did your dcs go to a different nursery to reception? Did it matter?

[Greatfun]

DD has a place starting nursery in Jan in our favourite school. However, I have just found out we are very unlikely to get a reception place there in 2010. Our second choice school is more likely to have a place for her for reception and has space in the nursery. The second choice school has had some problems but seems to be getting sorted (has an outstanding ofsted report last year). We thought we would go for school one for nursery even though we are unliely to get a reception place to see how school two goes now its improve. But now I am woried how DD will get on if she has to start recpetion at a completely different school. Not sure if this is country wide but round here the nurserys don't feed into the schools at all and they normally have about double the nursery places to reception. Did your child go to a different school and nursery? How did they find it?

dd went to a preschool attached to the primary school we failed to get into.

It hasn't hindered her in any way - she settled very well despite not knowing any of the other children especially well.

DS is now going to the same pre-school, and will most likely end up at the same primary as dd. I am not keen on the preschool attached to our catchment primary, and wanted ds to have the same excellent start as dd.

I should think the majority of children go to a different nursery to the school they eventually go to. Any child in all-day care at a private nursery will start the school straight into reception, or who might have gone to pre-school near their childminder or other carers home. Not all schools have nurseries at all. Some children in a schools nursery will be 'budged out' by other children more eligible when it comes to allocating school places. So I think its likely that the children who have NOT been to that school's nursery will be in the majority.
I would take the place at the nursery that you like best. She is unlikely to be the only 'new girl' in reception at your 2nd choice in 2010.

i agree with flib - all you can do is make the best choice for now - chances are there will be other kids in the same situation

dd's catchment school doesn't have a nursery so she goes to a private day nursery for her preschool sessions. makes no odds. some children don't do pre school at all.

Yes, because thay were in private (childcare) nursery and had been there from babies. They were fine. But in your situation I'd still go for continuity and start at school 2.

Thanks everyone. I think I shoud stick to school one as I have told her she is goinbg there. Its all going to be enough upheavel given that she will be removed from her private nursery that she has been at since 9 monhs.

We moved across country just as the DTDs finished pre-school and started Kindergarten. Fortunately we had a year's warning so told them they wouldn't be going to the Elementary school they originally would have been going to.

It has not made the slightest difference as far as I can see.

dd1 is at a different school to her pre-school, as it wasn't attached to any primary at all. She was settled and loving primary within the first week, no problem - and she had never been the kind to go off to new places without me easily

We're probably going to do the same with dd2, simply because the pre-school we like is nearer home, and a bit smaller/cosier. We might switch her to the primary's nursery for the second year, but not sure...will play that by ear.

I think the things that made it easy for dd1 to make the transition were a) pre-school preparing kids well and b) primary school making them feel at home and welcome. And she does make friends easily, which obviously helps (she knew no one at her new school, though I arranged a playdate with another girl a couple of times over the summer holidays - also helped a lot).

My ds went from a private nursery to reception at a school where half of the year had been at nursery together. He hasn't had any problems making friends. Fwiw even though our some of our local nurseries are actually part of the primary school the LEA states that there is no guarantee of a primary school place just because you have a nursery place. At this age I think they make and change friends pretty easily.

In this area schools don't have an attached nursery so children enter reception from a variety of settings - day nurseries, different preschools etc. Hasn't seemed to matter with my three.

Yes.

...and no it didn't matter at all

My dd1 went to a private day nursery in the next town (where I work). She had been there since she was about 6 months up to nearly 5 and it was convenient for me to start off with as i was breastfeeding her and it was really close to my workplace. there just never seemed to be a right time to move her from a childcare situation that was working so well for me and for her. Now she has just started reception in the town where I live and I was a bit concerned as it seemed a lot of children knew each other, but there were quite a few also who had not been anywhere, or who hadn't attended the Nursery. Now she seems to have settled in and has made friends so I don't think it's done her any harm.

My DS went to a private day nursery and is now in Reception in a school where 75% of the children came from the school nursery. Within 2 weeks he was well settled in and had made new friends (in fact he pretty much ignores the 2 other children that came from his day nursery). The school has a very good induction/settling in programme though where they actively encourage children to get to know others and mix with children they didn't know.

Coming towards the end of the first term, I don't think you could pick out the children that went to the school nursery and those that didn't.

my dd1 went to a local private nursery and then went to a very small private school , there were 7 girls in her eception class and she was the only one who hadn't been to the schools own nursery and she was absolutely fine , the first week a little shy but by hte second week had become firm friends with everyone.

Yes, and no it didn't matter. DS went to a private nursery in the grounds of a different primary school to the one we sent him to.
I did find though that a lot of the children had been to the nursery attached to that school and they and the parents already knew each other, but this has not been a hindrance really.

Yes, DD remained at her private day nursery until she started school. At the time her school did not have a nursery or preschool attached.

No, it didn't cause any problems. DD made friends on day 1, settled well and loved it fromt he outset.

Yes, DD remained at her private day nursery until she started school. At the time her school did not have a nursery or preschool attached.

No, it didn't cause any problems. DD made friends on day 1, settled well and loved it fromt he outset.

Yes. All that DS1 cared about was that he would go to the same reception class as his best friend, and by chance that is what happened. Actually the chances of this were helped by the school move - first choice was two class entry and the school we actually have is single class entry.

DS2 is now at the nursery attached to DS1's school and will go to that school in September. I can see the continuity helps a bit - nursery is in a portacabin, and sometimes the nursery kids go over to the big school to borrow something they need from reception class, and the reception class come and play with nursery from time to time.

DS didn't get in to the school attached to his nursery as we're outside the catchment area. He's now at a different school (started Sept)to most of his nursery friends but it hasn't mattered one jot. He;s very settled with new friends and has occasional play dates with old friends.

At 4 I think they are so much more resilient than us and adapt quickly to new routines and faces.

All will be well!