When does your reception child start school?- settling in overkill?

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

My nearly 4 year old is starting school in September and we have just received her start dates (“s”- plural)… 1 meet the teacher session one day- 20mins- 2 stay and play sessions the following wk (diff days each an hr), 2 staggered start days, she won’t start officially until the 19th. Whilst I appreciate some children might be apprehensive, this seems a tad overkill (what do working parents do- I’m on leave at present)….is this normal? Surely it’s more unsettling surely to stop and start.

My sons school sent letters home announcing that the first MONTH would be 2 hour long settling in sessions.
Week 1 - 9am to 11am
Week 2 - 10am to 12pm
Week 3 - 12pm to 2pm
Week 4 - 1pm to 3pm
Absolutely ridiculous and impossible for working parents. Enough complained that it's now full time from the start.

We have 2 weeks of half days, starting 21 August. So full time from 6 Sep which sounds like the legal requirement.

Where I work we go straight in full time. Some parents will collect before lunch if they want though. I hope we keep parents dropping to the gate (current Covid measures), rather than door as it makes it so much quicker to settle the children. I also hope we keep coming in in PE kit rather than changing at school. I say that as a parent of primary and secondary age DC (nothing gets lost) and a TA (saves a ton of time that can be used for actual PE instead of getting changed).

When my DC started at the same school it was half days, half the kids did mornings, half afternoons for the first week or two. It wasn't ideal but it was done quickly. It wasn't so the teachers could have a break . Even if they had afternoons child free they would still be cracking on with other work. It's very intensive at the beginning when you have 30 unknown quantities.

You don’t need to get sassy or rude when requesting your child start full time. Just a quick email to the office to say that you need them to start full time from the first day of term. They aren’t allowed to say no so it’s a pretty quick conversation.

If more parents don’t do this then these ‘settling in’ sessions will just continue year after year!

I think there are some really benefits to splitting the class early on so the teachers can meet the children in smaller groups, get to meet them etc but some take it a bit far. I didn’t mind the week mine did full days on and off but 1/2 days were a total faff. I’d be pissed off with the odd hour of stay and play.

For working parents that transition period can actually be really destabilising. There is no need to be faffing about until October like a few schools seem to.

Bazoo23 How did the school try and justify that? I am not one for complaining but I’d have said something under those circs.

I also hope we keep coming in in PE kit rather than changing at school. I say that as a parent of primary and secondary age DC (nothing gets lost)

I second that

Ours is doing very similar to yours OP. Completely unnecessary, and me and DH are having to waste loads of annual leave just to fill in the childcare gaps inbetween.

When my two were little, we had a home visit from the teacher and TA in July before they started Reception in September.

Then they went 1 week of half days then onto normal full days. We were never allowed to take them further than the playground so didn't have the issue of trying ro extract yourself from the classroom.

It seemed harsh at the time, especially as DS1 cried every morning before school for the first couple of weeks but in hindsight, it was so much better for them so not have all the faffing that goes on in some schools.

We have a stay and play session on the 7th of September and then DD starts on the 9th properly. I think the stop and starts are silly as they can be unsettling.

That is ridiculous.
All children have to go to school regardless so just get on with it, have maybe two sessions max, before school starts for real.