Too early to look at schools when DC is still a baby?

[HeartBrokenWife]

We want to help our son and his wife financially with our grandchild's education if we possibly can. They are hoping to educate their baby privately with our help and want to visit a few schools. I don't think she (baby) will start school until four at the earliest, but will the schools laugh at them for wanting to visit when child is so young? For context, they live rurally so I don't think the schools will be competitive and none of us were educated privately so we aren't sure how the whole thing works, hence the (possibly stupid) question I'm asking. Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks.

School won’t laugh but they’ll tell you it is wholly unnecessary
At approximately 3yo Prep school will offer for an informal visit and observe the child,their social interactions,motor skills,social skills
many preps have nursery too that’s quite a nice introduction to the school

when time comes look at a few,by then personality will be evident, you’re looking for good fit. Not all schools have same ethos or be a good fit. Some are formal, some less so

Nothing to stop you looking at websites and getting an idea (and the likely costs, although you can assume they will have gone up by a few years time).

Yes by all means look at websites for cost,practicalities etc
You have plenty time
Look for a nursery in good time though as a good nursery will have at least 12mth wait list

You won't know what kind of child they are and therefore what kind of school would suit them.

Some people round here sign up for private schools while they’re pregnant. Nothing to stop you looking

We paid a small deposit for a private school for our son when he was 1, but even that was too late as he’s now waitlisted. I think it really depends on the areas and what schools are available.

There was one school I was interested in that had to put your child's name down on their first birthday so it's really important that you check. Nothing wrong with looking around in my opinion either... but do consider whether private (especially at prep) is really the right way to go (I have children in both state and private so no axe to grind). Many, many private schools are really not worth the money in my experience sadly. This is an interesting thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/4808686-schools-with-fees-ps35k-pa-are-they-worth-it?page=2

You need a good fit between child personality and school ethos, it’s too early to know
most preps now have a nursery too, is that an option?
Depends where you are,level of demand, size intake and status of the school

certainly it’s pressured in North London( whole other thread) but your not london

Depends on how much time you have on your hands. You may want to visit at least 4/5 schools initially then go back and met individually with the headmasters of 1/2 of them to cement your choice. As open days are only once a year this all takes time so sensible to start early.
Beware though schools can change significantly in even a few years with a change of leadership (we almost got caught out) so make sure you go back for a visit just before you pay acceptance fees.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I totally agree that baby's personality is, as yet, unknown. On the other hand, her parents live so rurally that there are realistically only two schools they could choose from. Hopefully, at least one of them will be a good fit?

We've sent for prospectuses for both schools, so I may be back with further questions next week. Thanks :)

One of our local independent schools has their main intake into nursery at two and a half and very few places available in reception. This has caught out a lot of people moving to the area hopeful of a reception place.

Just check there’s nothing similar in place at the schools you are considering.

Also, there’s nothing from stopping you from going to have a look. Main Open Days tend to be September/ October and are a good introduction to what’s on offer.

Thanks DibbleDooDah :) We've been talking about this today and my daughter hasn't decided whether she wants to apply for a nursery place or not, so I think she'll book visits at both schools soon, just so that she can get a feel for what each of them offers and judge for herself what the staff and pupils seem like. We're all very much on new ground with this, so I hope I can ask a few more questions if and when they occur. I'd rather make a fool of myself on this board than in real life 😳

I expect you have considered this, but just in case:

What if they have 4 children? Can you really afford to help them all privately from age 4-18? Private fees tend to go up by more than inflation.

If in doubt you may be better off not committing to primary level at private.
By the time the eldest is approaching secondary level you will know how many GC you are committing to.

@TeenDivided Thank you :) My daughter assures me that they only intend to have one child, but you are right, people do change their minds etc! They are hoping that their daughter will get a place at one of the local grammars if she passes the 11+, but it's obviously way to early to even think about her academic performance since she can't even sit up unaided right now 😁

It is not too early. Many competitive schools allow people to put names down before birth. Or have weird application requirements like "on their first birthday exactly"