Any experience of Goose Green Nursery?

[urchin]

Hi all,

We've just (I think!) been offered a place for our 3.5 year old son to go to Goose Green Nursery School from September. We actually live on the Nunhead side of Peckham Rye Park, but were unable to get into our nearest local school nursery due to all the places being allocated to siblings.

In a ridiculously naive way, I had been imagining and wanting him to go to his local pre-school attached to the primary school he would then go to, in terms of developing friendships and familiarity with the school. However, it seems definite that unless Ivydale has another bulge class for 2013, we won't get in there, and it has been suggested we look at Goose Green - hence applying for the nursery there. I would have thought we would have been well out of catchment for primary though, but reading all the glowing reports on the forum about it, if we did get in, it seems a great option.

Our son is currently at a private nursery 2 days a week and I guess I'm worried about shifting him about too much, particularly if he hasn't really got much chance of getting into the school itself, and so was wanting to hear feedback about peoples experience of the nursery itself, to see if it was largely positive and worth the potential disruption for. Many thanks in advance.

[mrs.lotte]

My daughter went to GG nursery and loved it as did I. It is a great mix of learning and fun in a well resourced setting with a fab outdoor space. She was very well prepared for big school socially and academically in a way that my elder child who had been in a private nursery had not been. The new head of nursery is an existing member of the teaching staff and will be utterly brilliant. She will be supported by experienced staff who have been at the nursery for years.

I completely understand the desire to see your child progress from nursery to reception in the same school and frustrating that it is impossible to know in advance if that is achievable. All I can say is that there are quite a few happy parents in reception who cross the Rye from Nunhead in reception and upper years so you would been in catchment this year but as the popularity of the school increases that may shrink, albeit offset by increasing popularity of other Good schools. Looks like you may be more likely to get into GG than Ivydale if there is a big sibling intake in the latter.

Only you can know if it is worth the risk that you may not get into the school, go with your instinct.

[bjm]

My daughter also went to GG nursery. We loved it. It has a lovely atmosphere and the staff were great. She thrived there and still sees her friends she made there. We moved onto a different prmary school but we all still miss Goose Green. You are very lucky to have a place there in my opinion!

[emsiemcb]

My son is currently at Goose Green nursery but will be moving to St John's and St Clement's in September as his older brother is there (and it's closer to us!). I moved my son from a private nursery to Goose Green knowing he would then be moving to St John's for reception but I figured it was worth it as I was so impressed with the nursery and had heard so many good things about it. It has certainly lived up to it's reputation - it's a really lovely nursery - great activities, good staff and a lovely outdoor space. My son will certainly miss it when he moves to St John's in September. I would say go for it!

[minder]

I would say go for the place at GG. They have just got a Good from Ofsted with Outstanding in leadership etc.

It seems that some parents use GG nursery and then move on to different reception class schools in the area. Judging by their comments their children were happy at GG.