Staying at playgroup until primary school?

[car1sberg]

Hello,

I've posted this in 'pre school education' too, but was hoping to perhaps hear an opinion of a reception class teacher too? Thank you..

Am after some opinions/advice please!

I have a son aged 3.5, he goes to a lovely local playgroup, 3 mornings. He is settled there now and everything is great. He will start primary school in Sep 2016 as is an October baby.

I am wondering whether to move him to a school nursery in September, so he can do a year there before starting primary school? Is it appropriate to stay at a playgroup right up until starting school at age 4.5, and skip school nursery, or will he have outgrown it by then and it may hold him back?

An important point I think, is that he won't be attending the primary school the nursery is attached to anyway, as we will be relocating in summer 2016 before he starts school, so he will be starting school in a new area (well old actually, as we're returning to our hometown after 2 years away). If he was I think I'd probably make the move to school nursery this September without second thought.

I'm really not sure what to do for the best? On one hand I want him to stay where he's happy and thriving, he has friends and loves it there, and he won't be going to school here anyway with the children from school nursery.. On the other hand I don't want him to be the oldest there, surrounded by 2-3 year olds and majorly out of his depth when he starts school?

Help! Thanks :)

I kept both of mine in the preschool/playgroup rather than move them to the school nursery. Because I liked it much more, same EYFS curriculum for both, still did early phonics at both, and more flexible on hours/sessions.

School nursery isn't always better IME

Both mine stayed at pre school until they started Primary.
Unless it's a nursery at the school they are VERY likely to go to then I dint see the point

I would move him. Playgroup is great, but doesn't help them cope with school routines as well. My DD came on leaps and bounds in school nursery and settled into primary easily. He's old in his year too, so I think he'll probably be bored of nursery by then.

My son has stayed at his private nursery because the logistics of getting him to and from school nursery and private nursery while working was too much.

If you're going to change schools anyway I would just keep him in the nursery/preschool.

However, despite many parents of kids at my son's nursery saying they were also keeping them in the private nursery I have noticed that as time went by more and more parents took their children out so now my son IS one of very few older children there and he is

a. bored
b/ left to his own devices a lot.

One positive thing is that the nursery do have a teacher coming to do 'teaching' with them which he really enjoys.

I went to speak to the nursery manager and was reassured that he would be fine and in the main he has been, though he is left to be quite independent too which in one way is preparing him for school but in another does make me feel sad as he sometimes complains none of his friends were there. On the flip side he has made some new friendships with the slightly young kids.

DD stayed in playgroup until she started school, although that was mostly because we live in an area where all the primaries are very oversubscribed and we had no idea where she'd get a place. I didn't want to put her in a school nursery, get settled in then have the upheaval of going to a different school.

She was very happy in playgroup until reception but she wasn't the only older child by a long way. I think if I was in a situation where I could be pretty confident of what school my child was going to go to, and they could well end up as the only four year old in the playgroup I'd move them to the school nursery.

All of mine stayed at playgroup until primary. 3 mornings a week. It just suited us better.

I did try one of them at school nursery but with it being a fill week I felt it was too much so I removed them and went back to 3 mornings at playgroup.

They have all adjusted and done very well upon starting primary.

My son goes to preschool for two full days (9-3 Monday and Wednesday) and Thursday morning. He has adjusted fine to this and I think that this is great preparation in terms of routine. Is this an option for you?

DD2 couldn't get a school nursery place, and so stayed at playgroup. It happened to the summer birthday kids every year, and so there was a group of "older" ones. They were allowed 4 days, if they wanted, and though I was concerned about her not getting to try nursery, she didn't have any problems stepping up to school that she wouldn't also have had, had she gone to the school nursery.

Definitely a better option than moving and then moving him again.

I did this for dd1 and it worked so well I'm doing it again for dd2.

As long as the nursery has enough older children, I think it works well. Dd2 gets a much higher staff:pupil ratio at preschool than she would in school nursery, plus it's much more flexible, she can mix and match mornings and afternoons in a way that works for us as a family.

Added to that, preschool has people coming in for music, football, ballet etc and school nursery doesn't and it's really a better option for her.

Both mine did school nursery and came on loads. Fantastic prep for school transition. Lots move schools too at this stage - still helps them get ready - doesn't have to be FT - lots do PT as standard

DD1 stayed at preschool until Rception. She settled in absolutely fine with the routines etc of Reception, despite not going to the nursery attached to the school. Reception is designed to gently ease children in to school life - IMO (or rather, for my children), I dont see any need to start them 'getting used to school' a year in advance of school actually happening!

DD2 is currently at pre school and will be starting Reception in September, with no nursery.

They are May and June birthdays - it might be slightly different with a Setpemerb / October / November born child I think. But not necessarily. Also probably depends on the specific pre school and nursery you are talking about. In our case, the pre school is lovely and I preferred it as a setting to the nursery.

Ours prepares them well for transition as 75 / 90 move up to reception together. The new children do settle just fine but it's noticeable which they are and which went to school nurseries. Long term it makes no difference.

There are no school nurseries round here at all. Everyone goes to private/community preschools or nurseries. I like it, I see no reason why they should go into a school based environment any earlier. As Wigeon said, that's what YR is for.

Also I think new children in YR seem to settle very easily. Ours went in groups from the various preschools, and you couldn't tell those who'd come in groups from those who hadn't known anyone after the first few weeks of term. They make (and break) friendships so quickly at that age.

I think DD did start YR a bit behind some of her peers because I'd chosen the least 'academic' preschool setting I could find. However this worked out brilliantly for her - she had to work a little bit harder in infants but she was rewarded by progressing faster than her peers, and she has really hit her stride in juniors. I think that was a powerful lesson to her that work does pay and she has the power to make it happen. I hope that will be more use to her in the long term than being taught phonics at 4 rather than 5. Plus, she just got more time to play, and that is valuable in itself IMO.

Thanks so much for the replies.. After some consideration I'm pretty sure we'll be leaving my son at the playgroup..

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