My view - backed by the present Mrs Hughes who has thirty years of primary education experience, is that most children benefit from nursery education before school.
Nursery teaches little ones to socialise, and share, and enjoy independence, and makes the transition into school far less of a trauma than those who have never been out of the house before.
Remember, it's not a contract for life - if your sone doesn;t settle, you can try another nursery, or move him out of the systme until he is primary age. From what you say though, he will probably thrive on the challenges anc changes.
You wouldn;t be human if you didn;t worry about the effects on your child, but we are talking nursery here, not going down a mine, so don;t be put off my the negative press on this issue.
Give it a try, and rest assured that you will fret far more on his first day than he will! Keep us posted, but I do believe it is a good move for your child.