Why a lot of people in London sent their children to private pre school??

[W8]

Is it because the private pre schools are better or they are just too rich?
We live in Kensington, purely because I am fortunate enough to bought the flat at the right time....years ago. Now we have 2 children. One is 2.5 years old. We are thinking of sending him to a state nursery in Kensington but everyone we talked to seems to send their child to privates ones.
So we are thinking, how can they afford he extra outgoing of GBP600 (at least) a month for a private pre school?????

'Everyone' doesn't. Most people don't. You live in a very wealthy part of London, which is probably why it seems to you that sending your child to a private school is very common.

Depends what you mean by private? We send our DC's to a non-state pre-school but it is in a church hall so not flash. The reason is that there are not enough state nursery places locally, the state nurseries are too far away so would have to drive, the sessions are shorter and they don't start until the September before they start school.

In private pre-school they would still get the nursery grant thing once they were 3 anyway.

Thanks folks. Ok now I feel better!
On to the next question, Do you know any good state pre school in Kensington area? I'm open to any suggestion.

Blimey £600 a month? is that all? In cambridge we're paying £714 a month for full time pre school for dd! best move to London!!

because most state ones in London are oversubscribed - our local school has a 3 form intake, but the preschool holds only 48 children, leaving a shortfall of 42 who have to go elsewhere.

and not all primary schools offer preschool either

Coolma, please don't be certain about it. I just give you a rough idea of the cost. Btw, woul you recommend Cambridge for a young family like ours? If so what school does your dd go to?

I think Cambridge is lovely - it does depend on where you live like anywhere though. We have two dcs at school - well dd2 is at nursery right now, but she will be joining her brother at Morley Memorial School in Sept, which is a really nice school on the south of the city. DD is at cambridge day Nursery at the moment, had a dreasful ofsted last year but has really improved to 'ggod' recently. Very small and caring - I'm ever so happy with it Cambridge itself is good for children I think. I have brought three of them up here - eldest is 20 (!) and whenever we've thought about moving we always think to beyond them being at school, before we do it.

One of my decisions was to either go and live in central London again (relocating back from overseas) and have to pay for private education or to move out of London and commute for work but live in a nice area with good publicly funded schools.

I have almost decided to commute farther than I wish to gain that quality of life which even if privately schooled, no inner city residence can offer. I understand

ds will be going to a private preschool, but I didn't know it was private and it makes no difference because he, like other 3-5 year olds get funded places.

AngryWasp, We don't know anythng about funding at all. Left the country as two newly wed so we don't know much about school and fund. How do you aplly for it and will we be qualified for the funding as well? How much do you get?

Cambridge sounds great too actually but may be a bit too far as my hubby will need to work in the City.