Preschool or nursery in Chiswick/ moving back home

[W8]

Hi all,

We are moving back to the UK and looking to buy a property near to the nursery or pre school.

We are the typical first time parents and know nothing about school. Please someone help us answering the following questions please?

1. What is the different between pre school and nursery?

1. Our son is 2 year old and we havn't registered him with any school at all. We heard that it is too late, is it?

1. We are also looking into buying a property in Chiswick and hope that our son will get to go to a good state school (nursery or pre school). Any recommendation in terms of area that near a good state school/nursery please please please?

4.How do we register our son to a local state school? Do we ask for a registration form from the local council or school?How do we join the waiting list for state school.

1. We actually have a family flat in Kensington near St.Mary Abbots School (we have our name in utilities bills). I heard that it is a very competitive school to get in. Should we just give it a go or forget it? If we should give it a go, it is a church school and since have been living in the middle east since before he was born, so we havn't gotten him baptised or anything. Is it too late to get him baptised. Will it look too obvious that we want to do it because we want to get into the school? We are not a religious people .

Thank you in advance for your help.

Private schools may well be "full" for his intake but you would n't apply to a state school yet for Reception, that happens in the academic year before he would be due to start at 4-5 (maybe Sept 2011?). Registration simply means they send you the forms and prospectus at that time. The council website will have details of its application procedure and timescales. Some schools have nurseies/preschool attached but their applications are separate to the school's and attendance there does not guarantee a school place afetrwards.

St Mary Abbotts is a CofE school and where the Camerons send their eldest - this may or may not put you off! Don't imagine it is easy without meeting the religious requirements to get in but not sure how stringent they are. Getting up there from Chiswick would be hell tho - a bus at best, a slow car journey plus CC at worst.

For state schools including nurseries and primaries with a nursery class nearer to chiswick start with LB of Hounslow website and Ealing as parts of W4 are in that borough or Hammersmith if you would consider W6. You should be eligible for a place from around your DC's 3rd birthday (ask the schools as it varies) but there are lots of paid for pre-schools that take children from 2 in the area.

Getting in a state school in Chiswick can literally be a lottery. Seriously check out the criteria before buying a house - talk to the local council as well as look at the website. We moved from Chiswick because it was so hard to buy a house near a good school and the criteria and catchment areas keep changing but to find our new area three years later has similar problems, although unlike Chiswick most schools are good or very good.