Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hi,


I would like my son start to go to school when he 'll have half pas two/Three year (he's now 18 months), like its usual to enter in school in France.

He's at the moment with a nanny at our home 2 days a week, and with me the rest of the time.I would like him to share the attention and learn the life in community. furthemore, he loves to be with other children now.I know that there is a french school in clapham but We don't want a bilingual shcool or french school because we want him to integrate perfectly in the country and offer him a british education/culture during our 5 years of expat life.We speak french at home so he doesn't need to learn more french!


I'm not british so its quite difficult for me to have a real opinion about school as it is so different from our french system and style of schools.

All pre-school I visited seem very old outside and/or inside (toys, rooms,no special quiet room for the nap and for the lunch time etc)...and so expensive for what they offer to the child...


I visited Ducks, montessory nursery and BUDS: Duks, no place before 2 years and a bit expensive for what they offer. Montessory, Didn't like the environnement without garden for the children, just a little playground without grass...

I have appointments to visit Dulwich village pre school, Alleyn's school (but start at 4 only) and little jungle nursery.Somebody told good things about St Thomas school but difficult to enter in and even if we are catholic, we don't go every sunday at the church!that it seem a condition to enter.


Anyway, I had a quite good feeling with BUDS school even if its not the school of my dream, and seem old inside.But I like the fact that they have a garden and peaceful environement outside with the view on the cricket club.The manager and nurses seem nice and kind with children.


As anybody have a child in these shcool? your opinion please...


Thanks in advance for your advice :)

Val?rie

I suggest you visit Amott Road Preschool. It's in the mornings, term time only, but my daughter loves it there! As you, we are a bilingual family, and I too was a bit confused with the school system here in the UK. The preschool is on Amott Road, next to the baptist church.
My son goes to Buds. The staff are really great with the kids. My son names them all at home as his "friends". It took him a long time to settle as he was very clingy to me and now he really enjoys it. He started 2 months after his second birthday two mornings a week. I agree the toys are old and could they maybe use to be updated. However my son hasnt even noticed. He likes the outside space and it is a tranquil atmosphere. I would recommend it. I will be adding another day when he is three.

hi my daughter goes to dulwich village pre-school and loves it! we turned down 2 school nursery places and kept her at dv pre-school as she is so happy and content there.


the teachers are great, loads of feedback for parents, lovely garden to play in and setting(in amongst trees and fields) and generally good feeling about the place.


cant recommend it high enough.

My elder son was at Buds from age 2 until he went to Reception in January and my younger son is there now and has been for 18 months. It's not the shiniest, newest pre school, but the setting is delightful and peaceful and the staff are kind and loving with the children who have lots of fun and make heaps of friends. That's all I think a 2/3 year old needs :)

I would second Dulwich village pre school. I had to move my daughter from buds after experiencing quite a few problems. apparently they have now improved a great deal though and i have other friends with children very happy there.

I can only go from my experience though that my child was much happier when moved.

Any questions feel free to PM me.

On the other hand, I had to move my son from DV pre school (some years ago now) to half moon montessori. When I went back to re-visit it 4 years ago, thinking to give it a second chance, nothing had changed at all. Still the same old issues. My 15yr old daughter and her friend are still traumatised at the memory of what they went through at that nursery. Personally I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole, but clearly there are plenty of parents who love it there.


It's all down to what suits your child & you of course. Check out as many nurseries as possible and go with your gut feeling.

Oh...I would be very interested to have more information about your bad experience with Dulwich pre-school Please.

If you have time to PM me excatly what is wrong with that school, that would be very nice to you :)

I had to report my tomorow visit in this school because of a job appointment... and they could receive me not before end of June...very busy it's seem.


And to continue with the difficulties to find good solution for taking care of my son...my nanny just let us know that she will stop with us because she has found a full time 5 days a week....


Thanks

  • 1 month later...

Hello!


I'd also be really interested in views from people whose children have been to Buds, Dulwich Village Preschool or Half Moon Montessori.... Moving to the area in August (I hope!) and will have a full time nanny for my 3.5 year old and my nearly 2 year old but want to send my 3.5 year old to preschool. We don't need full time childcare so have ruled out Nelly's on the basis that it's too expensive really, considering we are paying for a full time nanny. (Oddly - they do have space in September for our 3.5 year old.) Have been offered afternoon places at Half Moon Montessori and considering Buds, Dulwich Village Preschool and possibly Little Fingers too. (We'll be living in the village if all goes according to plan...)


Sillywoman - would you mind PM-ing me about your experiences? Sorry to repeat the request!! Thank you!


Thank you!

half moon montessori is great. The staff clearly love working with children, my son thrived there, don't let the miniscule playground put you off, did put me off first time round,a nd the long holidays, but so nice to have local friends in the area who all use sunray park..... never a dull moment.

DVnewbie Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Don't have a Dulwich address yet, so no! But

> missed the 1 June application deadline

> apparently...


I hear a rumour some school's nurseeries will not be full in Sept

Worth contacting your closest school to ask them

  • 4 weeks later...
I'd like to know if anyone had the same issue with the waiting list at Dulwich Village pre-school as I did - I applied in Jan/Feb 2010 for a place for my child to start in Sept 2011 (for the pre-Reception year). I was recently told there was no place for my child. Other people who applied many months after me were offered places (for children in the same academic year). I was told it was due to when my child's birthday fell - the explanation did not make any sense and why should he be discriminated against because of when his birthday is?? It was one of my top choices when I did the lookround and I was the one who recommended the place to all my friends - who were all offered places!! I went elsewhere, but am interested to know if anyone else is disgruntled at this...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Date: 24th of July 2025, 7pm Location: East Dulwich Picturehouse | 116A Lordship Lane | London SE22 8HD    Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) will be holding a ward panel meeting at East Dulwich Picturehouse on Thursday 24th July 2025 from 7pm. Please come along to talk about the priorities for the community and how local police can help.  
    • Eh? That wasn't "my quote"! If you look at your post above,it is clearly a quote by Rockets! None of us have any  idea what a Corbyn led government during Covid would have been like. But do you seriously think it would have been worse than Johnson's self-serving performance? What you say about the swing of seats away from Labour in 2019 is true. But you have missed my point completely. The fact that Labour under Corbyn got more than ten million votes does not mean that Corbyn was "unelectable", does it? The present electoral system is bonkers, which is why a change is apparently on the cards. Anyway, it is pointless discussing this, because we are going round in circles. As for McCluskey, whatever the truth of that report, I can't see what it has to do with Corbyn?
    • Exactly what I said, that Corbyn's group of univeristy politics far-left back benchers would have been a disaster during Covid if they had won the election. Here you go:  BBC News - Ex-union boss McCluskey took private jet flights arranged by building firm, report finds https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3kgg55410o The 2019 result was considered one of the worst in living memory for Labour, not only for big swing of seats away from them but because they lost a large number of the Red-wall seats- generational Labour seats. Why? Because as Alan Johnson put it so succinctly: "Corbyn couldn't lead the working class out of a paper bag"! https://youtu.be/JikhuJjM1VM?si=oHhP6rTq4hqvYyBC
    • Agreed and in the meantime its "joe public" who has to pay through higher prices. We're talking all over the shop from food to insurance and everything in between.  And to add insult to injury they "hurt " their own voters/supporters through the actions they have taken. Sadly it gets to a stage where you start thinking about leaving London and even exiting the UK for good, but where to go????? Sad times now and ahead for at least the next 4yrs, hence why Govt and Local Authorities need to cut spending on all but essential services.  An immediate saving, all managerial and executive salaries cannot exceed and frozen at £50K Do away with the Mayor of London, the GLA and all the hanging on organisations, plus do away with borough mayors and the teams that serve them. All added beauracracy that can be dispensed with and will save £££££'s  
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...