Pre school in Edinburgh

[5minutestobed]

Posted in local as well but its deserted in there.

Can anyone recommend a preschool near Cameron Toll area or Portabello? We have just moved here, am I too late to apply for school nurseries? I don't really know how this works! Thanks.

Can't comment on nurseries, but you will be fine to apply at any time if you've moved into the area. Obviously you are not guaranteed a space though. Maybe look up what your catchment primary is and start from there? Give them a call and ask if you can come and visit/put their name down.

How old is your child? Should you be registering them for school starting this August?

He will be three in April so yes he will get his free hours in August I think?

Yes, I think that's right. So he will be pre pre school this year and pre school next year so a while before Primary then yet. :)
Different council for me, but when we moved and our children were nursery age, we picked up a form at one school nursery and were allowed to put 3 on the application. We were allocated spaces at not our nearest as we needed two spaces and the most local couldn't offer that at the time. When my eldest started school at the local school, we were able to get a pre school space for our younger son at the attached nursery for the school.

You can still apply for school nursery if it won't be until August. I would apply to your catchment. Phone the school office or nursery school office to get an application form.

I know we sometimes get children who are unable to get a space in their catchment for the ante preschool year then move to their catchment for preschool year.

Daft question, I can apply for somewhere out of my catchment as well can't I?

For nursery you can go to anywhere if they have space.

Yes I think you can. Different council in my case, but we applied for our catchment school nursery and then the next two nearest ones. We got allocated the one furthest away. I don't think the catchment applies so rigorously as it does to school placings. DS1 was in his pre school year and DS2 in his pre pre school year at the time. Tbf we hadn't really decided which school we were going to apply to either at that point but ended up going with the catchment one.

Ok great, thanks for your help!

The waiting lists are often in order of birth, so your child would have a better chance. The nursery places are usually allocated in April/May so I would apply ASAP.