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Trying to decide whether to keep DS in his private nursery or swap to the local preschool nursery- what are the differences?

4 replies

ilikeyoursleeves · 19/09/2010 21:24

As the title says, I am trying to decide what to do about DS's nursery. He will turn 3 in October so his nursery have been asking what I want him to do now, keep him at his normal (private) nursery or enrol him for sessions at the preschool one. I have asked several times for them to explain the differences both re play, education and financial implications etc but I am so confused.

He has attended his nursery since age 1, he goes 2 full days a week while we work and he seems happy there and has made a lot of wee pals. As far as I know the 3-5 class have a teacher and do the same things that the preschool nuresry would do.

The preschool nursery is attached to the primary school that he will go to so an advantage may be that he will attend with kids he will go to school with. (However, his current nursery is also very local so most kids in his class will go to his primary anyway I reckon). If he was to go to the preschool nursery though, he would only be able to attend a session a day (ie, morn or afternoon) which would mean the private nursery would need to take him there and drop him off (so we would still need to pay the private nursery anyway...).

Not sure what to do! I think he will be subsidised for 5 preschool sessions by the government but if we need to pay the private nursery to drop him off etc then it's a bit pointless putting him into preschool (??).

Can anyone shed any light on this, I can't get my head round it at all!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
bigchris · 19/09/2010 21:27

We kept ours in private nursety while I worked and on my days off they went to the preschool attached to the school

there are no curriculum differences

our nursery didn't ferry kids around to preschools so that wasn't an option

don't much like that idea anyway

chegggersplayspop · 19/09/2010 21:31

I think the staff ratios may be higher in the pre school.

Pre schools tend to be shorter hours, as you said, so if you need a full days care there will be some chopping and changing which could be a bit unsettling?

I'm keen for my ds to do another year in surroundings he is familiar with rather than change for a year to pre school then off to school.

Pre schools also operate on terms I think, whereas private nurseries are open all year.

I'm not sure about educational stuff, I am happy for my ds to focus on social and personal skills in the year before school but dont they all have to follow the eyfs curriculum stuff anyway?

chegggersplayspop · 19/09/2010 21:32

I mean more children to one adult in the pre school

purplekaribear · 20/09/2010 11:07

My son attened both a private nursery ( 2 full days) and out local council nursery 3ams and as for the education they all follow the same curriculum.
If your child is going to have to be in full days i would leave them where they are to avoid confussion as moving from one to the other and back again would be a lots for us to deal with never mind a 3 year old. If you are happy where ge is I would leave him there.

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