Worth sending DD to school nursery?

[Haahoooo]

Right, would love some advice but it's a bit complicated! Please bear with me...

DD (2) goes to a private nursery which we are very pleased with. She is really happy there and we feel she learning a lot / developing well.

When she turns 3, the nursery offers the option of taking her to a local school nursery for the 15 free hours a week, doing drop off and pick up and providing wrap around care.

However, this school nursery is not at the primary school DD will go to - we do not live in its catchment area.

We'd love for DD to go to the school nursery at the primary school she will go to, but can't make the logistics work as our nursery don't do drop off and pick up there.

So if you're still with me... Do you think it's worth sending DD to this other school nursery just to get 'school experience', in spite of the fact that (a) it's not the school she will go to and (b) she has plenty of nursery experience already?

If relevant she has an August birthday so very young in the year.

Thank you!

I wouldn't, can't see how it will benefit her if she isn't going to that school.

If she won't go to school there I wouldn't bother. For me, the whole point of ds going to the school nursery was so that he had some familiarity with the place/uniform/his classmates as he's a July birthday do young for his year. I just can't see the benefit of potentially unsettling your dc with a new setting when they won't be there long term if you're happy with the private nursery.

Will there be other children of her age in her private nursery during the school nursery hours?

Is the private nursery relying on the school nursery to do the pre-school preparatory element of their care or will she get just as many opportunities at her private nursery?

We left DS at private nursery until he went into reception.

Biggest thing was that I just couldn't make the hours work - half days at school and then a pickup and travel to his other nursery. He was also really happy and settled at nursery, we loved the staff and I was very secure that he was being well looked after and also following the EYFS.

Secondly, school nursery required uniform and I figured that he had plenty of years in uniform ahead without starting at 3.5.

Finally, school nursery only runs during term term so holidays would be a problem (yes, they will be a problem once they start reception but this was another year that I didn't have to worry).

When DS joined reception a lot of the children had been at the school nursery and it probably took him half a term to adapt. By Christmas though you wouldn't know which children had been at school nursery and which hadn't.

Yes, I agree with ff. Probably better to consolidate her experience where she is happy and settled for another year, rather than risk upheaval for no particularly good reason.

I was a primary TA / helper for over twenty years, now retired, and just help where I can on MN! One year at school I was in a different class every day, including nursery, which I loved: 'eating' playdough cakes, 'drinking' pretend coffee - "Can I have a bit more sugar please?"

Some people think children don't really 'do' much at nursery, but it is an invaluable experience, particularly if the staff and facilities are good.

(In the 'old' days some playgroups were dire: a 'rising five' once told me he hated the boring job of drawing over dotted letters [which the staff thought was preparing him for school]. At another one, the only organised activity the supervisor managed was to come in every week with cut-out parts for some animal or object, which the kids had to glue together 'correctly'; if a child put an item in the 'wrong' place, staff would alter it - NOT how to encourage and build confidence! Needless to say, elephants on the table I worked at might have three legs and a trunk at each end!

No don't do it. It's too much disruption if she's not going to that school. Stay at the private nursery and get the LEA funding off your nursery fees.

I has ds1 in private nursery doing his second year in the preschool. He's oldest in year and all his friends have gone to school. I don't think it matters if he's not in a school nursery now as actually his private nursery is a much nicer environment (more expensive!) and i suspect as is same for you...

Oh thank you everyone. Really helpful advice.

It has confirmed my feeling that I'm better off leaving her where she is. The nursery doesn't rely on the pre school in any way and 'teaches' the full 'curriculum' (if that's the right word) itself as well.

As she will be starting school very young anyway I think it's the right thing to keep her in the more comforting / familiar environment of nursery as long as possible.

Thanks again