DS 3 at nursery... Is it structured enough for Pre school? Advice for Local W3 nurseries

[oinker]

My 3 year old loves structure and routine and is quite bright for his age group (reported by nursery). We have noticed he is a very fast learner. And enjoys learning.
My concern is his nursery, though Outstanding (Ofsted report) does not provide him with pre- school routine. It seems to be more free play etc.. Unfortunately we were turned down for all school nurseries we applied for so he will be continuing with a nursery placement.
Can anyone provide me with info regarding Structured nurseries aiming to prepare pre schoolers. Preferably local to W3 or near tube or train station, but still localish.

The words 'free-play' are very misleading. It makes it sounds like it is a free for all and children are running about willy nilly instead of learning anything.
The EYFS and every bit of research I have read to date has supported good quality, well-planned 'free-play' environment. Where the adults observe and get to know the children, plan activities and extensions based on those observations, then follow the children's lead. Encouraging them to make choices. Teachable moments will occur throughout this free-play time assuming the adults the curriculum well and are good observers.

Ok, so free-play works. It is what 3 year olds need. It is how they learn best.

What they don't need is lots of structure. Your child might like a consistent routine, and firm boundaries. He can have that within a free-play environment.

They do not need to be sitting down for extended periods of time, or constantly following adult led instruction. We are not trying to raise robots here. We want confident, independent children who are capable of critical thought, who have problem solving skills and who can make friends and communicate well. That is what free play is for. Ofsted have clearly recognised that the nursery is doing exactly what is supported by current research (as well as research you can find from 50+ years ago!)

Sorry if I have misunderstood you here, but don't write off somewhere good because of the words free-play!

Thanks for your info.

I have obviously not made myself clear but fully agree with what you have said.
Our LO has progressed well. We are just concerned as we have had one wriiten report back from nursery ( on our request) in a year. We've been asking for a recent one and have been told there is nothing to report as his key worker left several months ago and nothing has been noted? Is this acceptable?
The nursery seems to be struggling a bit.
The only feedback
I get is what he's eaten?
I feel like I'm letting him down by just leaving him there that's why I was considering elsewhere!
There must be other good places, but where. This is out DS second nursery as the first a Montessori got unsatisfactory! So we moved him on.
At the one he's in babies are in the sane room except cordoned in their own area. There is no real room for a more structured learning area even if a child wanted to sit and focus on one thing for a few minutes.

The Montessori in question failed one family miserably as a 3 year old walked out unsupervised down an alley to a main street where he was picked up by police 600mtrs away from the nursery!
I couldn't get DS out of there fast enough!

He's 3 he doesn't need to learn anything, he won't pick up from playing.

Most of my generation started school at 5 having never stepped into any kind of nursery!

The EYF runs right through reception, they carry on playing until they are in Y1. Play is how young DCs learn.

DD1 is dyslexic her confidence was not improved at all by the pressure to learn to read long before she was ready.

I put no pressures at all on DD2 and she was the best reader in the class at 6.

The research saying nursery and preschool is valuable is for social skills, listening , concentrating, dressing and feeding themselves. Skills in readiness to learn, not structured learning it's self.

I'd only worry if the nursery appears totally disorganised and the DCs are milling around getting bored.

your LO should have a folder / log in the nursery which is kept up to date with photos / observations by staff (not necessarily his key worker). Ask to see this. If there is nothing in it since his key worker left, it would sound alarm bells for me as you have no way of assessing how your experience of DS is compared to theirs - there will be things he does there that you don't see at home and vice versa e.g. my DS could count up to 20 but had never counted beyond 10 at nursery.

Go in one morning and say that you'd like to see his records this afternoon when you pick him up. The condition of his folder, what's missing, what may have been hurredly written and included, would tell me all I needed to know. Oh, and as his parent, you have the right to see his folder at any time.

I love my DD's nursery, it appear very unstructured and all free-play but the staff actually keep a firm eye on what they are all doing and try and steer them to try new things, they also do loads of singing, dancing, rhymes wtc and loads of trips out. She turned 3 in May and is a very bright kid. The main thing is that she is very happy, loves going and that will hopefully transition into school.

Initially I was a bit suprised they weren't all sat down learning numbers and letters and more organised cutting and sticking but they really are so little at this stage they don't need to be doing that.

They have so many years of structured lessons ahead, it made me feel a bit sad when I was spying on her today from the bus-stop and saw how much fun she was having just running around and how short the time is that that is all they have to concern themselves with.