Should I refuse reception settling in days if I can?

@Parker231 it was a long time ago and things will have changed considerably in the intervening years. After a short spell in primary, I taught secondary and SEND.

I don’t know what schools advise currently. My next door neighbours grandchild had a staggered start a couple of years ago, so I imagine it must vary in different authorities.

However, if parents can legally send their children to school full time from the start of term and they wish to do so, I assume they should advise the school of their intention.

As a teacher does your school advise parents that their DC’s can start full time from the start?

Once upon a time, when children started school in the term of their birthday, the September to end of December children started in the autumn term, the January to March ones in January and the summer birthdays after Easter.

As a teacher, it was great having a small class (full time) for a term, then increasing for the next two, but difficult to plan a curriculum in many ways. The summer birthday children missed out by having only one term in Reception.

I didn’t have any TA support, no one did.

Its a good thing that all children of that academic year can start in September, unless their parents want to defer until statutory age, but I can see how disruptive those first few weeks must be for parents trying to juggle a number of commitments.

Indeed. The only way situations like this turn into a battle is because some schools think parents should blindly accept what they are told and when the parents rightly point out that their child is entitled to something else the school gets grumpy about it.

A school that puts the children first is not doing 3 weeks of random half days. Honestly the fact any schools still think this is reasonable is madness.

It’s not a battle. It’s worrying so many parents don’t seem aware of their rights to send their DC’s full time straight away and many schools are publishing staggered starts as fact regardless of whether it’s in the best interests of the children.

Many parents both work full time and don’t have spare annual leave to waste.

It's not a battle.

Unfortunately this thread has shown that a lot of schools don't tell parents that there are other options. I think it's important to point out that just because a school wants a child to do 3 weeks of half days, it doesn't mean the parent / carer has to agree.

Hopefully as more parents realise that they can say no it will become less common. I can see the point in 2 days but 3 weeks is a piss take.

I have no skin in this game, but I find it upsetting that it seems as though starting school is becoming a battle between schools and parents.

I have a similar dilemma. Our school has a 3 week settling in period of shorter days (a complete mix of timings - some mornings, some afternoons, some lunchtimes)

That's ridiculous. I would get in touch with the school and explain your child will be attending full time from the start, as is their legal right. I doubt you'll be the only one.

As@ZipZapZoom has said, 3 weeks of disruption and confusion isn't a benefit to the child, and I would love to see the school try and justify such a long and drawn out start to school.

3 weeks! Fuck that honestly I'd be emailing the school asap regarding my child starting full time from day one of term. How can anyone think that level of disruption and lack of routine is done with the child's interests at the centre?

All three of my kids started reception full time with no staggering - whole year group chucked in at once - and they all started at different primary schools!

I remember feeling quite bad for my PFB at the time, as he'd only been going to preschool three mornings a week beforehand and was exhausted the first week. He soon adjusted though!

I have a similar dilemma. Our school has a 3 week settling in period of shorter days (a complete mix of timings - some mornings, some afternoons, some lunchtimes)

I cannot take 3 weeks annual leave in September. I also have a 6 year old so have 13 weeks of school holidays to cover as well.
I can't really justify taking any annual leave outside of the school hols so just don't know how to cover the staggered start for my youngest. I took annual leave for the eldest but when you have older kids it's really hard to manage. Especially as it means doing 4 school drop offs / picks ups a day as they are all at different times.

I remember my primary in the 80s. Autumn born children started school in September, Spring born in January and the summer babies in May.
Even though learning was more relaxed and play based I still think it really disadvantaged some of my friends who went to Yr 1 expectations with a just a few months of school experience. The rest of us had been learning to read in a small class for two terms more. They also often just weren’t used to focusing on a group at all at carpet time. Many of them lagged in the lower groups through primary.
That was the extreme end !

DD and DS attend same school. When DD started we were told a gradual start was a requirement but several parents said it wasn’t possible for them, including me, and so about 1/2 the students were full time from day one.

when DS started they made the offer of choosing and again it was about 50/50. Its a 3 class entry so quite a large school.

If schools want to pretend that settling in days and a long transition period is for the benefit of the children, then a teacher who is also a parent should be allowed time off to support a staggered start.

Indeed it won't happen as you've noted there would be parents complaining left right and centre. However, it was noticeable how that poster made the point that of the 4 who had been full time from day 1 two of them had been the children of staff which did rather emphasis the overarching point that it wasn't actually in the best interests of the children.

This is such a good point. If schools want to pretend that settling in days and a long transition period is for the benefit of the children, then a teacher who is also a parent should be allowed time off to support a staggered start. But we all know that doesn't happen, because parents would rightly complain if their child was missing a teacher for several days / weeks.

I suspect that the majority of teachers who are also parents, would happily send their children full time from the start. As they know that consistency and routines are important, and that a mix of half days and children being collected by random friends / family members is going to be incredibly confusing for young children.

@Parker231 she's still only 3. She will be 4 and a few months when starting reception. She has some other difficulties too and she genuinely wouldn't cope with a full day.
If she is suddenly able to over the summer holidays then I wouldn't be averse to sending her. It's more likely that she'll go every morning, eat lunch there and then we'll pick her up. Gradually increase the afternoon

I think a lot of children get like this for the last term of nursery, mines already desperate to go to big school and mentions it a lot. He'd be genuinely set back way more in his settling in if he had to go back to nursery rather than attend F2 full time once he'd started at school.

I hope you and the others do all send your kids full time. As I've said more than once on this thread it's genuinely never been an issue in any class I've taught that they are all in straight away.

Can I ask why you’re only sending your DC part time - they will miss a lot of key learning and friendships

My daughter will turn 5 in the first week of reception. She will be absolutely champing at the bit for the stimulation of school and there's no way I'm dragging it out with a settling-in period.

My daughter's year went full time from day 1 in response to parental feedback. Teachers only knew them from a handful of transitional visits the term before. They all coped absolutely fine.

We don't really have settling in at the school my daughter will go to.
Normal school is 8:50-3:20.
Settling in period is from Weds when term and Thursday 9:10 - 3pm. Then full hours on Friday.
So literally cutting 20 mins from start and end of school for 2 days

As an aside - I'll be requesting part time for my child for the first term at least.