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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:

Chillijamntuna · 28/07/2019 13:04

I am a Reception teacher and we only offer full time from the word go. We do have a snuggly book corner area with loads of cushions and blankets and sometimes we find the younger ones asleep in there after lunch!

gingerbreadsprinkle · 28/07/2019 13:04

I feel like some people are being unfair to OP. It seems like parents are always attacked for what is really down to budget cuts. If they want smaller class sizes, surely if there were no financial constraints there would be more staff. Honestly all these fines for parents who dare to have a holiday during term time (which they could still take schoolwork with them btw) and then pulling stunts like this makes me feel highly skeptical that it's about "best for the children" and not just "money".

Fizzytonicplease · 28/07/2019 13:05

Our school are making the children have three half days and then its up to you if you want to continue half days for another week or start full.

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themimi · 28/07/2019 13:05

My opinion but...I'm a teacher and parent - really disruptive for the children to have half days. I would have fought against this but luckily DS was full day from day 1. Most children going into Reception have done nursery and/or pre-school so are prepared for school. Children need consistency and this staggered start is unsettling.

FamilyOfAliens · 28/07/2019 13:05

Just insist your child is taken full-time from day 1, tell them this is what is best for your child.

It wouldn’t be possible to know what’s best for the child, though. The truth would be that it’s best for the OP and her work commitments.

Original poster

Icylightning · 28/07/2019 13:08

I’ve emailed the head. Quoted the admissions code and said I would like DD to go full time from the off.

OP posts:

FamilyOfAliens · 28/07/2019 13:08

It seems like parents are always attacked for what is really down to budget cuts.

Who’s attacking parents? This is what the school’s arrangements are. It’s annoying, and can be costly for some parents, but it’s what the school does because they believe it’s best for the children. Anyone who wants to know more about the thinking behind this needs to speak to the head teacher, as has been said many times on this thread.

FamilyOfAliens · 28/07/2019 13:08

Great, OP - hope you get the response you want.

Original poster

Icylightning · 28/07/2019 13:10

If it’s not possible to know what’s best for the child then how do they make a decision either way?!

OP posts:

FamilyOfAliens · 28/07/2019 13:11

If it’s not possible to know what’s best for the child then how do they make a decision either way?!

I meant it wouldn’t be possible for YOU to know what’s best for your child, OP - in response to the PP I quoted.

ithinkiammelting · 28/07/2019 13:20

Think yourself lucky - mine had a whole term of half days. They would take kids into reception termly so sept-dec born would start reception in sept, and so on, do one term part-time and the remainder of the year full-time. Mine had a summer birthday so they only got one term in reception, and that was only mornings.
The most annoying part was that the school changed its procedure the following term and took them all in full-time from the beginning, by which time dc was in Y1.

woodhill · 28/07/2019 13:20

Yes it went on and on when my ds went to school in shorter than the nursery session to start with or on par possibly. Went on for about 6 weeks' and I had 2 older dc at the same school. Luckily it was very near

Swoopinggulls · 28/07/2019 13:22

Do individual schools in England make these decisions themselves?
As others have said, in Scotland it's the local authority, so it would be pointless and unfair to criticise the headteacher or the school.

Yabbers · 28/07/2019 13:24

timetable according to what's best for the children.

How can this be when different regions, different schools have different approaches? If it were best for the children, all would do it. Our school did three half days, the schools in the next region do a full week, another does none at all.

It’s not all about the children, it is about how policy makers believe it should be done.

Yabbers · 28/07/2019 13:28

I meant it wouldn’t be possible for YOU to know what’s best for your child, OP - in response to the PP I quoted.

The OP can’t know what was best for her child?

DD hated the half days. Cried that she had to leave at lunch time, wanted to stay all day. She had done 8 hour days at nursery for a couple of years and was well able to cope with full days.

Original poster

Icylightning · 28/07/2019 13:28

The school makes the decisions. I think most schools now do full days from the off. Our school seems to lag about 15 years behind the times

OP posts:

Witchend · 28/07/2019 13:37

It seems like parents are always attacked for what is really down to budget cuts.
Nothing to do with budget cuts.
When I was little it was common for the Spring Babies not to start until January, and often the summer babies not to start until after Easter.

When dd1 was little all schools round here did spring babies half time until half term and summer babies half time until January. And my observation among people I know is that generally children, especially anxious children, did settle better for that period of part time.

BrieAndChilli · 28/07/2019 13:39

Our did one morning, one afternoon (alternated with the other half of the class) then a 1/2 day with lunch included and then onto whole days. So not even consistent each day!
Luckily at the time I worked evenings so was around in the day but I know other swopped childcare with other parents do one day parent A would take 3 kids homefor the afternoon, the next parent B etc so they didn’t have to take as much time off.

costacoffeecup · 28/07/2019 13:40

Luckily I'm on maternity leave or I'd have the same issue. Last year our school did it until half term apparently! But this time only a week. Yeah I get that school isn't childcare but in the real world people have to go to work and don't have the luxury of easily available childcare.

My fried took a month of unpaid leave when her child started.

PatriciaHolm · 28/07/2019 13:46

The school I am a Governor of stopped doing this a few years ago, having tried it for about 4 years. The teachers found it disruptive for the children and for them -they had barely settled anyone and sorted them out for one activity when it was time for lunch and home. Now everyone does full days from the start though not all the children start on the same day. Apparently it works much better.

woodhill · 28/07/2019 14:00

I think things have changed though over the last 20 years', loads more mums work than in say 1999. I was a SAHM but was just easing back into work (pt) when ds started nursery.

Poor dd got no reception as she was an already 5 Summer baby (no reception for Summer babies in her year group, rising 5 policy) and had to go straight to Y1 and watch her nursery friends having playtime in the reception as the policy had now changed of taking 4 year olds into school I think.

probstimeforanewname · 28/07/2019 14:44

Do individual schools in England make these decisions themselves

All the schools in our town had different policies, it's not down to the LA.

probstimeforanewname · 28/07/2019 14:46

When I was little it was common for the Spring Babies not to start until January, and often the summer babies not to start until after Easter

That's completely different to the half days though. If that were the case now you would just keep your child in nursery/childcare for longer. It's the half days that are so disruptive, especially when it's afternoons only.

My birthday is March and I didn't start school until the April after my 5th birthday.

Teachermaths · 28/07/2019 14:55

What nursery's are your kids going to that have 1:4 ratios?
Dcs pre school is 1:13 and reception will be 1:15 assuming the class is full. Barely any difference. Pre school days are 8-6 if needed.... School is only 9-3. I'm sure the kids will cope with full time from the word go. How on earth do working parents cope? I know a few who have requested (and always got) full time from the start.

Itsjeremycorbynsfault · 28/07/2019 14:57

I've got this to look forward to as well but three weeks of it. Week one they don't go in at all, week two is a 1pm start and week three is 08:40 until 1pm.

I've had to take two weeks annual leave and it's a complete pain in the arse!

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