Advice on choosing the right preschool/school

[Scottyme]

Hi, I live rurally and the nearest village school closed due to low pupil numbers (less than 40), so my choice is now one of two schools in the main village.

Both schools have a preschool, for ease of transition, I want them to go to the preschool where they are going to school. I’ve been to see both and they are both lovely, rated excellent, but my problem is, I, slightly prefer the school at one and preschool at the other, both feed in to the same outstanding high school.

School 1: 200 pupils, nicer preschool, ok school, has breakfast, after school club and holiday club from preschool age

School 2: 100 pupils, nicer school, ok preschool, has breakfast and after school club but only from reception age and there is no holiday club provision. My DS currently goes to a private nursery who run a holiday club at another school so this isn’t the end of the world as he can go there and it would be a change of scenery.

Well there are more years of school than preschool. I'd just send them very part time for preschool.

I am not a big fan of smaller primaries. I would go for the slightly bigger one. But we have issues around here where smaller schools really struggle with the finances and it has perhaps jaded me.

I haven't voted yet as feel we need more detail about your wrap around needs. Would you require breakfast and after-school club from pre-school age, or could you sort something until your child is in Reception? Is holiday club a must?

If your answers to both are yes, obviously school A suits your needs better. If no, I would go for the school you prefer (B) on the basis they are there for longer. Ultimately, an 'ok' pre-school would be good enough for me. Somewhere they can experience independence away from you and make friends.

I would go for the bigger school with more wraparound care, assuming you work. It sounds more likely to suit as he gets older, even if you preferred the other school.

Keep him at the private nursery now if that makes life easier - children mix very easily at Reception age.

Are you absolutely guaranteed a place at either school for reception if you name it as first preference? i.e. are both schools always undersubscribed/below PAN? Only if the answer to this is "yes" do you have a genuine choice here. Reception classes are capped at the PAN and if you do not qualify for a place you will not get it. Having attended the preschool counts for precisely zero in admissions priority, so if you would qualify for a place at school B but not school A then it matters not a jot that your child is in the preschool attached to A, you still won't get a place there.

100 kids from nursery to Y6 is teeny tiny. I’d be worried about friendships and also potentially that the school may close if numbers drop any further. No wrap around for the nursery year is also a PITA if you work and if the only holiday club provision locally is run by a nursery will he still want to go to it when he’s older?

School 2 sounds loads better. But I’d check the admissions policy because attending the preschool doesn’t usually give priority (unless it’s a private school) so I’d want to be as certain as you can be that he’ll get a place for reception. If there’s any uncertainty you’d be best to stay at the private nursery and then move him for wherever you get for reception.

Yes both always have space and school 2 is a church school who control their own admissions so if you go to preschool their you get a primary place.

I can make do for now until primary school. And there is a holiday club run by the nursery he goes to now

school 2 has recently grown from 80 pupils after the local village school closed so I don’t think this is an issue, as there isn’t enough room at the other school and school 1 is the largest primary school in our local authority area and there is 80 primary schools

If they always have spaces that's fine. Even with a church school controlling their own admissions it would be absolutely illegal for them to guarantee a place for children at their own preschool if they were oversubscribed. Sounds like that's unlikely to ever happen though.

Have you visited either? That usually answers these questions in a much better way than any feedback anyone can provide here.

In that case then I'd probably go for 2 if you prefer it. Although 100 is a very small school, 200 would give a lot more scope for friendships their own age. Obviously it's up to you though.

What is it that you prefer about the first school's pre-school? What do you prefer about the other school in general? Could it not be an option to apply for pre-school at School A, but school at School B?

I agree with the PP, if pre school A is so much better then do pre school at A then school at B unless it means you won't get a place. My DD went to a stand alone small pre school as I didn't feel she was ready to be in a large group in the school pre school. In reception there was a complete mix of where children had spent the previous years - school pre school, different pre school, private nursery, home, grandparents, childminder. Everyone settled in fine.

Can external students access the holiday club at school 1? If so no issue with holiday care at school 2: loads of kids round here go to different schools' holiday clubs; their school might not have one, they like meeting new kids, don't want to be at their school in the holidays, want a sportier/craftier camp etc, hours are longer etc.

I also worry about the smaller schools: one class per year or mixed years, friendship issues, possible uneven mix of boys and girls being more pronounced, funding.

Does school one have 1 class per year, and school 2 have mixed year classes?

Both styles have their advantages and your preference there is what I'd decide on.

Both schools have 1 class per year around 20-24 in school 1 and 10-14 children per year in school 2

I preferred the preschool outdoor spaces at school 1 and it seemed more educational in its set up than in school 2 which had a nice but limited outdoor area and a free for all.

in terms of the actual schools I had a much better vibe about school 2 than school 1