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

Surely it makes more sense to plan for children ready to access the full-time legal entitlement and adjust for those who aren't than v-versa?

I can't say i've noticed an obvious difference regarding settling in. I just know that 3 weeks of settling in benefits very few of the children, and even those who benefit from a staggered start usually don't need 3 weeks of half days.

This was a faff to manage (understatement) at the time but I'm personally glad I did the transition. Mine were both so tired at the start of school. I do think the schools should offer full time for working parents though.

My first starts reception this September, these are the settling efforts:

mid-June - Teddy bear picnic lunch (1hr)
mid-July - taster session (2hrs in the morning)

start of school - two short days (Weds and Thurs), full days start on Friday (that way they get a weekend’s rest).

Everyone says children who've been in 8-6 nursery are still tired out by a short school day. That wasn't true for my DD at all, even though she's a summer birthday so a whole year younger than some in her class. She was a ball of excess energy and frankly it was nightmare.

Sounds totally ridiculous and hard work for working parents to manage. Luckily the school my daughter is going to goes straight into full days as they said half days doesn't not help with transitions for anyone in their past experience.

Thanks for this.

My child will be 5 when she starts school and, like a friend's autumn born child who is already at school, is school ready.

It seems that certain posters aren't aware that nurseries and childminders work to ensure that children are school ready, and autumn born ones who have attended full time for years tend to be.

So we will be insisting that she does a full school day.

Don't give a crap. 😀

There is clearly zero actual evidence base on this or you wouldn't see such wide disparity between practices at different schools.

Ours used to do lengthy settling, with the autumn borns not even starting for the first two weeks, and then having a week of half days. By the time my second child started, they'd shifted to three days of settling in - a half day for summer borns, a half day for spring + summer borns, a half day for all kids, then fully in school.

Feedback from the teachers was that the kids settled better as they could get used to school routine from the start, and for the very many who had been in nursery or childcare settings previously it was much less disruptive and confusing.

I remember this and I was dubious of the benefits. It may rest them, but they only get to know 1/2 the children and such a short time is almost like going to a playgroup. Parents with other children in the school found it very inconvenient, especially those with kids on the afternoon session where they basically couldn’t wait in the school but only just had time to go back and forth to home with bewildered 4 yr olds wondering why they had to come back to school again

Who do you suggest looks after DC’s of working parents and deals with confused children who are use to full time nursery?

If working parents take three weeks off work for a staggered start, that’s the majority of the annual holidays gone.

I know this is exactly what my DGS had to do when starting school. My DD and SiL had to take holiday, for the rest of half days. They used loads of their holidays up. It will be the school policy so asking for only a week of half days, will make no difference. Hopefully it will allow the teacher to settle all of the children in well. I think it's pretty standard practice.

This never used to happen ( my children are in their 30s) and they didn't go to nursery. They were absolutely fine - as was I when I went to school in the 60s.

It’s so hard on working women (and yes, it will mostly be the woman’s problem especially those with no support.

Surely a better idea would be to ‘tailor’ the day - some quiet carpet time, play rather than learning in the afternoon, keep things calm and get children used to the new environment from Day 1.

I’d love to see some actual data or research that suggests this is the best way compared to the years and years of children starting full time from Day 1.

Three weeks is excessive.

I think a one week settling in period is enough. My kids school did this:

Monday half day
Tuesday half day plus lunch
Wednesday half day plus lunch
Thursday full day
Friday full day

Done.

But I'd have no problem with full days from the off.

Faffing about for so long just leads the children into a false sense of easy half days and home for the afternoon. They need to know from the beginning what the day will be like so they can adjust.

Everyone says children who've been in 8-6 nursery are still tired out by a short school day. That wasn't true for my DD at all, even though she's a summer birthday so a whole year younger than some in her class. She was a ball of excess energy and frankly it was nightmare.

This was my experience too, and in retrospect it was obvious. Reception is pretty much like nursery, so why on earth would a healthy, sociable child be exhausted by it?

The school are obliged to provide a full time place for your child from the beginning of September term. You don't have to send your child to school full time until the term after they turn 5

I would not be agreeing to this nonsense. 3 weeks is ridiculous. I do think there is benefit to having the first couple of days as smaller groups but certainly no more than a couple of days.

Tell them no. Your child will be attending full time and they need to make provision.

Our school changed from the staggered entry to full time straight off between my eldest and youngest starting reception. Both children settled equally well into reception. Given that at least half the class were already in the school nursery from 8.30-3 every day, it made no sense to make everyone adjust to part days.

It will be the school policy so asking for only a week of half days, will make no difference.

It may be the schools policy but that doesn't mean there's nothing that can be done. Parents / carers can ask for children to go full time from the start.

There's absolutely no reason why any school should be insisting on 3 weeks of half days, it doesn't benefit the majority of children and is a logisitical nightmare for parents regarding work and other children.

I think you actually can.

Yes, you can insist.

My friend with argued this point successfully with her child's school when she started Reception and they wanted to do half days right up to the first half term. There is a legal basis for it. It was possibly relevant that her child was born early September, would need to refresh my memory.

I'll see if I can find the details.

Whether you want to rock the boat is a completely different matter.

I think they aren't thinking about this holistically. Three weeks of half days for children of working parents means three extra weeks in holiday clubs over the course of the school year. I think most reception age children would benefit more from time with their parents in school holidays than from a super gentle staggered start.

I know someone will shortly be along to say that it's education not childcare but that doesn't change the practical impact of this.

Our school starts the reception children two weeks later to allow for home visits. One day in with a third of the class, then full days. It's not ideal but at least it's easier to get full days of childcare than half days.

How do schools expect children of teachers to manage, given there’s no flexibility for them to take time off for 3 weeks

One of my neighbours children didn't go to nursery/preschool, and is summer born. She bounced into school on her first day and after the first 3 days before the weekend of half days was ready to be in full time.

Our school dropped the home visits as so many parents declined them - they were at work!

So when my first two children started school they did mornings only until October half term. It was an absolute nightmare and really made the four weeks of gradually increasing time in school for the third and fourth seem like a breeze in comparison (although once child three started school I was doing a ks1 pick up at 2, a ks 3 at 3, a staggered start pick up at 10/11/12 etc and then a nursery pick up at 11:45 for a few weeks which was hell on Earth).

I also struggle to see the need for it. My youngest school aged child was a summer born and had only ever done mornings at pre school and I still would have rather just had a couple of settling days and then full time.