What's the difference between preschool, nursery and playgroup?

[LollaLaLuna]

Right I'm bit confused by it, can someone explain to me the difference between them?

Currently living in UK, my kids are 3 years old and I would like to place them to preschool(?) from following September, there is a lot of options but I actually don't know the differences between all of them...😞😳

Pre-school is normally term time only, can be private or state and usually shorter hours for a "full day" than a day nursery. Children usually have to be 2 or 3 to attend.

A private day nursery is all year round, usually 8 till 6 or similar and takes from babies up to aged 4 to 5.

A playgroup/school is more like a pre-school, it probably won't be all year round. Children will have to be 2 or 3 to attend and they may only offer morning or afternoon sessions.

Thanks.🌻

Preschool - usually attached to an infant or primary school. Takes children from 3ish. Often only open half days (round here anyway!) and term time.

Nursery - could be a private day care setting. Usually take children from a few months to when they start full time school. Often entirely independent of a school. The term “nursery” can be applied to what I have just described as a preschool.

Playgroup - very informal, often heavily reliant on a parent rota. Take children from 2-3, until they are ready for preschool.

What is it that you're looking for, for your children? Is it childcare so you can work, or is it to put them in a setting to help prepare them for school?

Playgroup is a toddler class

Nursery is a more formal setting where you drop and run

Pre school is the year before they attend school, usually in the nursery mentioned above. Gives 15 free hours (or did when my son went to nursery/preschool)

The year before school in a nursery isn't automatically called "pre-school", there are separate pre-schools which just take children aged 3 to 4. They can be private or state, attached to an infant/primary school.

Having said all that, I think it's different in Wales, Scotland and NI. I've assumed you're in England, which may not be correct?

For work, I have dealings with some hundred different Nurseries.
Do NOT make a judgement on the name. All settings go by different names for different things.

I've come across settings calling themselves pre-school when they don't actually have any children in the year group before they start school. I have places that call themselves Nursery schools when they are daycare. I have settings that call themselves playgroups but run all day, and do childcare. Places that used to be just a Nursery class, or a stand alone nursery school now take children from a much younger age.

Things not only vary authority to authority, but setting to setting.

Those on school sites usually operate term time only and school hours only (not always just usually - some have wrap around care). Those who advertise as daycare are more likely to be open 50+ weeks a year, and are more likely to have opening hours stretching from 7.30am to 6.30pm.

If there is a teacher in charge, the ratios (numbers of children looked after by one adult) are higher.

Thanks for explanation everyone.🌻 I'm looking for a place where I put them in a setting to help them prepare for a school. So I guess a preschool is that what I'm looking for.