sorry to harp on about nurseries but I am so fed up with the system..will write to Tony Blair I think.

[helsi]

My dd is 3 in December and could (if there was room) get into a school nursery. She is more than eady for it as she is very bright and eager to learn (I'm not boasting as she is not over bright but I just know she is ready). Legally she would be due a place in Sept 06 but as I said could go in January 06. The school nursery might not get her in as all places may be taken with kids with siblings at the school and kids with birthdays before her so in that case the option is to wait until Sept or pay for a private one.

I have been to look at a private one today who can take her in Jan but even after the government grant is deducted I will still have to pay £230 per month. This has outraged me as I do not think that parents should pay for nursery "education" to that extent. I cannot afford those fees and now feel my child will miss out on something she is ready for.

I am so cross.

but she will go a year before dhe starts school.
Does she go to a pre school (playschool) Maybe there is another school nursery near by?

Yes she will go a year before she starts school I realise that but it is something she is ready for now. She doesn't go to pre school as Dh and I work full time and the play school is only on from 9ish until 11.30ish so I have no-one to pick her up for the pm.

The private one you are talking about - is that full daycare?

I think of pre-schools as morning/afternnoon only sessions either attached to schools, or run from village halls etc. And these yes i agree, every child should be provided with a space.

But nurseries - fulltime daycare - are more childcare provision for working parents. And so yes i would expect to pay a lot more for them.

I think our society is going the wrong way with trying to get every child a pre-school education. i don't believe it is essential - having said that, my dd attends one (because i work ) but also because i know so many teachers who say the children who start school without having attended pre-school are often noticeably behind their peers in social skills and therefore suffer.

If not so many of their peers had attended pre-school then this problem wouldn't exist and teachers would be able to start the curriculum back at basics. As i don't believe it matters either way on their long term education.

I hope this make sense as i'm finding it difficult to explain in words!

this price is for 5 morning sessions

If you work full time does she go to some nursery now? Your 'vouchers' or whatever they are called noe can be used in nurseries cant they?

Our local school doesn't have a pre-school/nursery attached to it at all.

When she starts nursery next September will it be FT or PT? I know some areas have FT nursery places available, although not many. The playschool hours you mention sound very similar to state/free nursery hours.

at the moment she goes to a childminder Mon-Wed and with my mum and dad Thurs & Fri.

The school she will be going to doesn't have a nursery attached so am having to try another local school with one.

have tried some other school ones but they are full too.

Might have to find a childminder who will pick her up from playschool mid morning and take her to her house until I finish at 3.30. Childminder now is a lady from Church who is registered and really goo d price but can't pick up from my village as she is next toen along and already does a school run.

If you send her to nusery for 2 x full days you can claim NEG for 4 x 2.5 sessions for those days as morning and afternoon count as separate sessions.

Each session is worth around £6.40, which would be deducted from the cost of the nursery fees.

would this work out cheaper for you?