MULTILINGUAL FAMILY
IN LONDON

We moved our daughter from a franchised private day nursery to a state school nursery after she had spent around two years at the private one.

There were quite a few differences we noticed almost immediately after the move, and I thought it might be helpful to share some of them.

Of course, every nursery is different, and these observations are based entirely on our own experience.

Shorter hours & holidays

One of the biggest practical differences for us was the opening hours and holiday schedule.

Our first nursery ran from 8am to 6pm almost year-round, except for bank holidays and a short closure during Christmas. In contrast, our current school nursery follows much more typical school hours. Full-time sessions run roughly between 8.45am and 2.45pm, with optional paid after-care or clubs extending the day slightly longer.

The difference in holidays also felt quite significant. Private nurseries are often designed around working parents and usually remain open throughout the year, whereas school nurseries naturally follow the school calendar, with half-terms and long school holidays.

I think this is one of the biggest adjustments for parents moving from private childcare into the school system, especially for families where both parents work full-time.

Flexibility

A major difference for us was flexibility around routines and scheduling.

Many private nurseries offer relatively flexible childcare arrangements (although of course this varies depending on the setting). Our previous nursery offered morning, afternoon, or full-day sessions, and within those arrangements, drop-off and pick-up times were fairly flexible too.

The flexibility around days was also very helpful for us over time. We initially started with three morning sessions, then gradually increased to three full days, and eventually full-time attendance as our daughter grew older and more comfortable with nursery life.

Our previous nursery was also fairly flexible about booking extra sessions or extending hours when needed. In contrast, our current school nursery feels much more structured and fixed in its routines. Although after-school care can still be booked separately, the overall system feels closer to a school timetable than flexible childcare.

Unless there is a medical appointment or another important reason, children are generally expected to arrive on time and follow the set daily routine.

Attendance & presence

Another difference we noticed was the emphasis on attendance and presence.

Even though nursery itself is not yet part of compulsory education, school nurseries still seem to place a strong emphasis on regular attendance, partly because attendance rates are closely monitored within the wider school system.

We occasionally received reminders from the school encouraging parents to maintain regular attendance, often framed around consistency and children’s development.

Compared to private nursery settings, the overall atmosphere felt slightly more formal and education-oriented in that sense.

Price

People often say that state school nurseries are much cheaper than private nurseries, and we expected the same. In reality, though, our experience felt a little more complicated than that.

It is true that the total amount we now pay monthly or yearly feels significantly lower. However, I gradually realised that this is mainly because school nurseries operate for much shorter hours and fewer weeks throughout the year, rather than because the hourly cost itself is dramatically cheaper.

Once we also factored in school holidays, holiday camps, outings, and additional activities during the breaks, the overall difference in spending did not feel quite as large as we had initially expected.

Of course, this probably depends a lot on each family’s working situation, childcare needs, and how they choose to spend school holidays. But personally, I realised that moving into the school system did not automatically make childcare feel inexpensive.

Teacher-pupil ratio

Private nurseries and school nurseries in England operate under slightly different staffing regulations under the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework.

One significant difference is that school nurseries attached to primary schools can legally operate with larger staff-to-child ratios for children aged three and above when a qualified teacher is present in the classroom. In practice, this can sometimes mean there appear to be fewer adults in the room compared to private nurseries.

To give you an idea, at one stage, my daughter’s room at her previous private nursery had around 24 children with three key workers, whereas a similar-sized class at our current school nursery is usually run by one teacher and one teaching assistant.

Personally, I felt the private nursery environment was slightly more hands-on, especially when children were younger. At the same time, the school nursery setting also seemed more structured and more focused on preparing children for Reception and primary school routines.

This naturally influenced the level of attachment children formed with staff members. At our daughter’s previous nursery, she became very attached to her key workers, partly because each staff member was responsible for a smaller group of children. In a larger school nursery environment, the relationships can feel a little less individually focused, although I imagine this also depends greatly on the child and the setting itself.

Emphasis on independence

At the school nursery, children seemed to be encouraged to manage more things independently from an early stage—whether that meant organising their belongings, eating independently, getting dressed, using the toilet more confidently, or following routines with less adult support during transitions and activities.

In contrast, our experience at the private nursery felt slightly more care-oriented and flexible, especially during the younger toddler years.

Overall, the two settings seemed designed around somewhat different priorities and environments, and I think which approach feels more suitable probably depends a lot on each child’s personality, age, and the family’s own needs and preferences.

Scope of community

One thing that feels quite different about a school nursery is that you immediately become part of a much larger school community.

At private nurseries, the environment often feels more self-contained, with children mainly ranging from babies to preschool age. Children at school nurseries, however, are already surrounded by older pupils, school assemblies, school dinners, playground routines, and the general rhythm of primary school life.

Naturally, there are also more opportunities for families to become involved in the wider school community through events such as summer fairs, art exhibitions, Christmas performances, sports days, fundraising events, and so on.

In many ways, it also makes the transition into Reception feel smoother, as children are already familiar with the school environment, routines, and expectations.

Uniforms

One of the first noticeable daily differences for us was uniforms.

I understand that some private nurseries also require uniforms, but from what I have seen, uniforms seem much more common in school nurseries attached to primary schools.

At our daughter’s current nursery, even the nursery children wear the same school uniform as the older pupils. In a way, it immediately made the environment feel more “school-like” compared to her previous private nursery, where children wore comfortable everyday clothes.

She absolutely loved the idea of wearing a uniform like the “big girls”. At the same time, she sometimes complains that she cannot wear her princess dresses to school, although there seem to be surprisingly frequent non-uniform or dress-up days throughout the year.

Takeaway

When we first explored nursery options, we visited both private nurseries and school nurseries. At the time, the private nursery environment felt more personal and intimate to us, especially because our daughter was only one year old when she started. We also wanted the flexibility around hours and routines that private nurseries offer, so that option felt like the better fit for our family then.

After around two years, however, we started feeling that a change in environment might benefit her development. We were also beginning to think more seriously about primary school options, so experiencing a school nursery setting felt like a good opportunity—not only for her, but also for us as parents to better understand the atmosphere and culture of the school itself.

Looking back, I honestly think it was the right decision for our family. Since joining the school nursery, we have definitely noticed her becoming more independent and confident in many ways.

At the same time, I sometimes wonder how much of that is due to the nursery environment itself, and how much is simply part of the natural developmental leap that happens around this age. Perhaps it is a combination of both.

Either way, we feel happy with the timing of the move, and overall, we are glad to have experienced both types of settings. Neither felt universally “better” to us—they seemed suited to slightly different stages, needs, and priorities.

Nursery choices often feel much more emotionally significant when you are a first-time parent. Every decision can feel enormous, but over time, we came to feel that children are often more adaptable than we initially fear!