Break off thread...anyone sending DCs to diff school in Sept than school nursery they currently attended?

[schooladviceplease2015]

Or anyone done it in the past?

Mentioned this on another thread.

After an unfortunate turn of events that's what we'd like to do (following a late application in May).

I'm worried about DD settling in and making new friends if we achieve this. She knows the current regime, teachers etc really well. And she'll miss out on any adjustment efforts made by the nursery in readiness for reception.

Que?
Most kids go to nurseries not linked to their schools

Slightly different but mine are at childminder rather than school nursery so will be leaving the familiarity of that environment (very different to school) to start school (in a completely different area too as childminder near work vs school being near home)
I suspect it will initially be a challenge ( made slightly easier as I have twins so they will at least have each other) but equally I'm sure there will be plenty of others in the same situation. Surely the majority of working parents can't be sending their kids to school nursery as the hours don't fit with work at all? Plus presumably there are kids who don't even attend any form of pre school and stay at home with parent until starting school?
And at this age do they really have close friends? Am pretty sure it's all quite fluid at this age, kids are generally adaptable and reception teachers/TAs used to it and adept at helping them find their feet and form friendships.
Maybe I'm too relaxed about it, but I really wouldn't worry, I don't think for a minute she'll be the only one coming in new to the school and I'm sure she'll make new friends quickly...plus school will likely have at least one session in summer term where she will meet her new teacher and the other kids - you can then potentially exchange numbers with some of the parents and meet up over Summer so that by the time Sept comes, she has already got to know a few faces...this is my plan at least (although my two tend to play with eachother and refuse to hang out with other kids so it may be a challenge - the joys of twins!!)
Anyway in short I wouldn't see it as an issue at all, if the school you are planning to move to is better all round than the one where she is in nursery then that's the right decision...
Good luck, am sure it will all work out just fine :-)

As Talkin said, most kids don't go to a school nursery. My DD didn't.

I think it can be hard if most of the children who go to the school went to the pre school - established groups, routines etc. But I don't think it is an issue when there are kids from all over.

I moved across the country the summer before DD started Reception. I had to make a late application and subsequently take up a place at a school 4 miles away as it was the only space the LA could find for DD.

She coped brilliantly. Settled in with no problems at all.

Although it is worth noting that if we'd stayed up north she would have stayed at her private nursery until September and then started Reception. Basically all kids that attend private nurseries rather than pre-schools do this and the vast majority cope fine.

I'm not entirely sure what you're so worried about?

I'm choosing not to send mine to the school nursery.

This is so reassuring.

TheWhiteRoad Just as the nursery she attends is so very 'schooly'. It's as if when she started there in Sept that that was her starting school IYSWIM.

School uniform, phonics, parent's evening - and yes she's still only three! Until next week anyway.

Loves her teachers, loves friends there, obviously very familiar with the environment and the nursery are going to be making the nursery kids familiar with the reception.

Ooh gosh that is formal!

All the schools in this area have a similar set up!

And that's why chose to avoid

I only know one local school with a pre school and it's quite different from that. Most of our pre schools are all play dough and playing in mud.

I'm sure she will be fine. Reception classes should be geared up to cope with children that have attended pre-school, nursery or neither of these. The free 15 hours isn't compulsory and some parents choose not to take it up.

FWIW, although I really like DDs school and DC2 will (hopefully!) join Reception, he will not be attending until the pre-school. He likes his nursery, which is much closer to our home so easier for me. I'm sure he'll do fine at school when the time comes.

My DS started school this Sept after 4 years at private nursery. He loved his nursery and the preschool hours were just impossible with my working hours at that point.

He did find it hard going to start with. Only 1 child from his nursery went with him and 15 of the other children had gone to the preschool next door so already all knew each other. Still it only took a couple of days for him to make friends in the big group and then it was fine.

It probably would have been easier for him if he'd gone to the school where most of his friends from nursery went but we live too far away to get a place there and I preferred the school he went to anyway.

Don't worry . Dd moved country so knew no one and went ft at just 4. See if you can find a parent contact at the new school so you can socialise over the summer. Maybe they will have a summer fair or similar you can go along to. There will also be orientation meetings in the summer term but 3/4 year olds will forget so much over the summer break your dd won't be at a disadvantage.

DD went to a private nursery. We moved after the application process and had to change her schools at the end of the summer holidays - so we did the visits/inductions etc. with one school and, at the last minute, we changed to another school. I didn't give it a second thought!

Children are very adaptable and I think you are worrying over nothing. It really isn't a big deal and many, many children are in the same boat.

Both my DC went to the school nursery and carried on at the same school, but lots didn't. several applied but didn't get their first choice, others applied to different schools. I didn't hear of any of them having problems settling. Similarly, those that started in reception having been else where previously settled well, and within about the first half term, no-one really remembered who had been at nursery and who hadn't.
The only thin I would say is make your decision soon so that you can start prepping DD. She needs to know where big school is, and that it's different from nursery and she will have different uniform etc. She will settle in fine.

Thank you!

Fantastic tips. I especially hadn't thought about having the summer break for get to 'forget' a bit about current school!

Facebook is a wonderful resource and once we're clearer about where she is going (ugh - stress) I can use the summer to try and link up with other mums of kids starting at whatever school she gets in the late application process, and hopefully she'll make friends in advance.

Thanks again! I know I need a lot of reassurance but your comments have really helped me feel about brighter about the situation and I will be revisiting!

Going back several years but yes we did. A good few did - we were not alone!

It will be just fine. Staggered start over a couple of weeks at our school so it was not too overwhelming.

Good luck!

Yes I did. Dds still attended all the visits etc regardless that they were not in the school nursery. Made no difference. Kids from our nursery went on to about 20 different schools and none others went to our school.

My other half and I were reluctant to send our DS to a school nursery from his standalone one as he loved his loving 'standalone' However he adores his school nursery, and we won't know if he has a place until April 16/17? In answer to your question about putting down a different first choice, yes we have done that and regret it