To think SOMEONE should be contactable in the school office over summer?

After school clubs-not many go to 6pm, it's usually 5.30 max if it's a school provision

Yep-ours is 5.30. To be honest, it’s a nightmare to staff the after school club as it is. It’s minimum wage and staffed solely by TAs, all of whom have their own kids. None really want to do the after school hours as they’d rather be at home with their kids from 3.30-5.30!

Not all schools do staggered starts for reception children. The majority around me have stopped doing this because of the logistics for parents and the lack of benefit of it for the children - children either settle quickly or take longer and research has shown that the staggered starts don't change this so schools are moving away from it because a lot of children are already used to full days in pre school anyway.

After school clubs - not many go to 6pm, it's usually 5.30 max if it's a school provision - a lot of schools allow outside companies to hire rooms in school for the evening (brownies, rainbows etc, so need rooms clear in time for that and to allow the cleaners access before they finish too.

DS's was 8-5.30. I always found it random that I could drop off at 8 which would give a 9-5er an hour to get to work but have to pick up by 5.30 only allowing that 9-5er half an hour to get home again. Hopefully there's more flexibility for 9-5ers post covid but it's certainly difficult if you do have a commute to a 9-5 job.

My DD was supposed to be doing half days split into two groups in her first week in reception. However at the end of her first morning she refused to go home as she was having so much fun so she stayed the rest of the day and was full 5 days a week from then on.

Our son is starting reception this summer.

We ordered his school uniform on www.sud.co.uk

It took about five working days to arrive.

Put in an order now and then just turn up with your child on the first day of school xx

Our school is doing 2 hours daily in the first week.

You can't organise breakfast or after school clubs until term starts anyway, in my experience at least. And clubs aren't on for the first week or two.

Just FYI you are entitled to unpaid parental leave for this sort of thing - I know you said you were self-employed but you also said you were on maternity leave so just leaving this here in case it's helpful - www.gov.uk/parental-leave

The number of people stating Reception have a staggered start is really irritating - not in every school they don't! Our children start full time from day one. However, we do have training days in the first week, as do many other schools. I would expect someone to be able to answer your questions during those days.

FYI - I'm the EYFS lead so would be sending out the welcome pack. However, emails from LA admissions go to our admin before they come to me - it's not as straightforward as you might think.

I used to work in primary admissions. I did always check the email at least weekly over the summer, but that was purely by choice - I wasn't paid to do it. Most office staff are on term time contracts, though sometimes they're on term time plus a week.

I agree with many PP - the staff are guaranteed to be in at least the day before the start of term, and quite likely two days, so phone them then, and if no answer, turn up in person. (Do try phoning first though - they won't want to come out of staff training to see you ideally, and may prefer to give you an appointment time to pop in.) They'll probably actively want to see you, as there'll be forms for you to complete, eg medical.

Also agree with looking for FB groups - these are really useful. Re uniform, I'd put in an order, but it might take a while to arrive - they may have a second hand stock in school to tide you over.

I totally understand the stress (which is why I always checked my emails), but equally try to relax - they'll be very used to this.

Admin/receptionists are counted as support staff and therfore are in the same pay brackets as Teaching assistants. They don't get paid beyond their weekly contracted term time hours.

Do you know for sure the school has wrap around care? Some schools don’t. If they do contact the care as likely also running school holiday clubs etc.

I remember when my children started reception we didn't have to accept the place but we did receive a welcome pack which included a staggered start.

If the school your child is going to attend do staggered starts it's unlikely that they will start on the term dates in their website.

Not sure if it has been mentioned before but our local schools have Facebook groups for parents, you could join the group and post on there. Someone maybe able to help in terms of if staggered starts are a thing at the school.

I understand about the uniform situation, can you buy plain colours without the school logo until you have confirmed with the school your childs place.

Hope you do manage to speak to someone at the school before the term starts.

I had to go in over the summer holidays, not the full time we had two weeks off but we had to be there.

So, you worked the days you were contracted to do. That’s what everyone else will be doing. Our office staff aren’t contracted to work in the summer holidays, so won’t be in. If teachers are in sorting their classrooms-that’s their choice.

Sorry but it always been the situation that Primary school offices closed over the Summer, usually someone would be there the week before school starts, not a political football at all.

I’m in this exact position. We exchanged yesterday with DC going into year 1. We had a very very iffy buyer so we didn’t want to move schools in case the sale fell through (which they did threaten to do!).

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Don't worry about uniform the school will have spare uniform you can borrow if you had to
Not all schools do settling in. Ours don't as 99% of the kids come through from the pre school and already do 9-3 and mix with reception from day 1. Id imagine you'll hear from someone next week. Our admin staff do work through summer, suppliers still need to be paid, maintenance still happens etc I just don't think emails are looked at as much as they do the odd hour here or there.

Worst case if you don't hear by the first day just take him along to the school reception and explain the situation. Not ideal but you'll know either way then.

Honestly it's not uncommon for things to change entirely during the two days in-service. One year our school ended up with one extra unexpected child joining last minute which meant three classes needed to be rearranged because they were one pupil over the limit. My child was just starting school and had met their teacher, knew who was in their class etc then suddenly that class was split into two, one of which was composite, and they were with a different teacher. It was all fine after initial confusion. There's always some parents looking lost on the first day back!

However I think the bigger issues will be childcare. I would love to work full time but as a single mum it just wasn't achievable. Primary age with all the constant holidays, inservice days, strike days etc is far harder to juggle than nursery. I don't think most kids would cope with 8am-6pm wraparound every day. They are much tireder after a day of school than nursery.

If you had to be there, then you had a different contract - a 47 week type one. Current school admin staff usually have a 39 week contract, and TAs usually have the same.

DH works in education with a full time contract with 25 days holiday. As a teacher, I have a standard 1295 hours directed time contract. DS has a role in education that is hourly paid, term time only, paid in 12 instalments. Different establishments work in different ways.

My dc's primary has a 5 year waiting list for after school care, so you wouldn't be getting anywhere with that anyway. I'd start looking at alternative childcare, don't rely on wraparound having space for your DC.

I think you’re getting some harsh responses here, OP.

Some schools have office staff in over the summer, some don’t; but they’ll all definitely be in a few days before the kids start back.
First thing we usually do in sept is to pick up the emails for new starters who have been enrolled during the summer, so hopefully your child’s school will do this.

Lots of people here have talked about “all” schools doing a staggered start. My DC starts reception in September and there’s no staggered start at all, full days from the get go. The DC are also “dropped off” at the gate to the yard.

Hopefully the extra few weeks of mat leave will give you time to get a routine in place. You sound extremely efficient and like you’ve really got everything together after a hard time - I don’t think I’d be half as “on it” as you are if my husband had left me with a 5 day old baby! Hope you enjoy your new home and DC enjoys reception!

I suppose I never saw it like that. I had to go in over the summer holidays, not the full time we had two weeks off but we had to be there. Some of the teachers used to come in and clear their classrooms, take the artwork down, replace the backing paper etc but otherwise I was there on my own. It was a bit unsettling

Apologies for the slow reply to purplebunnie, cross posted with much more succinct responses!

When I said 'to me' to yourself, I meant 'time' to yourself!!

Think of it like someone working on an oil rig with eg 2 weeks ‘on’, followed by a week ‘not on’ rota.

The worker gets paid 12 monthly pay packets, regardless of whether they have 1 or 2 ‘not on’ weeks that month.

However, if they were required to work an additional week ‘on rota’, that would be overtime and extra pay would be required.

Sane for school staff. Working 39 weeks over 52 is paid in 12 instalments of x. Working a more ‘normal’ pattern of eg 47 weeks over 52 with 25 days’ holiday would be paid in 12 instalments of x + one twelfth of 8 weeks’ pay.

Congrats on your move etc @Lmnop22

A few things (we once moved right before the start of school too)

• Someone is usually in the office a couple/few before schools return in our school. They will be inundated so be prepared to ring a few times.
• Wrap around is usually a separate company and may have waitlists. Ours has a 2 year waitlist minimum. There is no hope to get a reception spot as they also only take so many DC that are reception age.
• Join the schools FB page ask about wrap around care waitlists/process, start/finish times, reception days if staggered start (though you won't know which days yours is to attend you will get a feel for the schedule). You could also ask about childminders for wrap around.
• If it were me I'd delay return to work for another couple weeks or so now due to massive change for your little one and many schools have reception staggered entry plus the possibility you can't get wrap around.

Good luck! Hope it goes well for all of you!

p.s. You are doing remarkably well in extra ordinary circumstances

Have read your posts. Just wanted to say as someone who also works in a school, this will all get sorted in the first few days once the staff are back so don't worry although I totally understand everything you have said.

Sounds like you have had an incredibly busy and stressful six months all alongside a new baby, I take my hat off to you! You have done the right thing in moving back to your family for support. I think you have done amazingly well so far to have moved house etc and sorted all that you have already in a short time. I wish you all the very best in the coming weeks and months. As you are self employed, if you can afford it, I would have some to me to yourself once the kids are settled at school and nursery, you need it and definitely deserve it. Thank goodness your little ones have a great mum in their life. All the best. X