Should I refuse reception settling in days if I can?

I know she would have been very upset if she'd been the only child forced to be there FT from day dot. So personally I feel as parents we do just need to suck this one up really.

Why do you think parents need to suck it up, rather than the school allowing all pupils to start full time, and offering flexible starts to those who need them?

I sympathise as DC1's first week was drawn out and it was annoying for us having take a lot of AL to cover it. But she did enjoy it and settled quite well and I know she would have been very upset if she'd been the only child forced to be there FT from day dot. So personally I feel as parents we do just need to suck this one up really.

Giving parents the choice would be the best option. Personally I don't see how it settles the child for them to have a disrupted timetable for the first few weeks. I think we start schooling too young in England but if they are starting school at 4-5 then a few weeks of half days isn't going to make a difference. Just get on with it and let them get used to the new normal.

All of the posters saying the OP should have been prepared - how? I'd never heard of staggered starts until I read about them on Mumsnet. They didn't happen when I started school 40 years ago and I had never heard of anyone doing them. I would have been surprised by it too if my child's school had done them. Thankfully they didn't. Plus you don't know what school you are getting until allocations are made in April, at which point the OP was already halfway through her annual leave year.

OP has said there are likely to be others, so you're right.

None of my daughters class went full time from the start. And majority of parents were working full time professional roles. For children who had attended the attached pre school, parebts could pay £5 an hour for their child to attend there when not at school to make up to a full day, others just made it work by juggling their hours,taking leave etc. A few tag teamed and mum A had children ABCD on Mondays, Mum B on Tuesdays etc so each one only had to take a quarter of the leave

Several parents were aware of their right to start full time from day 1. But in a small village school, no one wanted to be the parent who said to the school 'we know our rights and demand our child starts full time from day 1'. The school had made it very clear they placed a high value on gradual settling at their look rounds. It wouldn't have been a good start to a 7 year relationship with the people who are caring for your child, to say 'you have decades of experience in reception settling but we think we know better from looking at a government website'. It's like going into a drs and saying 'this website says you need to give me this medicine, so I clearly know more than you despite your many years of medical school'. And I personally don't agree that gradual settling was needed, but I wasn't about to alienate what is otherwise a fantastic school.

Just send them in full time from day 1. They may be the only ones, but that means they will meet more friends.

I’d be very surprised if he was the only one. Might depend on whether the school have been open about being able to attend full time from day one. At DT’s school, in both classes about half went full time from day one.

Oh gosh are they still doing this nonsense? My DS is 20 now. When he started reception they wanted him in mornings only for 6 weeks. I had to use my lunch taking him back to the nursery 6 miles away for the afternoon. He'd been doing 8.30-6 (4 days a week) since 6 months old

Was luckier than some though as he was a November baby. Those who had birthday from January onwards were half days until after Xmas. Ridiculous

My eldest 2 now 29 and ,32 year went in full time from the start. Made no difference to settling in either way

I think schools should make it clear its optional
"We strongly encourage a staggered settling period of X days for X Y and Z reason. However your child is able to start full time straight away if you feel this is the best option for them, please let us know by 1st June which option you would like for your child'

For the record, I wholeheartedly disagree with staggered starts for the vast majority of pupils. I cannot see the point of settling in a group of 15, finding their feet and then having to do it again when another 15 arrive. Yes children are often tired when they go full time; it's different to nursery. However they'll be tired whether that's week one, week two or week 27.
That being said, 99% of parents will make it work and your child would likely be the only one. You can insist, but I wouldn't recommend it for the reasons I've already explained.

Because the adult-child ratio is lower - the teachers need the children in smaller groups to start with to get to know them.

Except there are plenty of teachers who manage to get to know the children, in the the hundreds of schools who don't insist on part time, staggered starts and settling in days.

Pretending a teacher won't be able to get to know their pupils if they don't start in tiny groups is just nonsense.

It's not about the long day - it's about a new setting with a much lower adult-child ratio than nursery has. It's about a formal day with organised time - different to free flow at nursery.

Because the adult-child ratio is lower - the teachers need the children in smaller groups to start with to get to know them.

I agree its a total pain however.

It doesn't sound like you have much choice and also sounds like son will easily manage full days. Absolutely request full time immediately and don't feel bad about it.

This entirely depends on how long the transitioned start goes on for. Ideally, you're right. In reality, phonics gets going as many of the SSP schemes begin in week 2. There will also be "sitting on the carpet training" whether that's a circle time to learn everyone else's name, singing number songs, discussing rules, or Phase 1 phonics activities. Teachers won't plan that twice for two groups in a day, therefore the full timer hears it twice. Not the end of the world but not overly exciting!

Settling in days weren't even a thing when my DS went to school. Everyone went full time from day 1. Most of them had already been at the nursery attached to the school. As far as I'm aware the children coped. I wouldn't mind betting that the staffing is in place for the whole class compliment from day 1 so no reason why they can't accommodate your child FT.

In the last five years we have had four children go full time from day one (year groups of 90 children).

I have to ask, did you actually tell parents full time from the start was an option? If parents were aware they could send their children full time from the start I suspect a lot more than just 4 children would have done so.

Teaching input in reception half days? They aren’t sitting for lessons. There will be activities with observations and assessment in small groups or 1:1. They will play longer with the same resources maybe, but with other children to meet.

In the last five years we have had four children go full time from day one (year groups of 90 children). It's your right and the school cannot say no, even if it's not in the best interests of your child and not easy for them to manage.
If there's a morning group and an afternoon group, your child will sit through the same teaching inputs twice a day. They can't skip over things just because your child has already heard it. Also, lunchtimes could be problematic. Is your child confident enough to eat alone or with the year ones because none of their cohort will be there.
If you are determined, you can insist, it is your right. I'd think carefully about the practicalities though.

Speak to the school. Those trying to imply part time is best - depends on the child.

As your child is already full time - they will be used to the long day.

Luckily my sons school didn't so the part time as the head herself said it causes more confusion as the children don't know it they are coming or going.

My son who is ASD went full time from day 1. And after school club. For us consistent routine was important

I hate staggarred starts and its so variable what each school offers as well that there cant be much evidence for them.

But I think you need to talk to your school about what will happen to your child if you ask for full days from day 1.

They might be put on a year 1 class as their teacher is doing something else in the afernoon, they might sit with the head and do colouring or they might just be with the other half of their class and not trally notice. You then need to think if your child will be happy with what the school does.

You're not alone. This thread shows that so many parents / carers are wrongly convinced their child has to do them, even if they would prefer them to start full time. One of the reasons that this archaic process has continued for so long is because people just accept what the school says, and don't realise their child has a legal right to attend full time from day 1.

It wasn’t remotely difficult. We had had two classes of 15, one week of half days then a switch to the other half of the day for a second week.
We did also have a visit day of very small groups, but we actually only ever had our own nursery children want to attend that first day ft. They went to the nursery class for the rest of the day.
Very few parents actually took up ft spaces. It either meant the classes of 15 were enlarger to nearer 20 (a difference no 4 yr old notices) or if appropriate we used the nursery space or combined with yr 1 who were also spending afternoons transitioning from play based learning with play based afternoons. It wasn’t the huge headache posters are making it out to be. Once we had feedback our community was changing we adapted to needs, which is the whole point of being a school- meeting the needs of children and families. It’s not to serve our timetables. Parents were consistently mindful of their child’s needs. At the other end of the spectrum we had parents requesting PT reception until CSA, which was their right. I never in 5 years of working there thought ft had been the wrong decision for an individual child.

@Candleabra

Schools do this but parents have to
agree to it. For dc used to full time nursery, it's disruptive and probably unnecessary. For half term it's dreadful.

My kids did 6 weeks (!) of part time days (every combination of morning/afternoon/lunchtime you could think of) at the start of reception. It was a bloody nightmare. I didn’t know it was an option to refuse.

Op: just say you went full time from day 1. DD is entitled to it. She won't get too tired and she's used to it. So just ask. As the DH says, they must offer full time.