Advice on schools/nursery

I'm wondering what other mums think to help me make the best decision for nursery/pre-nursery. Our local catchment school will not offer pre-nursery places, so to take advantage of the 15hrs available to us from Jan 2025 (LO turns 3 in Sept), we will need to choose an out of catchment school.

Beyond that, for her full time nursery place, it would really be so much more convenient if she moves to the catchment school which is just around the corner (assuming they will actually offer her a place then!). But that means she will spend just 2 or 3 terms at her pre-nursery school, then move again to somewhere new. She currently goes to a private nursery so that'll be a change in Jan too. She's pretty resilient and itching to go to school so I'm not overly concerned, but do we think it will in reality be really unsettling and difficult for her?

My only other options are to keep paying for private nursery but I will be on maternity leave so I'm not sure that's feasible, even just part time! Or choose an out of catchment school for pre-nursery then try to secure a place there for nursery and primary as well so she doesn't have to move, but I'm not a big fan of that idea when the local school is literally 2mins around the corner!

What would you do?

Read more on Peanut

The views expressed in community are solely the opinions of participants, and do not reflect those of Peanut.

Learn more about our guidelines.

Add a comment

Ok I’m a little confused so bare with me

Are you talking about ‘preschool’ attached to the school? Most I know do admissions September-September meaning your little one would go next September
Are you asking about moving her somewhere in Jan and then again next September? I personally wouldn’t do that - sorry to say it can be really unsettling for little ones

If you’re currently using private I’d leave her there until she can move to preschool - you’d be entitled to the free hours the same?

I’d also approach the school about LO starting the preschool at your catchment school from January - they may allow this if their not full which is happening more and more for preschools due to parents needing wrap around care :)

@Amy sorry I probably should have specified I'm in Wales and I think it's different here, but yes we get 15hrs of "pre-school" which is referred to as pre-nursery, because she is a Sept baby and eldest in the year she's not entitled to a full time nursery place until Sept 2025 (or actually I was reading today it might be Jan 2026... but I'll figure that out at the time!), however she is entitled to part time, 15hrs a week in an education setting, plus another 15hrs a week in childcare (like wraparound care) from January. If we leave her in her current private nursery we will only get 15hrs funding as the setting is only eligible for the childare element and not the education element of the offer, so we'd lose 50% of funding. I hope I'm making sense 😅 it's a minefield! But you've answered my question by saying that you feel moving her in Jan then Sept would be unsettling. It's just so frustrating that there's no other option aside from forking out over £1k a month when we should finally be getting some help!

Oh wow! I didn’t realise it was so different I’d have assumed the funding worked the same! That’s so so annoying that they split it like that :(

It’s so rubbish to miss out!

Like you...

Our boy was eligible for a funded pre nursery place for summer term but we decided to keep him in his cylch meithrin (and pay) and wait until he starts nursery in Sept.

I was afraid to chop and change for the sake of one "free" term and didn't want to put him off before nursery in Sept.

My understanding is you apply each year for pre nursery, nursery, reception regardless so you can apply to one setting one year and another the next.

in our community

wtf moment?

I have been going back and forth with my husband lately. Well not lately it’s been years. He is the best husband and father you could ask for; for two weeks. Then he’s inconsistent. It drives me mad. Then he’s back to husband and dad of the year , then back to same inconsistency. I talked to him about this last night and he said “if i was lovey dovey and acted like this all the time you’d get bored and cheat on me.”

Ok so for starters i know some of you are going to say omg omg omg super controlling omg leave omg. No im not doing that. Im happy he finally admitted his wrong doing and taking accountability for it but id like to know the deeper reason, the what the f has him thinking like this reason, the personality trait reason. He’s obviously scared I’m going to leave him; so much so that he’s doing this dumb shit to prevent it. Past trauma? What do y’all think I can do to get him to see I’m not going anywhere? I’m consistent already, I married him, we have a baby. He really is the love of my life. I have never loved another man like this before.. but this shit is for the birds and he thinks he’s keeping me doing this but in actuality it’s making me lose respect and detach.

Divorced at 5 months PP

My husband just divorced me yesterday.

I'm 5 months post partum and I feel like complete shit. I literally can't stop crying and I don't feel like eating and this whole week my milk supply has gone down due to stress and not eating. What helps with milk supply?

The divorce- on Monday at 5am me and my husband had a small argument on text. It was regarding him not catering to my love language. I sent him a video on how women shouldn't have to ask and how laziness can kill a relationship. We've had many arguments regarding this prior about him not catering to my love language and he doesn't buy me flowers or doesn't think of me. Anyways this night, he text me saying he doesn't do Mother's Day and all that, he doesn't want to buy me flowers because my sisters buy me flowers and he can't be arsed with my moods. He said I've not been his peace and said he's done.
I replied "okay. All I want is for you to appreciate me and love me as your wife and mother of your child. I'm not pushing you away, I'm begging you to love me etc etc. I'm done too."

I come home from my errands that morning and he's upped and left. He took all of his belongings, clothes, drawer, tv- everything.

He didn't ring or text me or anything.

The property is in my name and as he left and didn't leave the key, I changed the locks the next day. I feel this is what pushed him over the edge.

He officially divorced me on Saturday.
I'm 5 months post partum and I have a 5 year old from my ex partner too.

I just want to talk about it with someone that's not biased. Was I asking for too much? I feel he just didn't want to be with me anymore and used this as an excuse? Or is that me overthinking....
Input would be nice xoxo

worried about a family members baby

So this child is three months old and she isn’t being fed from 10pm till 6/7 am idk if this is normal or safe and it’s been like this since 2 months i believe as she won’t wake her for feeds she goes to the pub drinking most nights with her baby and her baby has already been in hospital with a very low temperature bc she was outside but as soon as she was in a warm car she warmed up and doctors said she was fine she lets cats play with her bouncers toys that go over her and doesn’t strap her in she is cold from what i’ve heard from other family members and they’ve tried to warm her hands and she’s wet herself at my parents and she hasn’t had a spare vest to put on her and i offered her a blanket as she didn’t have one and she declined and she won’t listen to anyone about it she’s already left the baby with my parents for the night to go out drinking and personally i couldn’t leave my three month old because my parents said she just cried and im really unsure whether to report her or not and her house smells of dog wee/poo as she’s never home to look after them and that’s not safe for the baby i understand being lonely but she doesn’t need to go to the pub every night her friends could
go
to hers or her she could go to a cafe that has closed doors not sat outside a cold pub and it’s a bit of a rough pub in my opinion

my parents are concerned btw but they say i shouldn’t report her as it’s not fair but i feel how the baby is treated isn’t fair

Forgiving a partner…

Long story short - found out 2 months ago my partner of almost 10 years has slept with two girls, one of which he’s been seeing for 8 months - during this time I was pregnant with our third child and gave birth. (She had an abortion)
I found out, he cut all ties (still works with her)
I want to try and move on from this, we have three children , and a home… I can’t face the idea of being without my children half the time. I want to try and make things work. But I can’t stop the intrusive thoughts / images of the two of them together…. Any advice if you’ve been in a similar situation?
Sick of feeling this rubbish, also 5 month pp so hormones/confidence is in pieces😣😣😣

Does anyone else hate their partner?

I’m now a little over 2 months postpartum and I’ve struggled with genuinely just not liking my partner anymore since we found out I was pregnant last year. I catch myself just staring at him with hatred because I’m so sick and tired of his bullshit. He is just now getting a job and has not had one since THANKSGIVING!!! Meanwhile I was working full time until I finally got too sick to be able to work. I genuinely want him out of my house but I depend on him as far as driving goes bc I don’t have a car. I also still love him deep down and don’t want to put him out on the street but he’s driving me genuinely insane. Any advice?

Heartbreak

After years of trying, months of back and fourth on the fate of our marriage, indecision, fights. The whole enchilada my husband and I are separating, divorcing. Whatever. I'm so goddamn heart broken. I feel like it's a death and I'm in mourning. We have a 3 year old son and currently and for the foreseeable we are going to coparent and live together. This makes things harder because neither one of us can really move on but it's how it is. He understands and he's trying to heal too. But I can't understand why now that things are over he can be kind. He's been more amazing in the last week since I ended things than ever. Why couldn't he do that when we were together for years I begged for change, we saw a counselor I tried everything and he just wouldn't. Now he seems to turn a switch and be able to just do it all. But it's too late. My heart aches. My body aches. Love sucks.