Would you split 2 days pre-school across 2 settings?

[Teaandbiscuits16]

DD will be starting school in September 2025 and she currently attends nursery (in the pre-school room) 2 days a week. It’s not our local one so come September her friends will be going elsewhere. We’ve been trying to get her into the local pre-school so she’ll know some others when starting school.
The local setting can only offer 1 day a week so we’d have to split across both settings. She has really struggled with settling into each room she’s moved into in nursery but eventually she does.
Wondering if anyone else has done this and their little one has been ok and not too unsettled?
Thanks

I wouldn't, especially if she's already been a bit unsettled. One day a week isn't enough to form proper bonds with the other DC and there will be other DC in her class who haven't been to that preschool.

I've had one go to the preschool at the local Primary and one who didn't and it made absolutely no difference. Within a couple of weeks you just cant tell.

No. If it was two days in each I just might consider it (but probably wouldn't). But one day a week is enough to disrupt her from her existing preschool, but not enough for her to feel 'part of the gang' in the new place.

Lots of people will be new in reception, and they'll all be grand.

My DD is September born so she'll be one of the oldest (if not the oldest) in her year. She goes to nursery 2 days a week and lots of her friends in the preschool room had summer birthdays and have now started school, so she's been left behind somewhat. She misses her older friends but has now become firm friends with some of the younger ones (who will be in her school year), thankfully.

I started her at the preschool at her older sibling's school just 1 day a week (9-3) after we became eligible for the 30h funding, ie the January after she turned 3. She is confident and coped really well with settling in, it helped that she and her older sibling could see each other (not to play together but wave at each other from their adjoining playgrounds) and also that she was familiar with the school grounds because of me taking her to do the school run.

I thought it would ease the transition to starting school but actually we have decided to move them both to a different school when she starts reception.

Sorry I don't know if any of that is at all helpful. I think it's very dependent on your child tbh, if she is anxious and you are sure she will be attending that school, it makes sense to send her to the preschool even if it is just 1 day a week, as a gentler introduction to the setting (as opposed to going every day when she starts reception). If she also has a day or two in her usual nursery then the familiarity might be reassuring as she adjusts to a new setting elsewhere.

I think it's more disruptive to do 1 day a week in each place.
Keep her in the 2 day a week place until a space becomes available. If the only space is a 5 day a week reception start, wait til then. Poor girl won't be settled anywhere with 1 day a week, whereas starting reception 5 days is much easier to get in a routine.

I wouldn't do this at all. DS went to a different nursery to the nursery at his school and within a month or so, you couldn't tell who had been at the school nursery and who hadn't.

Just to add though my oldest was (still is) very anxious and didn't know anyone when he started school - there was no one else from his nursery - but he did settle in ok and make friends. I think he would've found it slightly easier if he'd been going with at least one friend, but the main issue was complete lack of visits and settling in sessions (due to Covid, according to the school, but I know of others that did more... anyway!)

In my experience keeping arrangements for you and DC as simple as possible is crucial. It gets stressful when too many people involved

I wouldn't. Mine went to a different school to pre school and was absolutely fine other than the usual starting new environment/routine issues. Friendships weren't a problem and there were 11 kids in total in his reception class that came from other preschools.

Yes, she definitely won't be the only one who hasn't gone to their preschool.

I wouldnt. My 3 children started school knowing no one as their nursery was the opposite side of town from where we lived. All got on fine and made friends.

No, just keep her somewhere familiar. Both of mine started reception from a nursery/preschool that didn’t lead into the school they went to, so they maybe only knew one other child. It didn’t make any difference. They both had bff’s within a week that they’d only just met and it was a smooth transition. The tricky part about school is starting a new routine, new teacher, more tiring, but most children make friends easily, so that’s the easy bit.