Non-brit totally confused by the pre-school education here! Please help

[thehuntress]

Can somebody please help! My daughter just turned two and I'm not sure that I have covered all bases for organising her education. And can I just say at the outset that an education system where you have to put kids on waiting lists from birth is crazy!

Okay, so we live in Central London and private schools are our only option really. We signed her up to several schools soon after she was born. Her birthday is 7 November, so I think for most of the schools she would be down to start the September 2010 term when she is almost 4.

So I was talking to a friend the other day, and she said that I needed to get her into a nursery school prior to that. She said that I should really be looking to get her into a nursery school three mornings a week from September 2009.

So I'm confused as to where she should go for this interim year. Are we talking daycare nurseries, or proper school nurseries. And if so, where do I look to find these places?

I've got the good schools guide, but that doesn't seem to be of much help for this age range. I'm in Marylebone by the way, so schools in W1, W2 or NW1 would probably work.

Thanks in advance!

Well in state school you normally start during the school year after you turn 4 so it would be the September just before your dd turns 5 in your case. I would think it unlikely that private schools take them younger than that for school proper..

I expect a lot of private schools possibly have nurseries attached for the year before? Lots of state schools do or there are generally private ones in most areas. Some of these private ones will take kids from 2.5 (they often call that pre-school or playgroup). Daycare nurseries are another option but will work out expensive if what you really want are 2-3 hours per day for socialisation.

Not sure about the private system, why not phone the school you have signed her up for and see if they have an attached nursery / pre-school. Or if they could recommend one/ tell you where most of their intake come from.

As per Grapefruit - would be surprised if any school would accept children for all day school before they are 4.

BUT, not all children go to any kind of pre-school, it's up to you, children don''t legally have to go to school before they are 5. Most children go to 'nursery/ pre-school the year before they are due to start school - and this is usually 2.5 hours per day.

I think it would be the nursery school she would be starting in September 2010 so that makes sense, since it would be attached to the private school.

So that means my friend has told me I need to get her into a nursery school prior to starting nursery at her school. I'm really confused.

So is it more correct to say that I'm looking for pre-school or a playgroup? And if so, where can I find them in London?

Thanks for replying GFM

Yes it is confusing.

But I'm not sure from your OP why you are sure that you need to get her into a nursery prior to starting nursery at her school?

Is this purely for work/childcare reasons? I can't think of any other reasons, but the implication is that you weren't planning to send her anywhere before your friend said you should? do i have it right?

TBH if you don't need to send her anywhere... I would say don't. Sorry if I have it wrong.

You don't have to send her to a nusery or nursery schiool of any kind.

You can send her to nusery from birth if you want and she can stay there until she goes to school.

many schools have a pre-school attached, it helps them to get used to the environment and socialise a little. If you were going to do it for this though I would find a nuresry or pre-school which is associated with the school she will go to; OR where they have lots of children who go to your chosen school so that she can start to make friends with the same children she will go to school with.

You have a choice as to whether she goes to pre-school or not and which one she goes to. It certainly isn't a necessesity...

oh and just to confirm that home education is also legal in this country - it is only some form of education that is legally required from 5th birthday, not school itself.

There isn't a private school 'system'. There is a state system - in which you certainly do not have to have your child's name on a waiting list fom birth - and there are a selection of individual private schools for which you may or may not have to get on a list, depending on the schools own admissions process, or the level of over-subscription to the school.

Check your preferred schools, then check to see whether you would be at any admissions advantage by putting her in the pre-school provision at that school.

My DS is the same age as your DD and is starting nursery at Easter, when he will be 2.6. It is a private school with a nursery, which takes children from 2.6 until 7 years.

He has been at home with me up until now, and with his grandparents when I'm at work, and to be honest I feel he would benefit from some time with other children. The nursery is very play focused, and he'll only be doing 2 afternoons initially. We can build up his sessions as and when he is ready.

I've chosen this school rather than the variety of playschools around because it is somewhere where he can stay until he is 7, so he won't need to settle somewhere else. It is also a very homely environment. If you want to find somewhere for your DD then go for it, but as others have said, in no way to you have to. You need to look at the needs of the child, really.

Thanks for all of the replies. All this makes sense now. I don't have to put her into pre-school, but I was thinking that she would benefit from socialising with other children since she is just at home with me or the nanny at this point. I was thinking about half-mornings three days a week at the most (maybe two days).

I'll contact the school that we hope she gets into for proper nursery at 4 (which will also be part-time obviously), and see if there are pre-schools that most of the girls go to. It would be nice for her to make a few friends before she starts nursery at four - I like that idea.

Thanks again. By the way, my hubby is a brit but was homeschooled until university, hence our total confusion!

Your plan sounds perfect...and I woudl do 3 mornings in preference to 2 - so that she actually has a chance to settle.

Unless I've missed it, no one has mentioned the free/government-funded sessions that your child is entitled to from age 3. I'm no expert as my ds is too little for all of this yet, but am wondering if that might be why your friend is saying your child should go from age 3, to get the benefit of the free sessions? Perhaps someone more experienced can fill you in, but I would have thought you could get the sessions at a local nursery for the year before starting at private school without too much waiting list hassle.

You can use the vouchers to off-set fees at private schools too.