Private school with nursery??

[E285]

My DS is almost 2 and i've been looking at nursery / schools for him recently. Many of the schools in our immediate area seem to be below the national average, so i started to look at the private schools.

After doing a bit of research, we could be entitled to a bursary to cover the full fees if DS is accepted, but these only start from 5 onwards, and even then i'm not sure it's guaranteed. My question is, as most schools offer places from 3 - what do you do beforehand? Ideally, i'd like him to attend the same nursery as school where possible - especially if his future classmates will have done.

At least one school will deduct the governments nursery grant from the fees - but i've no idea how much that'll be or if others offer anything similar. Can you get tax credits towards private school nurseries? I think we're entitled to a significant amount of childcare costs according to the online calculator.

Generally very confused about everything - DS seems quite bright for his age so am reluctant to let him go to a below ave. school.

I think that some private nurseries will deduct the nursery grant from their fees but not necessarily all. I think there is a fixed amount that can be deducted for each session but am not sure.

I do think though that if you are seriously considering private school you need to know that you will be able to afford it, and not just if you get a bursary. Are you likely to have any more children - how would you pay for them?

Have you gone to visit any of your local state schools? When you say they are "below average" what exactly do you mean? Some schools are going to be better than others but many state schools are very good.

I personally wouldn't rule out the state schools, but I am a firm believer in state education so may be a little biased .

Thanks for this - I don't think we could afford full school fees so would depend on the bursary for a contribution. However, i think we could afford the nursery fees with a deduction. Obviously that'd depend on the amount!

Most of the schools whose catchment area we fall into are showing results for keystage tests that are lower than the county average. Those that have better or matched averages are the religious schools - which is something i don't know enough about as we're not religious. Don't know how much impact this has, but i'm definately going to look into them in more detail.

I was educated by 'the state' and i've come out with good qualifications - but the schools i went to were good and had very good reputations. Perhaps i'm being a little too picky!

Hi, I'm not sure if all private schools work like this but at my childrens prep, bursaries are normally only given out at times of hardship for a short period and are based on your income. They are not a long term solution so that you can afford to send your child to private school. Scholarships are offered from 7+ and 11+ and are a set amount of the fees (with times being tough they are about 10% off the final fees) and last the entire time the child is at the school, providing they continue to perform well in exams etc. If you can't afford all the fees now, I would seriously reconsider and look at the state options. My childrens uniform alone costs hundreds of pounds (although the second hand school shop does a great trade!) the school blazer alone costs £70. for a 6 year old
plus there are extras for everything! The outward bound year 6 trip to France is costing me £650 for 5 days and all the cricket equipment came to over £100 last week.
have a look at the state options, you said your ds is only 2, lots can happen between now and when he starts, lots of schools are not doing KS2 tests because of the exact reasons you cite above! they are not a good measure of a good school as each pupil matures and absorbs knowledge at a different rate. You may well be very surprised at how good a state option is when you go to visit!
My dc are in private as I teach in one now and get a lovely reduction, and my holidays tie in with theirs (private schools get far longer hols!)but both were in state schools

Of the ones I've seen they all accept the government grant to reduce fees. And as long as they are registered, which all I've known are, you can claim tax credits for the childcare-that goes for after school too.

What sounds a little unusual is them offering a bursary at age 5. This is almost unheard of. Even at 7/8+ they are unusual. The vast majority of schools dont give out bursaries until 11. Also your combined income has to be vv low to be eligible. It is usually around £16k for full rebate which deceaeses on a sliding scale to c. £30k, above which a lot of schools wont provide any help.

The EY funding worked out at about £520 per tmer for dd and lasted throughout Reception (she's an August bday so didnlt turn 5 until then). Teh school has to meet LA criteria to be eligible and not all do so check. I've not come across bursaries for preprep(infant) age around here and a re very limited in number. You'd need a household income less than 50k (max 20k for full fees) and minimal assets (house, car, investments etc) and as others have pointed out, the fees are just the beginning.

You do come across a little pfb though, and perhaps should visit the local state schools - "below average" is a bit meaningless, particularly for infants, and it may mean more resources are being pumped in - before you take the plunge and remember private isn't necessarily better.