Head or Heart?

[chas1]

I live in a village with a very small( around 70 pupils) primary school a 10 min walk away, it’s rated ‘Good’ by OFSTED. DD (2.5) has been attending the attached preschool since September for two mornings a week and has been very happy there, however due to v low numbers it is having to close down soon (one of the attractions of it for me was the small group size and lots of individual attention). She still has 18 months until she could start reception at the village school which I feel is too long a break but don’t really want to disrupt her by starting another preschool then changing back.

There is another large, successful preschool (rated outstanding) in the next village attached to the primary there which also has an excellent reputation (better than our village school.) It is also close to DH’s workplace. I visited it when deciding on where to send DD this September but found it too busy and impersonal and opted for the smaller, friendlier setting but of course this hasn't worked out.

So what should I do? Do I keep DD at home with me until reception (or I go back to work?) Not ideal as she is an only child and I feel she needs to socialise as well as not be with me 24/7. Do I start her at the large outstanding preschool (lots of children from our village do attend it) with a view to her staying on at that school? My head says yes it’s the obvious solution only slight downside is 10 min drive to it. But my heart says I want her to go to the lovely, small friendly village school . She is quite a sensitive little soul (although I realise I maybe being a little PFB) and I worry about her being overwhelmed in a larger school but can also see the benefit of larger classes from a social point of view. Anyone else made a similar decision? Just wish I had a crystal ball to see how she would be.

Is there a reason why she can't attend the pre school then go to the more local school from reception?

no I suppose she could do that thethings I just thought it may be unsettling to move now then again in 18 months when she has perhaps made friends at the new preschool. But then again maybe she is too young for that to make any difference. If she stays at our local school she may be in a mixed reception/Y1 class of less than 15 which sounds great from a teaching point of view but limiting socially.

But others might be doing that too if the local pre school has shut. It isn't too much of a big adjustment if you really prefer the local school...

I too am confused why you think she would go to a school further away, just because she's gone to a pre-school there.

I would take her to pre-school at least a couple of times a week (maybe build up to at least 15 hours in her Nursery year), and then send her to the village school.

At that age dc tend to play with whoever is alongside them anyway so I wouldn't worry about friendships being lost, but if the pre-school in your village is closing, then presumably (if there is space) all the dc from your village, who will be starting school with her, will also move to the other pre-school so she would know them ?

thank you for your replies. I feel a bit more reassured now that I can keep my options open. Will have a chat with the other parents and see what they are going to do. I suppose my worries have morphed now into whether the local school is 'too' small but I know there is lots of debate about big schools vs small schools on the primary forum.

Ours went to a small infant school - 3 years with 30 children in each year. We loved it. Gave our dds so much confidence as they took on roles and responsibilities they wouldn't have in a bigger school.

I suspect that with such small classes children at your local school wil play with other year groups. Which is healthy and a lovely thing. Try to speak to parents with dcs there to see what they say about it