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Original poster

Bloody bloody half days for reception kids

400 replies

Icylightning · 28/07/2019 11:08

Why?!! WHY?!!

Don’t the school realise what a nightmare this is for working parents, I’m a single working parent so it’s even worse. TWO weeks of half days. To ease the children into full days apparently. DD has been doing 5 full days at nursery for 18 mths. Longer hours than she will be doing in school.

I’m using most of my annual leave in the holidays but now need to ask for two weeks of leaving at lunch time ffs. I thought they couldn’t do this anymore?!

Her nursery won’t take her back for those two weeks and is nowhere near her school either. Bloody nightmare

OP posts:
TeenTimesTwo · 28/07/2019 12:25

www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-age

You have the right to start your child at school on a full time basis from the September following their 4th birthday, providing they have been allocated a school place. While schools are free to suggest a preferred induction process, parents retain the right to formally request that the school provide a full term schedule for their child from the beginning of the school year.

Monicafromfriends · 28/07/2019 12:25

Completely agree that is not right. All the talk about how school attendance is so important and these children lose 30 hours in their first term.

If some children can't cope it should be an individual arrangement with those parents and the school to enable transitions for children, which may consist of shorter days. I can understand it may difficult for children who haven't been able to access full day nursery or with other special needs.

funmummy48 · 28/07/2019 12:26

Our Primary starts them in 2 groups, they do a half day each, then all start full time together and that's it. It's never caused any child a problem so we're always a bit 😮 when we hear of all the long, drawn out half days in other schools. It's unnecessary.

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RaggeddeeAnn · 28/07/2019 12:28

Skip the two weeks of half days and have your kid start two weeks later in the year. They can stay at the nursery full time for those two weeks. Reception has very little learning especially during those half days. It’s more about social skills, listening, etc things your child will already be an expert in.

WeaselsRising · 28/07/2019 12:30

We had SIX weeks of mucking about Angry. The class was split in half so they only met half of them, and we had
a week of mornings finishing at 11.30am
a week of afternoons
a week of mornings finishing at lunchtime
a week of afternoons
a week of mornings then staying to lunch
a week of afternoons starting with lunch.

DD had been in nursery 8am to 4.30pm since 10 months old. Unfortunately nursery wasn't in the same town as school so I couldn't take her back there, which is what others did.

We changed nursery when DD was 3 yo as we moved house over the summer. She could only go 3 days a week from September and had to wait until Oct half term for full time there, because the places were taken by children not able to go to school full time.

My older children went full time from day one and had no problems, despite not having been to nursery, only pre-school playgroup, and many years ago I went full time until 4pm from day one. There was a more sensible start to school then when you didn't all start in September but could start in January or after Easter.

bobsyourauntie · 28/07/2019 12:30

OP, our school thankfully had "optional" half days although they pushed hard to collect at lunchtime. I refused on the same grounds as you, that DD was already used to be in preschool all day anyway and this was the same setting as well.

If you would be happy for DD to be the only child there potentially, you could ask your local council about the legalities of it, whether the school can be made to take DD. You might even get other kids that do the same if DD is there.

We all know that school isn't childcare, but when parents are being forced out to work more and more by rising living costs and tax credits cuts, parents do become dependant on being able to work while the child is at school.

paffuto · 28/07/2019 12:31

What is all this half day rubbish anyway? My eldest started school in the eighties. Full time from day one. No one died.

Original poster
Icylightning · 28/07/2019 12:31

The latest school admissions code [pdf] underlines the point, stating that a local authority must make clear that when a school place has been offered, that child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday

Either way, schools HAVE to offer a full time place.

OP posts:
DobbinsVeil · 28/07/2019 12:34

DC4 is starting in September. The reception class is starting a couple of days after the rest (home visits), then it's a week of until lunch, then a week staying for lunch. Then normal hours. There's 13 in the class, 1 Teacher and 1 TA so not a drastic change of ratios.

DS1 had an extended part time transition (different school) and I think it made it harder for him to settle. DS2 was fine until January when I remember the daily tears and DS3 was mostly fine in reception but Yr1 not so much.

DS4 is generally clingy so I shan't be surprised if it takes a while to settle.

So I'm not really convinced it makes that much difference.

prh47bridge · 28/07/2019 12:35

Haven't read the full thread but it looks like others have given the correct advice. The Admissions Code is clear that the child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday. If you want your child to attend full-time you should insist. The school cannot legally refuse. If necessary, point them at the Admissions Code paragraph 2.16(a).

ThanksItHasPockets · 28/07/2019 12:36

And somehow these schools never let the youngest children start first, to give them as much time as possible to get used to school before being put into a class of 30.

That isn't the rationale. They aim to get the older children in and trained in the rules and routines quickly so that younger children will copy them.

mycatisblack · 28/07/2019 12:39

Our primary has the first day finishing at 12pm for the new junior infants and the second day, it they are full time.

Surely, it's best to offer it full time from the start for those children who are already used to full time nursery and allow the others to build up to full time gradually on an individual basis?

Luaa · 28/07/2019 12:39

Our school has 3 weeks of half days, but I have told them dd is only doing 1 week of half days and then she's going full time. They tried to tell me it was best for her to follow their plan, but I said I needed her to start full time sooner so she is.

Jaxhog · 28/07/2019 12:40

School is not childcare to enable you to work.

No, its a SCHOOL. Where children go to learn! You wouldn't make this comment about the rest of a child's school life, so why about this rather unhelpful approach?

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 28/07/2019 12:40

I think it’s rubbish, best for the children 🙄

My youngest had a week of half days, my older 3 went straight in to full days, didn’t seem to cause them any problems and lots of children have been in childcare full time since 1 anyway

Original poster
Icylightning · 28/07/2019 12:42

That isn't the rationale. They aim to get the older children in and trained in the rules and routines quickly so that younger children will copy them.

That is completely nonsensical. As if 4/5 year olds look up to and learn from kids a few months older than them. DD is a June child. She’s been at nursery full time for months. I can guarantee she doesn’t need showing how to hang up a coat or sit nicely from kids a few months older than her who’ve had two days at playschool for the last year. Ridiculous

OP posts:
Oblomov19 · 28/07/2019 12:44

I wrote to the Head. Asked if Ds2 could go full day ASAP. Funnily enough, she accommodated.

Borisdaspide · 28/07/2019 12:48

DS has had 3 settling in sessions where they showed coat pegs, carpet time etc, then full time from day one.

"I expect the settling in arrangements were given to you in writing when you looked around the school or at the latest, secured your place in April."

The earliest anyone I know heard from schools after April was the very end of May. A friend's school switched from full days to a convoluted mixture of days literally at the end of June.

Allyg1185 · 28/07/2019 12:50

I'm in Scotland and my sons school is stopping the half days from this years onwards. They have also stopped the lunchtime finishes at christmas and summer

ThanksItHasPockets · 28/07/2019 12:52

Confused Jesus OP, don't bite my head off. I don't run your children's school. I was explaining the rationale in response to a pp.

FWIW I agree with you. Staggered starts are a hangover from the days when it would have been fairly normal for a majority of children to be at home with a parent until Reception. Now there are relatively few children who haven't been in some kind of private nursery, preschool or nursery class before entering compulsory FT education.

BloomingHydrangea · 28/07/2019 12:55

Ask for any evidence based research that it is best for children (heads up there isn't any)

WoWsers16 · 28/07/2019 12:57

It is ridiculous the settling in weeks - as a teacher myself I was so annoyed when my sons school did this for 2 weeks- I had so many different people help with childcare and pick ups those 2 weeks with no family near by. Luckily they had stopped it with my youngest however If they hadn't I was going to say that I wanted him in full time (he had been at preschool and was used to the days)
Personally I think it's not best for the majority of children- sometimes just for the parents as sometimes the parents over think it. If a parent has an issue I think then they can have their child do a faded introduction- however the rest can be full time.

Also regarding earlier in the thread about changing schools - honestly it's not that easy and that would be a stupid idea! Lol

mindproject · 28/07/2019 13:00

I agree with you OP. I remember it being particularly difficult for me too. Just insist your child is taken full-time from day 1, tell them this is what is best for your child.

gotmychocolateimgood · 28/07/2019 13:02

Reception has very little learning especially during those half days. It’s more about social skills, listening, etc things your child will already be an expert in.

Complete nonsense.

FamilyOfAliens · 28/07/2019 13:03

parents retain the right to formally request that the school provide a full term schedule for their child from the beginning of the school year.

Doesn’t that just mean you have the right to make a formal request? Not that the school is obliged to accede to the request?

Anyway, the OP has said she has a plan that would mean she can cover those two weeks, so annoying though that may be for the OP, it’s not the end of the world.