Opinion about pre-school in Dulwich for Toddlers

[Pickle]

I have no experience of DVPS, but generally nursery places are offered to the older children in the year group first, and will then filter down to the youngest. It may be that they're in the same school year, but if your son is at the younger end of the year group he may have missed out on that basis.

[roudoudou]

tu as essaye "l'ecole maternelle" entre Herne Hill et Ruskin Park ? J'ai visite et trouve ca tres sympa, pas hors de prix par rapport aux nurseries classiques, une petite liste d attente, pr 2 ou 3 matinees par semaine mais on a d'abord eu une place a Amott pre school nursery et j'en suis ravie, ma fille rattrape son retard en anglais tres tres rapidement et le staff est tres sympa. Elle adore ! ils suivent le meme programme que ds une ecole normale, font les memes activites que ds une nursery habituelle, RDC crafts et lecture, velos musique et danse a l etage et des toboggans / murs d escalade a l exterieur. et pas cher du tout c est sponsorise par le council, ?30/semaine avant leurs 3 ans gratuit ensuite. le batiment (church hall) ne paye pas de mine mais ce qu ils y font est tres chouette. ils ont qques places dispos pour septembre si ton fils a 3 ans, mais ils ont deja atteint leur quotas d under 3.

[VALFR59]

Thanks a lot for your advice.

Finally after 2 months of reflections, I've decided to wait a bit longer for a pre-school...are the choice are so poor because of the lack of free place/ Unbelivable waiting list, for those wich appeared greater!...furthemore, it seems to have not a lot of young Two years old in the pre-school but more 3/4 years old.As everybody share the same room + no special quiet room for the nap ...I'm afraid of the potential lack of kindness of some of the older on the youngers (even if it can be very stimulated to play with older children).

I'll try the childminder of one my son's best friend from September to June and then ,when my son will turn three in November 2012, he will go to Bud pre-school (depend of my future job as Bud's closed at 3.30pm!)

@roudoudou: je connais de de nom cette ?cole fran?aise car une amie anglaise de Dulwich, mari?e ? un fran?ais s'est renseign?e pour sa fille. Elle voudrait que la petite parle plus souvent le fran?ais comme sa langue maternelle sera l'anglais.Le probl?me c'est que las bas, la classe est que le matin. D'autre part, Notre cas est diff?rent car nous sommes un couple fran?ais et en contrat expatriation, donc,malheureusement, notre temps en Angleterre est compt? ? 5 ans maxi, surtout si j'arrive pas ? reprendre ma carriere ici, ce que j'ai du mal ? faire depuis 2 mois.Du coup, nous souhaitons immerger notre fils le plus possible dans la langue/culture anglaise pour qu'il l'int?gre un maximun avant notre retour en France ou vers un autre pays.Ceci au moins jusqu'au CP, ensuite il faudra qu'il int?gre un programme fran?ais pour les ?quivalences scolaires.J'ai fait le sacrifice de mettre entre parenth?se ma vie professionnelle depuis plus d'1 an pour l'opportunit? professionnel de mon mari et le confort d'un changement de vie en douceur pour notre fils. L'obejectif est de lui donner la possibilit? d'?tre bilingue...et pas gal?rer comme sa m?re avec l'anglais :)

c'est super d'avoir ton retour sur Amott road Pre-school car j'ai visit? Little jungle nursery, en face, mais je n'ai pas pens? ? cette ?cole car effectivement, l'ext?rieur me paraissait tr?s v?tuste.Comme quoi, faut pas se fier aux apparences! je vais les contacter pour visiter si c'est possible.Le prix des modes de garde pour les enfants est juste fou ici pour le service en retour!Mon fils, aura 2 ans en Novembre, donc mort pour ton ecole cette ann?e apparemment.Il est inscrit pour Buds school pour janvier 2012 mais je vais decaler l'entr?e ? Septembre 2012 . J'ai peur que le passage de 100% avec maman ? la grosse collectivit? soit trop brutal donc il va aller chez une nourrice.(j'ai essayer qques mois une nanny at home mais pas evident car il sent ma pr?sence donc je dois ?tre toujours absente de la maison sinon un peu gal?re). Vous vivez depuis longtemps dans le secteur? nous sommes arriv?s en Septembre et nous aimons beaucoup l'environnement de notre quartier et les parcs.C'est top avec des enfants!

[flowermum]

"generally nursery places are offered to the older children in the year group first, and will then filter down to the youngest." If that is the case then children who are young for their academic year are always going to miss out - so not only will they be struggling to keep up with the older children when they start in Reception but they are denied the nursery place which is an important part of preparing them for school. This doesn't make sense ...

[Saffron]

So if they are young for their academic year, why start them early? Why not keep them with a childminder for another year before entering formal school? I don't know of any research to say that delaying entry is harmful, nor that early entry into formal schooling is beneficial. If anyone else knows of any research in this area, I'd be very curious to hear it. I think we will consider delaying entry to formal school for Little Saff, rather than putting her in as 'young for her year'.

[new mother]

Because the parents need to get back to work?! Because cms and nannies are very expensive? Because the jury is still out on whether children would do better to socialise with their peer group? These were all thoughts that occurred to us but I suppose it depends on how young for her year your daughter would be? A child who is following a normal development path would be absolutely fine even if born eg June onwards. When is your lo's birthday?

[new mother]

Meant to say "should" not "would", in the penultimate sentence sorry!

[Saffron]

Agreed, childminders would be more expensive than putting a child into formal staterun education system... unless you end up with problems later on b/c of their young age. As you say, new mother, it depends on how 'young' the child is. It may also depend on the quality of the education the child receives once in formal school, no?

As for the jury being out... I haven't specifically looked for data on young children, but I do recall reading something about there being significant problems for *some* children when they hit the teen years and the rest of their classmates are more/less a year ahead of them. It was quite some time ago that I read this, so I'm very curious to know if there is new research in this field.

[Saffron]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7234578.stm

It's an old (2008) article, but still relevant and interesting. The British government thought the issues raised by children entering formal education too early were significant enough that they now allow people the option to delay formal education up to a year.

But then again, would just like also to offer anectodal experience from the opposite point of view: My friend's steiner-educated daughter who started formal education later now has massive problems with reading.

[new mother]

Do these studies control for the main indicators of problems in later life? Eg social factors such as poverty,lack of father figure, drug use in the home and lack of home interest in scholastic/any achievement? By comparison, going to school a year early or late sort of pales a bit, I feel.

Meanwhile, having written that,I feel a bit ashamed to be constantly agonising over whether single sex (jags) is better than mixed (Alleyns).

[cuppa tea]

Saffron Wrote:

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>

> But then again, would just like also to offer

> anectodal experience from the opposite point of

> view: My friend's steiner-educated daughter who

> started formal education later now has massive

> problems with reading.

How old is your friends daughter our of interest? What sort of massive problems? Is this in comparison to regularly schooled children? Not an inquisition, just really curious and seem to be gaining a real interest in education as my son is about to start school and I'm thinking of trying to defer the place. He does seem emotionally very young for the formalities of school...especially compared to the girls in his year, who seem about 2 years more mature to me!