Private vs school nursery

[MumNo2]

Can someone explain the difference between a private nursery and a preschool nursery? Not just the obvious (private vs school), but in terms of difference in cost, curriculum, age of starting, pros and cons etc

In my experience, private nurseries go from the baby age to just before they start school (pre-school) almost year round with good hours (7am-6-30pm). A pre-school on its own (either attached to a school or not) often only takes from age 3 until they are 4 when they start school. The hours can be more similar to the school age and also only term time.

if your nursery covers up to the age they go to school you don’t have to move them to a standalone preschool as they will have a preschool in the nursery. We have an older child at school but we’re not moving our little one to the school preschool as it’s only term time with short hours, the private nursery preschool is much better suited to our needs and we would hate to move our littlest away from her friends.

Our school nursery takes from 2 years. I think for us the big difference is it being term time. The core hours are same as school although we can book in to breakfast club from 8am to afternoon club til 4.30. Different schools have different offers. I think the transition into school will be easier, but for us the logistics were easier as we drop off one at the infants anyway.

Private nursery usually takes from very young. Ours as young as 8 weeks! To pre school. You pay for the nursery and can often use government hours. The hours are usually around 7.30am-6pm all year around.

curriculum wise nursery dependant but ours follows EYFS frameworks so similar to school once at that age but builds EYFS foundations younger.

school nursery usually takes the term after they turn 3. 9-3 school hours and you pay for lunch and then if they offer it wrap around care you need and is term time only. Follow EFYS curriculum.

main pro and con really is how soon you need the childcare. I paid private as I was back at work after 11 months so he went to private nursery until school age

Everything in the first post, plus (as a rule) School classes and Stand alone Nursery Schools tend to have a teacher in charge, and PIVs (Private, Voluntary and Independent) don't. Which means, the schools have a ratio of 1 adult to 13 dc, whereas the PVIs have a ratio of 1:8 (once the dc turn 3)

However, it can be a bit tricky to 'know' from the name alone as any Nursery can call itself anything. So a PVI can call itself 'Newtown Nursery School' or 'NiceTown Pre-school'. Generally (and counter-intuitively) Private Schools' pre-school provision tends to be a PIV provision, without a teacher, but with longer hours.
But check each one, as I say, the names can be very confusing.

Private nursery is normally designed primarily to provide childcare to pre-school children whose parents work. They typically take them from around 9 months (some as young as 3 months, some not until a year), and look after them in rooms divided by age. They typically take the children from around 8am (some as early as 7am) until around 6pm to cover the work day and travel time to and from work for parents. There is normally a daily fee, although free places may be available for preschoolers (3-4 year olds) and sometimes 2-3 year olds. There may be some costs associated with children even of these ages. The curriculums vary, but are aimed closely at the age of the children in each room.

Pre-school nurseries are for 3-4 year olds - the children will start in September after their 3rd birthday and leave to go to reception in the summer after their 4th birthday. They will primarily be based in school and children will either do a full day 9am-3pm or a half day. While some children may go while parents are at work, their primary purpose is to provide a child with an experience similar to school in the year before they start school. The provision is free, although some may charge for "additional costs" such as food, trips, and a supplies fee. The children will follow the foundation stage of the National Curriculum, although they will have lots of free play etc too.

The main question is will your child need to be in care while you work, before it is school age?

• Before they are 3 if they do, then you will need to use a private nursery or a childminder as they will be too young to attend a school nursery.
• If they do not, then there is not probably a reason to pay for day nursery, so they will stay with a parent at that time.

Once they turn 3, if you and a father work, you will probably qualify for some free childcare hours. These can be used in

• a day nursery
• with a childminder
• in a school nursery

You will need to look at the hours and set up of the different settings to work out which you would like to use. Once they turn 3, if you don't work, you will still get 15 free childcare hours which you don't have to use, but can use if you wish. Any of the settings above would be useable, but if your primary reason for using the setting is for your child to become accustom to a school-like setting, a school nursery is probably the way to go. Your child will go for a number of sessions a week - usually every morning, every afternoon, or a couple of full days. They will stop attending here at the end of the summer term when they are 4, or will be 4 before September 1st, and will start in a reception class at a primary school in the September.