London Preschools?

Hello again   I'm at the point now where I'm pondering preschools.  Do y'all know of any that would be worthwhile to try and get on a waitlist for?  Thankfully, the company is paying for it, so we don't really have to worry about a schooling budget.  Unfortunately, we don't have a living location yet, so I can't narrow my search down to much other than "central-ishy" London.  If you know of places to avoid that's helpful too!

To add a complication, do preschools in the UK normally allow twins to be in the same classroom?  I'm prepared for the possibility that I might not get them into school until next fall, but I'm a little nervous about having to argue to get them in the same room.   

Ah, the joy of waitlists.

Are you already living in London, just haven't found a permanent place to live? If so, take your internet research on the best preschools and start shopping around in person. The great thing about school hunting is that a gut reaction is usually the best indicator of how well you'll like the school, and this is especially true with preschools. Then pick a handful that you like and, yes, get on those waitlists! In my experience (not in London, but in Portland - much smaller town), prime preschools fill up fast. I was once on a waitlist for two years! And by that time, the spot that opened up was completely useless.

So get on those waitlists ASAP! There's usually no penalty for not accepting a place, but it can really bite you in the bum if you don't get in line early enough.

Nope, we're not there yet.  We're going to take our preview trip in about 3 weeks (with the move happening in January) so I was hoping to at least tour a few places.  I'm also not looking for a school where my kids will learn to play the cello at 3... just a nice place, with nice teachers.  If there are 2 year waitlists for ordinary preschools I may well be hosed. 

No, not the ordinary preschools, but the really nice ones, probably. It's hard to tell, because this was back in Portland, which, being a smaller town, had fewer preschools in general and only one or two really nice ones. London probably has tons. I just wanted to emphasize that there usually isn't a downside to getting on as many waitlists as you can - you can only benefit. 

As a comparison, now that I'm living in Brighton I haven't had a single problem getting my daughter into a good primary school. Whereas again, in Portland, the better schools are all filled up a year before they would even start... sigh.

Good luck! I love school hunting.  Oh, and I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem getting your twins into the same class, especially if you put them both on the waitlist at the same time. You can make it clear that they're a double deal... actually, now I'm rereading your initial question, and it sounds like you're wondering if there's a policy that keeps them from putting twins in the same class... hmm. I don't know about that, but it seems unlikely.

Don't pick one in the Soho area. My friend's daugher went to one there and came home saying the F word and she wasn't even 2!

Seriously, have you looked at the Ofsted website? There are comprehensive reports on all pre schools. Thhat might help you in lieu of any firm recommendations.

This finder off direct.gov.uk will give you listings

http://childcarefinder.direct.gov.uk/childcare-search-results/?searchstring=london&distanceValue=10&distanceMeasure=km

Also check out http://netmums.co.uk

and the OFSTED inspections can be found at
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/list

Depending on their age you may be looking for something called a preschool, a preschool playgroup, a playgroup (generally all of these are from 2 1/2) or a Nursery (must have been 3 by 1st September and may or may not be attached to a primary school).  Some Preschool/playgroups also take Nursery age children (as every setting follows the same curriculum up to age 5).