Questions about Hitchin

[Ellbell79]

Hi

Thinking of moving to Hitchen from London this summer with my husband and our two little girls.
I just have a few questions:
How old are children when they start school in Herts? My eldest daughter will be 4 in August 2014, so I presume she would start school Sept 2014? Does anybody have any nursery recommendations? I'm looking for a nursery that takes children from at least 1 year old, also needs to be open for 7.30am drop-off, not too far from station. Also does anybody know Highover or Purwell schools and are they okay? We are on quite a tight budget for our house, so wondering what areas to avoid? And lastly is it friendly place? i'm nervous of leaving my lovely mummy friends and having to make new ones!

Thanks All

Hi. Don't have any answers but just wanted to say hi and I'm watching with interest. I am hoping to move to Hitchin with my husband and daughter. From what we've seen and heard, it seems very family friendly. Good luck!

Hi there, I moved to Hitchin 12 months ago (from London) so know the worry of moving to a new town and would say Hitchin is very friendly. Let's see if I can answer any of your other questions...

Yes, your DD would start reception in Sep 14.

In terms of nurseries, there is one right next to the station (Millenium First Steps) that's open at 7:30am. It's changed hands since I moved so not sure what it is like, sorry. Kinders Mill is open 7am-7pm and is fantastic, also Toad Hall is great as well, my DS went and loved it. They're the only nurseries I know of that do early mornings.

I don't know about Purwell but I have several friends with children at Highover who are very happy with it. Just replied to sparklechops thread about catchment areas, saying that you'd want to buy less than 900m from Highover if you want a good chance of getting a place there.

Best of luck with the decision to move, I know it's tough to decide

Hi there, I just came across this thread and hopefully I can help you.
Please avoid Millennium Nursery (at the station), horrendous scare stories coming out of there all the time, really give it a wide berth.
Loads of very competent childminders all over Hitchin (I am one myself). Have a look on the childcare.co.uk website for more information. There is a private nursery called Highbury Lodge which is near the station and I've only heard good things about it. Kinders Mill rates highly too.
It is a very friendly town, you just need to go to a few groups/swimming classes etc and you will soon start seeing the same familiar faces around. The library has baby & toddler rhyme time which is free, there's a friendly children's play centre right in town called Little Rascals which is nice and clean. I don't really want to comment too much on areas as I think it is important to research and visit and then make your own opinion.
Good luck with the move!

Hi there, I want to set the record straight - I took over as manager of Millennium First Steps in January 2013 and I would like to know what horrendous stories BumpyMum3 means? Since I have been here I have had nothing but positive feed back from my parent's and they are all pleased with the progress and improvements we have made. daynurseries.co.uk has some really positive comments from parent's who actually attend the setting.
It can be very damaging for a nursery if people post comments they have heard from others without actually knowing anything about us.
I would urge any parent looking for a space to make your own mind up by coming and visiting us to see what we can offer you.

My son went to that nursery, next to the station in Hitchin. Everything is nice, no problems we had. Purwell school are nice is well, as my son just last year finished it, with super results. I live in Hitchin 7 years sinke we mooved from London. Best of lucke.

Hitchin is fab! Lived here about four years now and the area you are looking at is very friendly with loads of groups around in walking distance.

PM me if you would like more info in the schools you mentioned.

We have also started having hitchin meet ups so feel free to pop over to the meet up boards and introduce yourself.

Hi,
I have 3.5 year old son and I am looking forward to move to hitchin for his admission to reception later this year. I need some more information about Mary Exton and Highover schools. They seem to be good schools but I need information about its reputation amongst the parents and locals of Hitchin. Whic of them should we prefer?
thanks a lot in advance