Looking for recommendations on nursery vs school

[AlexPS1986]

Hi, I posted this in the childcare section of the talk, but just realised this is probably more suitable for this section! So apologies for the duplication!

My family's moving to Southfields in the next few months, and we have a bit of childcare dilemma, any advice / recommendations would be much appreciated!
My little one is turning 3 next week, currently spending full time (8-6) 5 days a week at a local private nursery. I've contacted a couple of local nursery / preschool in the Southfields, looking for her to join a new nursery / preschool from August / September.

There's a primary school directly opposite the house, which has its own nursery. The fee is pretty cheap at ~£4,000+ per year. The facility looks great and the curriculum looks ok (I'll come to this a bit later). However the biggest draw back is that the nursery is only open 9-3.15pm, with no option of wraparound care or extended hours, and that it operates the school term so we need to find additional care during the holiday months.

Another option is for DD to go for a full time private nursery offering 8-6 care 5 days a week. Cost is much more expensive at around £1,300 - £1,500 per month (after 15hr free childcare is considered). This would offer full time care for 50/51 weeks a year, hence a piece of mind, however it's obviously much more expensive, and the facilities I've seen don't look as good as the nursery at the primary school.

Both myself and wife works full time, whilst I can work from home 3-4 days a week and my wife 1-2 days, both of our jobs are demanding so tricky to multitask.

To make the matter more complex, our older daughter currently goes to a prep school, and we'd like to send the younger daughter to the same school. It's selective, and whilst having some sort of sibling policy, sibling entry is not guaranteed, therefore we want to find a place that does some teaching instead of just doing the basic childcare. Obviously none of the 2 options above 'preps' the children for a selective school, but we are looking for somewhere that as some more teaching involved, so in this regards I suspect the school nursery is a better fit?

Apologies for rambling on for a bit. What's everyone's opinion of 8-6 full time nursery vs. 9-3pm nursery + ad hoc childmind / nanny? I've been told by the school that some parents in the area use shared childminder, so if there's anyone from Southfields area who knows a reliable child minder, please let me know!

Thanks in advance!

Will you not get the 30 funded hours to use? Or are these fees already taking this into consideration?

No unfortunately we're not eligible for the 30hr funding, so there is quite a bit of price gap between the 2 options. The school nursery appears to provide some more teaching, which is something we're quite keen on. It's right at our door steps making drop off easy, but the available hours is a big stumbling block. Not sure if anyone here has used childminder to supplement school nurseries and have any experience to share?

Personally I think juggling school + childminder sounds like a headache if you have demanding jobs and might be a lot for a 3 year old to get used to in one go with a house move as well. Unless it would be a struggle to afford - but it sounds like not- I would go for the nursery.

We've stuck with the private nursery; a big pro for this was needing the longer hours.

Take advantage whilst you can before school

We pondered this ourselves.. ours is in school nursery and then private nursery outside those hours and in holidays, don't know if that's an option for you?

He started this at just turned 3. He is slightly more settled in the holidays when at just the private nursery all day which makes me wonder if we did the right thing as the other days are a little more complex (some days is breakfast club, school, then nursery) - but at school he is in a class of 19 with children he is the same age as and will be at school with for the foreseeable which we quite liked the idea of so that he wouldn't join when a large group already know each other. So for me it would depend on if the school they will be at long term is this one you'd be using now as it can be lovely for them to make those friends now. And he loves the play dates and birthday parties from school which we don't get as much with nursery. Definately he's more tired and crabby in term time but I think it really has benefits

Thanks for sharing. Our DD won't be attending the school, making the nursery less attractive. How would you compare the learning environment between a private nursery vs. school nursery? On paper they all follow the same early learning curriculum, but I've heard others saying school nurseries tend to have more disciplines in the routine and provides more learning, not sure if this is your experience?

OP

i think you would be mad to do anything but the private nursery. Logistically a nightmare otherwise

i assume the prep school doesn’t have a preschool?

i agree with school nurseries being a bit more pushy on the teaching. My daughter attends a prep school pre school and they are in with reception class a lot, doing daily phonics and maths inputs and stuff. My daughter is ahead of other children I know who attend daycare type nursery settings. Of course, some people would hate this for 3 year olds and want all play based, but it’s working for my daughter and sounds like what you want.

that said, I’m a teacher so term time only is perfect for me. I think for you, it will be a constant headache juggling holiday and around school hours. If you can find a childminder it may work but otherwise I’d go with the one which is open the hours you actually need.

My LO is a couple years off 3 but have been chatting this three with friends recently etc.
we have found a lovely small family run private nursery where LO will start after turning one.
there will be the option for the school ones after turning 3 that is more like the school environment etc - and for me personally at the moment im thinking to keep LO in the private nursery right until starting school because
1: better hours and so continuity with one place 2: they will spend most of their childhood in school environment so I like the thought of staying in the smaller less schooly environment for a bit longer

Hi sorry I didn't reply to your earlier question

So the school nursery vs the private nursery - i will use the holidays (which is when mine is at the private) vs the school in term time - though he does go to the private after school but does less there then owing to him being tired

In the holidays my son really really enjoys the private nursery. He asks to go back there on the days he returns to school, but only for a couple of days.

They both follow the EYFS but I would say the private nursery is slightly less structured and has more staff to give periods of 1:1 time as the rations are 1:8 for over 3yo, ours is more like 1:6 but also with the assistant manager and manager on site not included who flit between rooms

He loves when they all mix together as he likes the younger children he tries feeding them and pushes them in pushchairs if given the chance

They both do things like scissor skills, crafts, tracing letters on laminated sheets

The school nursery does have some additional things which the private does not - this would depend on setting - ours has a concrete playground with bikes and a sandpit as well as their own woodland which they explore. Our private nursery has a grass garden with slides and mud kitchen, but the outdoor facilities he enjoys more at school. He is also read to by the older year children at school and talks about friends he has made with older children which I do like as that has made him more confident with the 'bigger kids'

So it would depend a bit on your child's personality - my child is small for his age and loves younger children, being at the school and sometimes mixing with older definately was a concern for me but has built his confidence

The school also has termly topics which feel a little more education lead - about me (talking about their home, family, the names of themselves and siblings and the spellings) and about the world - (so far this has meant planting seeds for both food and flowers, talking about their bodies, talking about animals). Our private nursery does monthly topic changes which are always a book - example the gruffalo - so they will read it every day (along with other books) look at the letters in the title, do crafts related to the book

Again that may depend on the setting but from a learning point of view I have been really impressed from the school nursery - having my child tell me about how we eat with our mouths swallow with our throats and it goes to our stomach as opposed to the focus being on books/storyline of a book, which we cover quite actively at home.

His letters and numbers also tend to have gone up more from school, they have certain targets and when you have a termly parent meeting will have it available what letters/numbers are recognised, areas to work on at home, forms of 'homework' (not actually called that but if they are not as advanced in an area you may be given something to help work on) - we haven't had that from the private one at all it is all a lot more casual, learning but not as educationally monitored or focused

Hope this helps! Sorry for the delay!

I assume you can't combine the 2?

Also as a summary - if mine wasn't going to be going to school at the school nursery, having done both I would still do the school nursery. He has made amazing same age friends there and if he changed school he would have 4 or 5 friends from 'outside school' he could still see as well as his school friends. I love that he has 'nursery friends' and 'school friends' he talks at both places about his other friends and when he had a little fall out with his best friend at one (only lasted a day over a toy) it felt like we could talk positively about the friends at the other setting and not have too much of his little 'world' being about that one place

That side I do really like, as well as what he has actually learnt at the school, the older he gets the more I feel I have seen the benefits from the school one :)

Just wondering which nursery in Southfields you settled on?

this debate pops up here all the time
when two parents are working dealing with school hols and reduced hours ar ea nightmare. You'll have to deal with it when they eventually go to school but might as well put it off as long as possible if you can afford to.