3 weeks of half days for reception children.

[Tohaveandtohold]

So my child is starting reception in sept and we got an email on Friday of their plans for
their transition and the new term. My main issue is they expect them to do 3 weeks of half day so half of the class will do 9-12 the first 2 weeks and then at week 3 they’ll be there for lunch so 9-12:45. The other half of the class will do half day in the afternoon.
I just feel this is out of touch. My child currently goes to nursery 4 days a week doing 8-6 though she’s picked up around 5 anyway and has never been clingy, so I can’t see how 3 weeks of half day will benefit her. Also we both work, luckily I’ll only go to the office 2 days a week so dh will pick up those days and we’re not using up all our annual leave unnecessarily. Can I request she only does half day for a week and that they have to provide her with full time education.
Like I don’t want to be ‘that’ parent at the beginning of her school journey but I feel 3 weeks is just ridiculous and out of touch

It's been done like this since God was a wee boy - doubt you will get them to change! It will most likely be the same in Year One.

It's a load of crap.

Yes some schools have more staff. Great for them but not all do. Teachers do this to benefit the children not to spite their parents. Yes it’s hard but teachers with children have to manage it too. It’s once for each child.

If parents decide on full time the teachers would need to come up with an alternative.

I also know that schools will find it very difficult to defend their decision to have part time attendance, under the DfE attendance guidance for 2023.

For a child who is of compulsory school age, there would have to be really good, individual reasons for a child to be offered a part time timetable.

It could also be argued that the culture of high expectation and high attendance from the start is not in place. Poor patterns are set. This is out of line with government guidance. I would be challenging this with leaders and governors.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1099677/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf

sorry but do half days for the first few weeks help with routines and expectations? wouldn’t it just prolong the issue by kicking the can down the road?

Yes, but I think this creates an issue with funding too, under the 30 hours. Suddenly a gap in being able to access this as the child has a full time school place.

Our school stopped doing this five years ago in recognition of the fact that most kids did full days in nursery before starting school. We now do a slightly shortened day the first three days to let kids adjust to the busy-ness of the playground but it's ten minutes either way. Your school needs to get with the times!

I find this so odd, my eldests school did it and I’d have to sit outside the school for an hour or so thanks to the bus times. Completely pointless and made the transition worse in my opinion.

Luckily we moved and my youngest two go to a school now where they stagger start dates based on birthdate. So oldest kids start on the Monday and youngest start on the Wednesday and it’s full days immediately with all kids to be in class for full days from the Thursday. Just seems easier.

It wasn't cheap to do it this way, but I kept DD(now 15) enrolled at nursery, with one of us picking up/dropping off around noon. They either fed her or gave us a 'to go' lunch. She loved going back to see familiar faces as she knew nobody at her infant school.

After leaving nursery she did flag by about 4/5pm, for the first 5 or 6 months. It was just too chaotic and noisy.

No they don’t.

Yes they do.

I disagree completely.

Source it please. Thanks.

Why do you disagree? It's my professional experience that it didn't aid settling in or benefit the children.

@JenWillsiam - when did you last read any of the government guidance on school admissions?! You’re so ill informed it’s 🤣

The really do. I taught reception for many years. Children starting reception are entitled to full time education right from the start of the school year.

Links to all relevant documents in this thread 🙄

I get that for some a transition period for some can be helpful, but 3 weeks seems too long and surely it will create a divide even if only temporary with the children, they will start to form friendships with the ones on their half day rather than the ones they don't see. My son will be attending the school nursery from just before his 4th birthday (September baby) so would not expect them to go backwards to half days when he got to reception

And it’s mine that it does.

So first day ,30 new children, one teacher and a TA. Even if you've only got a four crying( and there will always be some criers) you are struggling. Two or three forget where the toilets are , so add wet pants to the mix. Nobody knows where to put their bag or coat. Toys and equipment need clearing away but nobody yet knows where it goes. 30 children need help with their lunch, taking their jumpers on and off ,finding their water bottle.
At the end of the day 30 of them have to be returned to the correct parent ,who the teacher does not yet know
School is not staffed like a nursery. There will be 2 adults.
Staggered starts in small groups help the children get to know the routines,what is expected and helps them feel safe.

I think it does, since school have limited number of teacher/TA, and fixed number of children. It makes sense, to have less children to teacher/TA ratio. so they can give attention to them more easily. Teacher dealing with 30 children, and teacher dealing with 15 children. It's quite obvious which works better?

it's already been posted on the thread, but since you obviously haven't bothered to read the thread, here you go.

I haven't read all the other replies but his one really got my goat. A child that does 9 to 10 hours a day at nursery, 4 days a week, can definitely cope with a 6 hour day at nursery! 15 years of working in childcare and being in close contact with the schools and children for years after they leave the nurseries I work at can tell you something!

Plus most nurseries only offer 1 weeks worth of settle sessions. How in the hell is any longer time frame for an older child with more understanding supposed to settle with half days. Ridiculous!

Given you don't even understand the legislation I'm inclined to think you're not in the profession?

As asecondary school teacher I refused the part time phased start for all of my children. I had a polite conversation with the head teacher explaining that it was impossible to do half days etc. I pointed out that my child had already been at nursery from 8am to 6pm since age 6 months. I also explained that if they said they wouldn't take my child full time that I would lodge a complaint as they said the part time phase was to allow children to get to know each other. I made it clear that if I had to keep my child in full time nursery for the extra 6 weeks, that my child would then be disadvantaged as they would not have had the friendship making phase with the other children. All of my children started school from day 1 full time including breakfast club and after school club.