Starting primary - settling in

[welshycake]

My child has two afternoon sessions in their first week. That's it.

Then it just builds up from there to include lunch and longer days.

They aren't fully at school for the whole school day until week 4.

Is that normal?

Not at the school my dd is starting at, she will have theee half days then straight into full days on day 4.

For some schools yes, othrrs is much quicker settling period. Its the 1sr question i asked each school, and ruled out any with longer than 2 weeks

I didn't think of choosing primary schools based on settling in! Wish I'd thought of that but there were only really two real choices for me

It seems extreme - I think the school is really taking the piss here!

It seems so odd when most the kids will be used to even longer days at nursery!

Fortunately not normal at most schools these days as they've realised it does nothing to help with actually settling them in all it does is push settling in weeks later, cause unnecessary upheaval and confusion for the poor kids.

Some schools still do it because that's how it's always been done but your child is entitled to a full time place from their first day, you don't need to do weeks of adhoc days.

It was week 4 for my dd. Wish it had been longer as she struggled with the afternoons as she still needed an early afternoon nap, falling asleep at 3.45 isn't ideal for getting them to bed! All dc are different though

2 half days here and then straight in to full-time. Your child is actually entitled to a full-time education so if it really doesn’t work for you, push back hard.

We have parents every year who say they can’t manage the half days and so we accommodate full time from Day 1.

Where I am in Scotland, Day 1 is about an hour shorted than a standard day 9.30 - 2.30 and full days from Day 2.

Yep! It’s utterly ridiculous money saving exercise not designed do suit working parents. It should be optional based on the child’s needs imo . Mine are both teens now but I remember having to cobble together leave, childminder help to do 4 weeks of barely in any hours for “settling in”

The first 2 weeks is half days with staying for lunch on those last 2 half days.
The neighbouring county has 3 weeks of half days.

4 weeks is madness, especially for working parents!

You can tell school that she can be in full time from day 1. They then legally have to take her because she's entitled to a full time school place if I remember rightly.

We had one week of half days.

I had a friend whose child had quite an extended settling in period like yours. She told the school he'd been attending for the full day from week 1, or that he'd join after week 4 and she'd continue him at his private nursery for a further full weeks, because she couldn't accommodate it with work, and the school had him full time from the start. I don't really think they can refuse them when they have a full time place and they're receiving full time funding for them.

Totally daft to run it into 4 weeks. A short settling in period if best. 3 days of half days, then a day of tagging lunch on so they know what to do, either before or after their half day session (depending if they're AM or PM half day), then whole class in together for NEARLY a full day (till 2pm). Do that for a couple of days and that's all you need.

Most kids have been to nursery now, many full time, 8-6, so school will seem like a doddle to them after the first few days of getting to know the routine.

Used to be widespread but a lot of parents have cottoned onto the fact that it's not legal so it'snot as common now. With so many parents working now it's not realistic of schools to expect this. Many children are used to doing longer hours in nursery. I would speak to the school about your child starting full time. If you know any other parents in the same boat you could suggest they do the same.

No, that’s ridiculous. Ours do one week of half days until 12, second week until after lunch, third week full time.

My friend said her cohort of parents all complained about the school’s plan for a month of settling, so they cut it down to two weeks.

Most kids are used to full school length days at preschool/nursery, most parents work. A month of settling is unnecessary and frequently unworkable.

Absolutely bonkers! So grateful for how our school does it. 4 after school sessions (1 a week) then half a day on week 5 abd 6, leading up to the summer hols, so rhe new YR intake are doing these sessions now. In Sept, they'll go straight into full days.

How do people cope? They can't stay at pre school, and people have to work.

At my school we do two half days. That's it. Two half days in the first week (Wednesday & Thursday) and then full time from day 3!

If parents think their child would benefit from some more half days then they are welcome to talk to us about it.

The settling in period varies hugely among the schools that I work for. There are still quite a few children who don't go to nursery.

I misread at first and thought it was 4 days not weeks- the latter is ridiculous! We had two weeks of pissing about and it was just disruptive and confusing for both of mine who’d been in nursery. Also was an absolute pain in the arse for work. I’d be really unhappy with four weeks. I did have one friend with 6 weeks and everyone in her school had sahms! Presumably people just didn’t pick it if they worked.

Are there really quite a few? I guess it must vary by region but I've taught for a decade across two counties in far too many schools to count and the amount of new starters I've come across who have never been to a nursery or childcare setting probably doesn't even total 100.

It was the same at my daughter's school last year, I had to use a tonne of annual leave, it's really difficult for working parents when the school does this.

Thank heavens our school is FT from day 1. I mean who is meant to look after them - the flower fairies? Not everyone has a willing grandparent to pick up at midday.

Yes perfectly normal. My Children didn't do a full day until the 4th week in.

Don’t pick a primary school based on their settling in sessions! It’s four weeks out of seven years at the school.

It was exactly the same when I started school 40 years ago. I did mornings one week, afternoons the next, it was a gradual build up. Is nothing new.