursery. Had a role which took me into lots of different schools to see their EYFS provision too. Many still offering part time places but increasingly full time an option too, and in one school it was completely flexible which days/ times you wanted although of course still school hours (slightly extended) and term time. Very much part of school - earlier lunchtime and varied on whether they were included in assemblies etc, usually outdoor area (or sometimes both outdoor and indoor space) shared with Reception. I’m not always sold on how successful this is - depends on the cohorts really.
One school I worked with on setting up their nursery and they offered places from 2, so they had what they called the ‘preschool’ on site, and then a more traditional nursery class from 3 up. I’ve noticed quite a few more schools offering this, though generally the younger group is run quite separately. Initially they had a qualified primary teacher in the youngest group, but dispensed with this after the first year.
In our current area, when we first moved here and I was still teaching I realised fewer of the schools have a nursery class - but it’s definitely becoming more common. DD now attends a school nursery, they’re very much part of school in terms of uniform (not required but in reality every child wears one), being involved in school activities where appropriate but they seem to get the balance right of not placing too many expectations with regards to assemblies, more formal sessions etc. DD loves it and definitely works for her, and I’m able to tailor my hours accordingly (and use holiday club in school hols as needed since I’m no longer teaching). Definitely not the most flexible option though, even with wraparound care available.
I didn’t hear the discussion mentioned so going to read a bit more about it, but I’m assuming that since many schools already offer nursery from age 3, the suggestion is to create spaces for younger children. I can see it makes sense in terms of creating more childcare places, and could potentially be financially beneficial for schools - school and childcare are different things. I’d be a bit concerned at trying to make the one fit the other - in my experience of having 2 year olds within a ‘school’ environment there was pressure to plan/ assess/ resource etc as if we were talking about any other primary class, and it’s really not the same. This is true with 3/4 year olds too of course - a lot of schools still haven’t, and seemingly never intend on, embracing what actually makes good provision in the early years.