How important is preschool for 4+?

[nordiclondonmum]

Hi everyone, I have a question for parents whose children have taken the 4+ assessment. How important do you think the choice of preschool is for preparation? My daughter is turning 2 in December, and she’s currently at a daycare-type nursery that runs from 8 am to 6 pm. It’s very nurturing, and I really like the staff, but I’m not sure if it’s as academically focused as I’d like.

I’m considering moving her to a preschool next year, but that would mean reduced hours (9 am to 12 pm), and I’d need to provide food. While I have a flexible job and could make it work, it’s not my ideal situation. I also have a 6-month-old son and would prefer to keep both kids in the same place to avoid managing two different drop-offs (planning to enroll him in nursery around 1 year old).

I’m based in North London and am considering schools like Highgate and South Hampstead High School (SHHS). Would you recommend switching to a preschool, or could I adequately prepare my daughter at home with the help of tutors?

Thanks in advance!

There's plenty of time for academically focused education in her coming years. She's not even 2 yet.

There are at least 3 nursery/pre-school type places that seem to have a head-start in getting good results at 4+: Broadhurst, Clowns, Mulberry House

You can definitely prepare your daughter just by being a good parent. Not much is needed other than confidence around people she doesn't know and ability to follow instructions well.

These nurseries do not tutor, but they do know and understand the expectations so they do to an extent help. Kids get into the schools you mention at 4+ from everywhere though clearly some places do better than others at placement. I think that's also down to parents and the fact that the three nurseries mentioned above happen to be great, happy places, rather than tutoring for anything specific.

4 year olds do not need tutors!!! They do not need 'academically focused pre-schools' (whatever that means?). They learn through play. They learn through adults communicating effectively with them. They learn through mixing with a variety of different people and children. They learn best when they feel secure and happy.

As an Early Years educator, the idea of the 4+ assessments makes me shudder anyway to be honest. Cherry picking 4 year olds, that's basically what is is. Parents paying out for schools which pride themselves on excellent results, when in reality they have hand picked a cohort of children who have displayed optimal Characteristics of Effective Learning before they even started with them. In reality, if you were to look at value added progress, many of these schools aren't performing anywhere near as well as they'd have you believe, as they're only working with children who already possess good language skills. They're only working with children who are well rounded in terms of their personal, social and emotional development (for example, someone the other day commented that, in their experience, schools will reject the kids who cry at their 4+ assessment!).

I know my comments won't go down well on here but I find it so sad when people are wanting to coach their children from the age of 2 to ensure entry into a prestigious school, who will charge you the Earth but, in reality, only build on the fundamentals which are already present in your child.

I would choose a nurturing nursery, familiar to your child, which suits your working hours, over one which is formal and aimed at getting children to pass ridiculous personality assessments (because that's basically all they are).

If this is what you truly want for your child, I wish you the best of luck. Don't kid yourself though that these schools are better at delivering quality early years education. It's pretty easy to obtain 100% of children achieving GLD (good level of development) when they were already well on the pathway to achieving that when they were cherry picked on entry and would have achieved it at any school they were sent to.

No 2 year old needs to attend an ‘academically focussed’ setting. They need to play, to be nurtured, to learn how to make friends.
@BoleynMemories13 has put it perfectly!

Completely agree with @BoleynMemories13 here. Children learn through play. I worked as a room leader in a private nursery pre school many years ago and while everything was focused on play children still learned all day everyday. I did so much planning for activities that i took it home ( no time in a room of 30+)

Play is is so underestimated and misunderstood. They could go to school capable ready for reception in their own ways. The EYFS is followed by private nurseries too.

@nordiclondonmum Have you enquired with your current nursery about the pre school provision.

You DD is a whole person. I'm not sure I'd want my DC to attend a school that was as academically focused as you believe them to be on a 4YO. Normal state schools manage to teach 4YO everything they need in reception academically, why would a private school need them to know phonics and numbers before unless they are incapable of teaching? I'd imagine like a PP said though, they just want to see a happy, confident child. The best thing you can do for a 2YO is to help them experience the world around them. They need to learn about that, vehicles, beaches, forests, the changing seasons, textures, temperatures, happiness. Don't coop them up inside with textbooks.

Bloody hell! … poor child!

Oh poor baby.

Children learn through play. Even more important for toddlers and preschoolers.

If my child's nursery or preschool was 'academically focused' I'd be withdrawing them for not understanding children.

Young children can pick up basic phonics, numbers, alphabet etc from playing at home with jigsaws, books, watching CBeebies and going to the supermarket with you. Pick a nursery with great outdoor space which suits your work hours and is close to where you live.

Hampstead Hill Prep is all day - I believe it is 07:45 to 5:30

I feel so shocked at this. There is no way this is in your child's best interests.

Academically focussed?! OP for heaven's sake come on they're babies. Pre schoolers need socialisation, lots of play and developing their hand eye coordination. If you're going to make a drastic move like that at least read into child development a little so you're making some attempt at an informed decision.

For transparency, I kept mine in nursery. Both thrived in school. I think you may be disappointed in the lack of "academic focus" in reception class if you don't look into it properly.

Gosh this is frightening. Tutors and assessments for preschoolers?!

My DC have gone to preschool the year before they started school and it was really good for school readiness - not academics, just being used to the classroom environment.

Their private daycare nursery offers lifts and wraparound for all the local preschools, as is standard here. You don't save any money but it's good school prep. Can you get anything like that where you are?

But personally, I'd be running a mile from any school, preschool or nursery that used words like academics, assessment or tutor for kids that are so young.

Is there good quality playing? Is there a mud kitchen? equipment in garden for balancing, swinging, etc? Do they do non prescriptive painting? Are there sensory activities and messy play?

if they do this then I wouldn’t worry about and introduction of academics- that’s what reception is for.

Our August born dd did fine in the 4+ after going to an ordinary day nursery. It was really good for her and they took such great care of her there ever since she was a baby.

There's another thread atm about a 3yo at an "academic" pre school that isn't supportive with her toileting. Not letting her use a potty etc.

But my dd's nursery was excellent with supporting toileting, in fact they totally took the lead on potty training her and we just mirrored their strategy at home.

They taught her to write her own name, recognise most letters and numbers. They also were really really good for things like behaviour and routines. She learnt to use a knife and fork there by her 3rd birthday (got a photo of her and her classmates all eating cake with a knife and fork at her 3rd birthday!)

She's at a girls' prep now and so far doing really well, full of phonics jingles and did a show and tell the other day. So even though she's an August child and went to a non academic nursery she's not behind.

You'd be mad to take a 2 year old out of a nurturing preschool for this.

This thread will give you more answers about how bonkers the whole 4+ thing is- and that's because it is. They're so tiny at that age and things change so quick.

Stick with the nurturing place that accommodates your work hours.
It would be stressful for her to move. Play is way more important than academia at this age.

The best thing I did was use the nursery on the same site as DD's school. She's started reception with a friends, familiar surroundings and is absolutely thriving.

IME, the advantages the "academic" nurseries provide at the 4+ assessments for schools like SHHS and Highgate and NLCS and St Christopher's has less to do with the "academics" they teach and more to do with the environment they get the DC accustomed to. AFAIK, none of these schools requires that a child be able to read or count above 10 at the 4+, though some do check if a child can recognize their own name on a nametag. What these schools are looking for is children who are are used to sitting quietly in a group and paying attention to a teacher when they are trying to read a story or present a lesson. Things that they're not looking for:

• children who show evidence of learning issues
• children who show evidence of behavioural issues
• children who refuse to join the assessment group
• children who don't pay attention to the teachers
• children who don't follow instructions on whatever activity they're asked to do

I remember one school, in their group assessment, asked the children to stand in a circle facing each other and touch their ears, touch their noses, stand on one foot, hop, etc. I do not believe the main point was to evaluate the children's physical dexterity.

More than one of these schools has used a phrase similar to "looking for children who are ready to learn". I don't think they're lying.