Difference between school nursery and stand-alone day nursery

[EssexMummy123]

Is there much of a difference between school nurseries and day nurseries?
do school nurseries do much more in the way of education / learning for 3/4 year-olds?

School nurseries will have a qualified teacher and will be more educationally focussed. The staff:child ratio tends to be higher, 10 or 13 children per adult.

Day nurseries are more likely to just have NVQ3 level staff but have a smaller ratio, 1:8.

Although they follow the same EYFS curriculum, obviously the quality of education will vary quite a lot depending on whether it is planned and delivered by a teacher/graduate practitioner or a nursery nurse.

aha - that makes sense. So if a 3 / 4 year old moved from a day nursery to a school nursery they might have different expectations e.g. know all letters? whereas some letters might be ok for the day nursery even though as you say they both follow the EYFS.

No, a school nursery wouldn't have any expectations for children knowing letters or anything like that.

The main difference between them is that a standalone nursery will be open from 8am - 6pm 51 weeks of a year whereas a school nursery will be open school hours & term time only.
What they offer educationally varies from setting to setting.

The difference between a teacher and a nursery nurse is going to be more about what they are planning and providing in terms of activities and experiences rather than formal learning.

Yes and as dancing says a day nursery provides childcare while a school nursery provides early years education.

Our day nursery has qualified early years teachers rather than nursery nurses in preschool. As have all the day nurseries I have looked at.

My dd1 spent pre school year in a day nursery (been there since 6 months). There were 8-12 of them with a qualified teacher and a nursery nurse.

Dd2 went to a school nursery. Sessions were 3 hours a day am or pm only in class of 30 with 2 teachers and a TA.

Hard to say if one was better than the other. Dd2 had a more school like experience, but she didn't do whole days, stay for lunch etc. Dd1 could read at end of her time at nursery but was almost 5. Dd2 could not, but was only just 4.

Practical considerations were the only reason dd2 didn't do same as dd1 (on mat leave, sister now at school attached to nursery) but I don't regret either of their experiences. I think the quality of provision is more portamt than the setting.

As Early Years Practitioners (not nursery nurses) we have to provide education as well as childcare. This then has to be shown to Ofsted during inspection. Early years practitioners are just as able to provide the same quality of education that a child would recieve in School.

Portamt = important obviously

Crazycatlady, do you really think that a level 3 qualification is equivalent to a teaching/postgraduate qualification? Nursery nurses/EYPs do a great job but it's not the same as a teacher.

But my pre-schooler didn't need teaching by a teacher. She needed to play. And whilst playing to learn to recognise her numbers, her letters and the basic phonic sounds as well as skills like holding a pencil properly, opening a lunch box & the things in it, taking shoes, coats etc on & off.
Our primary school has various pre-schools & nurseries feeding into it (two form entry primary & the pre-school can only supply one form's worth of DC) and encourages all of them not to teach the DC to read or write as they prefer them to start all doing the same method.

Nursery teachers don't have children sat at desks It's still learning through play, just higher quality provision when led by teachers/graduates.

But BMO, we are expected to do the same, if not more! We have to complete ridiculous amounts of paperwork, whilst caring for the children, unlike teachers who get time out each week to plan and complete paperwork.
I'm fed up of people looking down on early years practitioners just because we didn't go to uni, we are just as intelligent!

It's looking down on anyone to say they are different roles with different levels of training.

I am an early years teacher working in a day nursery
We do exactly the same as the school nurseries
If not more, as we are open 8-6 all year round
I have a degree and a post grad qualification that means I can teach young children.
Most day nurseries have highly qualified staff so it is nteue to say they are only nursery nurses providing care
All settings are expected to deliver the eyfs and achieve the same results irrespective of staff qualifications and opening hours
School nurseries are not more academic

opening hours - DD's was open 8-6, 50 weeks a year (closed for 1 week Christmas and Easter, plus bank hols of course). School nurseries are term-time only, and often only morning or afternoon, not all day.

The only other thing I've noticed is that some pre-schools/school nurseries have requirements with regard to potty-training - if they take DC from age 3 they expect them to be dry. Not known this to be the case in a private nursery, though that's just IME of course.

Don't assume all school nurseries are only term time and school hours. All the ones near us offer optional extended hours 8-6 or longer and also holiday clubs run at other times. We are a City suburb. The main advantage of school nursery is the lack of transition issues to school - the pop up to reception with all their mates and the teachers already know them etc Ours has really excellent play based EY provision as do at least 4 I viewed originally.

Our school nursery is also happy to have them still needing nappies !

I am a childminder with a post graduate teaching qualification, following the same curriculum as pre schools, day nurseries and school nurseries. You just need to find what works best for your child.

Early years training for staff does matter (big difference between someone who failed half their GCSEs and someone with early years post graduate qualifications) BUT the staff members kindness, common sense and ability to play with your child are also essential. In other words it's no good having a qualified teacher who spends all her/his time on paperwork and doesn't like to get messy!! So my advice would be to look round your options and decide based on the whole picture, not one thing.

However good Early Years practitioners are, they are not qualified teachers and have not done as much studying/learning as teachers have by the nature of their qualifications.
You get good EYPs and good teachers but they are different. Day Nurseries have a different Ofsted Inspection to Nursery Schools. Nursery Schools are inspected under the same criteria as primary schools. They can both be good, but they are different. Nursery Schools are not profit making businesses (unless independent NS) and are funded by the Local Authority.
You should go and look round both DNs and NSs and see which you prefer.

Please help. I have one 3 year old boy recently starting day nursery eg 4 months ago. He's just had a specialist guidance assessment from the county councils assessor. Why.? Is this normal for all children.?the report states he doesn't use words doesn't communicate and just relies on waiting for adults to help him. He's the exact opposite at home and am very upset to read the report, and to learn he was undergoing an assessment without my knowledge? Please advise