from pre-school to school importance of having a friend to go with?

[cookieraymond]

When your DCs were around 3 to 4yrs how important for you was it that the pre school was close to the primary school you wanted your children to attend, in that your little one would probably know some of the people they started school with??

sorry, a bit wordy that question, but essentially DS2.10yrs is currently at two preschools and his free 15hrs start in April. One playschool is in the next village, and so he is highly unlikely to go to school with anyone there.
The other playschool is closer to home and so there is a higher chance of him going to school with some children who attend.

He gets on well and is very settled at both. They each have pro's and con's but the one in the next village feels more structured in helping the little ones get used to a more school like set up.

The two play school set up was always a temporary measure to help me cope with having two children so close together (DS1 & DS2)and proved a saviour. The intention was to just stick to 1 as soon as the funded hrs and so full days kicked in.

Am just not sure how high I should be prioritising having a friend to go to school with.....

sorry for the ramble!!

Could you not split your hours between both, he gets the benifit of more school style envirnoment and being friendly with the children he will eventually go to school with.

The split would npot have to be even maybe 2 sessions at the local preschool and 4 at the other more organised one?

It would be a shame for him to lose all contact with those who will be school peers.

I realise that doesn't help much with your question tho! FWIW we choose a preschool in the next village along (preschool in our village is private nursery and more expensive, but with a view to moving on to the (bigger)school there too (younger siblings would be able to attend preschool on the same site). DD1 was quite a timid child and so we are glad that she started 'big' school with friends she already had, as i'm sure it made the transition easier (never had tears going into school!)

I think the personality of your DS will have to play a large part of your decision, if he is an adventourous child who makes friends easily you can do pretty much as you want, if he is more cautios and slow at intergrating with others (this was my dd1) then making the tranistion easier will help..

Sorry I started waffling!

My son was at day nursery so didnt go to pre-school, didnt really know anyone when he started school (just one girl from sunday school) didnt bother him in the slightest.

none of my three have known anyone in their yr r class from pre-school/ nursery. we are a military family though - it's impossible. they all start new schools every two years knowing no-one.

i would do whatever is easiest for your family/ fits in right now tbh - there's no guarantee that your child would be put into the same class as a friend anyway. and no guarantee that the 'friend' won't move away the summer before yr r. (this happened to my son in the only year he was moving up a school with a friend. they didn't even tell us lol, he just turned up and found out the boy had disappeared. )

Thanks ladies, it helps to know this is not a common practice - and like you say, the best laid plans and it could all go up in smoke anyway!

I think your right on the personality front too, DS is a real border line case. He is not an obviously extrovert child but equally he is not shy either, he just kind suits himself which and plays with anyone else who will chase him !

I am going to speak to the more local pre-school in the morning to see what they can offer us and go from there. Watch this space!!