nursery/pre school/school help!

[chichestermum]

i havnt got a clue about schooling for my DD, shes 3 in July, i dont want toput her into nursery if it isnt necessary as im a sahm and dont see the point in sending her away to play whe she can play here and has alot of interaction from children on the estate, playgroups, friends popping over etc, but i dont know at what age they have to go to nursery, or if they have to etc. I would ask my DD health visitor but we havnt been assigned a new 1 since our 1 left when she was 1yr old.
iv asked family and friends and they all say she should be in nursery already, which just seems too young to me! All of her friends go to nursery which makes me think she should be there, im just so confused!
we went to the local nursery open day and they gave us a leaflet and the nurser hours are from 9-1 which is poo as DD hates mornings and takes forever to have breakfast and finish her milk (the only time she will drink milk so im not rushing her to get her out) and the afternoon session is from 1.30-5.30 which is also rubbbish as DD still needs her afternoon nap to get her through the day and her nap starts at 1!
all the stuff they were doing there was what we do at home, but we do more at home! nursery there was messy play, outside play, garden, story time, a pc and a table with magnets and magnifying glasses and the play was not structured. But at home we have all this aswell as designated times to learn basic maths, english and science. We also do cooking and she already knows the basics of what you need for a handfull of meals and she has taught daddy how to make fairy cakes! with a bit of help from me reminding her of the weights and temps etc. We also do gardening to see how things grow and have raised bugs to see their lifecycle, which she now loves to go out and try to spot to tell me what it is.
she is a wonderfully behaved child and has a lot of knowledge in her lil brain so im worried she will find nursery boring and act up and be naughty
She is still in nappies as this is the 1 thing that i can not get her out of! and im not keen on other people changing her nappy.

sorry for such a long post but im just so confused about it all! any help whatsoever is appreciated, thanks in advance! xxx

o i also didnt know were to post this! in baby and toddler or kids and teens, seems a big jump from 1 to the next! lol! xxx

 

[freckleonear]

After their 3rd birthday children get 15 hours of government-funded childcare per week, which the vast majority of people seem to take up. However, don't feel that you have to send her to nursery or preschool if you don't want to. We decided not to send our 3 year old, partly because we will be home educating but we probably wouldn't have sent him to preschool anyway. Similar to you, we do loads of things at home and I simply feel that nobody can provide for him better than I can, especially while he is still so young. Don't let other people pressurise you into something you're not comfortable with.

 

[Jo]

As far as I know a child does not have to start formal education until they reach the age of 5, be that homeschooling or in a school. x

 

[chichestermum]

thanks ladies, cleared so much up for me and have made me feel a billion times better! im by no means ready to stick DD into nursery when i know i can do a better job! Il be standing my ground when it comes to putting her in to school and put her in when both me and her are ready.
Thanks again! xxx