Free nursery places at 3 - Should I be doing anything now?

[Ponka]

I have absolutely no clue at all.

DS is 2.2 yrs. I know that this exists as a pre - cursor for school at age 4 but that's about it.

I don't know if everyone gets a place automatically or if we should be on a waiting list. I don't know how to go about finding the places that do this in the first place (as opposed to straight private nurseries). Likewise for a normal school place at age 4.

Should I be doing anything now?

You need to get on a waiting list of you want your child to go to a pre-school (used to be called playgroup) or private nursery. I left it too late for my local playgroup who have an 18 month waiting list.

If it is LEA run state nursery you want your child to go to (often attached to a local primary school) then they have a set admissions deadline. Here they can attend the September after they turn 3 and you apply in the February/March for a place the following September.

Not all areas have school nurseries (mine doesn't so those who want it go to a neighbouring area) which is why pre-schools(playgroups) can be so popular and full.

Your DS will be entitled to start a nursery attached to a school in September 2007 (same as DD who is 2.9) Applications usually have to be in the January before, so you've got next term really to have a look around and see which one appeals. Play groups or pre schools are a different kettle of fish as julienetmum says. I'm going to look in september for one that DD can go to 2 or 3 mornings from next January (when she's entitled to a free place) but I think I'll find it difficult to find a place. TBH your DS won't be old enough to have a free place until he's old enough to have a school nursery place anyway because of his birthday, so I'd not worry too much about that unless there are no school nursery's (does that make any sense at all?)

Try your LEA or council website for a list of Nurserys or even your local netmums site. What area are you in, if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks for the advice. I didn't even realise there were 2 different options (pre-school and LEA run) so that already helps.

We are in Nottingham on the outskirts of the city. I read an article in our local newspaper a while ago talking about how scarse nursery places were but when I went to the private nurseries, there were many places. I guess this is what it must have been talking about - the free pre - school/LEA places, in which case, I may have left it too late already. I have some teacher friends here so I'll see what they know.

If you're looking for a nursery attached to a school, look ahead at what primary schools you would want your DS to go to and then see if any of them have nurseries attached. If they don't have one, maybe they can suggest what nurseries tend to feed into the school.

Nowhere near Nottingham, but just to say that the preschool for our local primary offers morning or afternoon places only from the third birthday. Mornings are really popular but afternoon places take a long time to fill up so it's worth getting all the details before you think somewhere is likely to be full.

not sure how helpful that is!

Where we are the pre-schools get quite booked up early. DS is the same age as yours, and I put his name down last year for the one I wanted (affiliated to the primary school). He starts next April for 2 mornings a week (term in which he is 3). your LEA or local library should be able to help, or maybe do a google search.

I thought you could use the vouchers for the 5 free sessions at 3 years old wherever you liked, i.e. local LEA run pre-school or private nursery pre-school. The private ones get the money last in the queue. Is that not right?

I don't think every private nursery accepts them, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure bf had to pay at her local one because they didn't take them (but it was good, and convenient and she only lost out on a term before her dc went to 'proper' nursery)

DD goes to a private day nursery and gets 5 free sessions/week. The nursery instigated it - all I had to do was sign a few forms when prompted by them and ended up paying £200/month less - not bad!