Surely no nursery really chucks children out at 2??

[bubblesinthesky]

I'm looking at nurseries for DS as I want to go back to work in September. One of the ones I'm looking at is attached to a private school. In the paperwork they've sent me it says that children transfer to the pre-prep the September after their second birthday but

"if their behaviour or progress in the nursery causes any reason for concern the Head of Pre-Prep will discuss with parents the ability of the child to cope with the pace in the Pre-Prep"

Does this mean what I think it means? Does it actually mean they reserve the right to write off 2 year olds??

Geographically this nursery is ideal. Its facilities are fantastic and when I visited it all felt warm and happy. Its fees are similar to elsewhere. It was top of our list until I read this.

This however worries me. Am I being ridiculous or would it be a deal breaker for you? Is it worth asking about it?

Don't be naive, of course a private school can 'write off' a child that turns out to have SEN.

I see. Well I'll have to talk about this with DP. It hadn't crossed our mind that this was a possibility until now :(

The "pace in the Pre-Prep"

Sounds like they don't want any kids who might be harder work or have additional needs (or whose face doesn't fit).

We've decided against it. I phoned the nursery and asked to speak to the manager and quizzed her a bit about what happens in pre-prep. It seems that they start phonics, basic maths, organised games, and French or Chinese if parents preferred . She sounded really proud to tell me all of this and went on at some length about how the children thrived.

In most ways it initially seemed ideal but we were looking for a nursery not a hot house. Its a shame as the next one on our list is harder to get to by bus but I think reading through its paperwork it treats infants like infants rather than mini grammar school children

the best way to know which nursery is best for your child is to visit a few make a list of the facilities and ofsted gradings as this tells you the quality of care and early years education. Look at how staff interact with children and other parents, are the children happy and engaged in activities?, what extra learning opportunities are there - the nursery I work in offers music by a specialist music teacher but it's aimed at children aged 2 to 5, sporty tots, and yoga - but it is parents choice whether or not their child does this. We used to have a french teacher but there was no demand for this. Also does the nursery offer healthy meals and/or snacks, does it suit your working hours, can the nursery be flexible and DS do extra days/sessions as and when needed to suit your needs, does the nursery have available your required days and/or sessions. The most important thing to consider is whether or not the nursery is suited to your son and if he would be happy there, good luck

Thank you Auntysammy that is helpful.

The one we visited yesterday appeared to have no children in it at all but when we went outside we discovered they were all in a huge area round the back with a visiting fire engine and crew. They were having a great time running about in yellow hats, some were being shown how to use the hose, some sitting in it. It also had guinea pigs in the toddler room, a huge fish tank, loads of colour and was quite a revelation after some we've seen. In the garden there were hens which the pre-school help to look after. I'm glad we turned down the other and kept looking. This one is only 6 months old which is why we didn't know it was there IYSWIM and less than 3 minutes walk from the other one

That sounds great :)