Playgroup, Nursery, Junior or Senior KG — which one?

This is the question we are asked more than any other, usually by a parent holding a phone with
four other schools open in other tabs. The answer is simpler than the tabs suggest.

The short version

• 1.5 to 2.5 years — Playgroup. Half-days. The year is about being
  somewhere without a parent and finding that it is fine.
• 2.5 to 3.5 years — Nursery. Language takes off. Routines settle.
  Friendships start.
• 3.5 to 4.5 years — Junior KG. Letters and numbers arrive, through
  hands rather than worksheets.
• 4.5 to 5.5 years — Senior KG. The bridge year: reading, writing, and
  the confidence to walk into Grade 1.

Age is taken as on 1st June of the academic year.

What if my child is on the cusp?

A child a month or two either side of a boundary can usually go either way, and the right
answer depends on the child rather than the calendar. We would look at three things:

• Separation. Has your child spent time away from you before, with anyone?
• Communication. Can they make a need understood — in any language, or
  by pointing? They do not need sentences.
• Stamina. Can they last the length of the day without the wheels coming off?

If two of those are shaky, the younger group is almost always the better year. A child who is
comfortable learns; a child who is stretched spends the year coping.

The mistake worth avoiding

Pushing a child up a year to “save time” is the most common regret we see. The
year is not saved — it is spent being the youngest, smallest and least ready in the room,
and that costs more in confidence than it gains in time.

There is no prize for finishing pre-school early. There is a real cost to spending
it out of your depth.

Still not sure?

Tell us your child’s date of birth and a little about them and we will tell you honestly
which group we would put them in — including if the answer is “wait until next
June”. Full details of each programme are on the
programmes page.