Advice Articles / What is the difference between nursery and pre-school?

What is the difference between nursery and pre-school?

Sarah Munson
3 minute read
nursery preschool difference

Table of contents

  1. Definitions of a nursery and a pre-school
  2. The key differences between nursery and pre-school
Table of contents
  1. Definitions of a nursery and a pre-school
  2. The key differences between nursery and pre-school

Looking for childcare can be a minefield and one of the most common questions parents beginning this journey have is – what is the difference between a nursery and a pre-school?

While both offer an excellent start to your child’s education and development, here are the key differences.

Definitions of a nursery and a pre-school

What is a nursery?

A nursery is a facility that offers childcare for children who are too young to go to school. They are open on weekdays but some open for longer (even 24/7) hours to support commuting parents and those that do shift work.

Nurseries have to register with their education regulator such as Ofsted, for example if they are in England or the Care Inspectorate if they are in Scotland and they must follow their country’s national curriculum, supporting children to reach important developmental milestones.

They may also use one of the various early years education methods, such as Montessori, Forest School or Reggio Emilia, though pre-schools can do this too.

What is a pre-school?

A pre-school provides a more structured early years learning programme than a nursery alone, aiming to fully prepare children to transition to school with some key academic skills, such as learning to read with phonics, writing and early mathematics, already begun. 

Pre-schools also have to register with their education regulator and follow their country’s curriculum.

Pre-schools can be stand alone, attached to an infant or primary school, or part of a nursery.

Some pre-schools are run by charities and committees which are parent-led and are held in community buildings such as a village hall. These pre-schools sometimes ask parents to help out with things like fundraising, volunteering and more.

Neither are quite the same thing as a nursery school. You can find out more about the difference between a nursery and a nursery school here.

The key differences between nursery and pre-school

Age group

Nurseries care for children at a much younger age, from a few weeks old or even from birth, until they are ready to start school.

Pre-schools care for children aged two to five years.

Opening hours

Nursery hours support working parents so tend to be between around 7-8am and 6-7pm.

Pre-school sessions are more structured and tend to follow the same hours as a school day, so run in sessions that are around two and a half to three hours long. They take place in either the morning or afternoon. 

If the pre-school is part of a nursery, children can still stay all day, they’ll just have their pre-school session as part of the day.

Pre-schools tend to follow the same terms as school and will be closed during half-terms and Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.

Early years learning structure

Pre-school education is more focused on preparing the children for their transition into school, while nursery curriculums include lots of other physical, social and emotional learning as part of their structure.

Staff at pre-schools will encourage children to learn to recognise their name when it is written down in preparation for school and start teaching them phonics and practical skills like how to zip up or button up their coats.

Both pre-schools and nurseries follow their country’s national curriculum.

These are:

In a combined nursery and pre-school, older children might have pre-school sessions in the morning or afternoon, when they focus on building foundations for their reading, writing and arithmetic skills.

Childcare funding

Funding eligibility for England, Wales or Scotland is the same whether your child goes to nursery or pre-school. The only country in the UK where this is different is Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland, government funded childcare hours are exclusively for pre-school education. All 3- and 4-year-olds in Northern Ireland are entitled to 12.5 hours per week of pre-school education for free, though it is not compulsory for 3-year-olds.

Some 2-year-olds can access this too, through the Sure Start programme.

FAQs

Is funding for pre-schools the same as nurseries?

You can use any free childcare hours you are entitled to for nursery or pre-school if you live in England, Wales or Scotland. In Northern Ireland however, you can only use the 12.5 government-funded hours per week for pre-school education.

Learn more
What are the differences between nursery and pre-school?

Pre-schools focus on preparation for school, while nurseries offer childcare. Pre-schools are for 3- and 4-year-old children, while nurseries can look after children from birth to a few weeks old onwards, and nurseries tend to open longer hours than pre-schools.

Learn more
Are pre-schools different from nursery schools?

Both pre-schools and nursery schools offer a greater focus on academic learning that a nursery, but they are not quite the same thing. Nursery schools are attached to primary schools and tend to run the same hours, while pre-schools can be independent and usually have morning or afternoon sessions.

Learn more