to think the whole "phasing in" thing at school is just a PITA!

[Maggietess]

DD2 starts school tomorrow, the equivalent of reception class. We have first day she stays for an hour with mum or dad (great idea). Rest of this week shes in for 2 1/2 hours a day (OK I'm still with the idea in general).

Then some more kids start next week so we've another week of in til 1130.
Then the week after its 1230.
Then finally in the 4th week it's full day til 2.

And this is the improved version of settling in, it used to take nearly til halloween to get them all in with a couple of kids starting every day.

I can understand the teachers needing a couple of days, even a week to properly get to know everyone but is 3 full weeks of it not a bit ott???

They then repeat a slightly shortened version of this in P1.

Add to that that our junior school finishes at 2 and senior school at 3 and you have some parents doing collections at 12.30, 2 and 3. Total pita.

Surely its all just a bit unnecessary given that most kids these days will have been at some form of nursery before??

Or AIBtotallyU?

Nurseries often won't keep 4 year olds for the first month, as they have 3 year olds wanting to come in for a year-long place.

At dd's school the children who go to the pre-school nursery spend the last few weeks of term as "reception children". It works all the way up the school and I think the Y6s go to the secondary for at least some of the time. (Where there is space as the Y11s have left.)

They carry on their nursery hours so no difference to parents but it means that they are then used to their teacher, their classroom etc before they start.

Obviously not everyone sends to the nursery but a reasonable number do for at least some of the week so those that don't will be able to have more attention in the first few weeks. I don't know how the settling in process works (dd is about to start at the nursery) but I am guessing it is reasonably minimal because of this.

Which is great for us as I'll be back at work by then so every day spent "settling" is one more day dd will spend in childcare in the school holidays.

I know of at least two or three people who are going to find it extremely hard when dc 2 goes. People who live outside of the village and who don't drive. The choice is either spend entire days hanging around the village (pub anyone??thats all that's there where you could wait) get bus to next town hang around there for an hour then get bus back, or defer til January when the kids can just go full time.

I'm not entirely sure how school funding works now, but I know that when DS started school, there was only part-day funding until the term in which he turned 5. So when the school admitted him full-time on the first day, he was in fact only funded for part of it - and for the August-borns who started with him, they only got part-day funding for two terms even though they attended full time right from September.

i don't know whether they have sorted that now, because iut was a really silly system.

I don't mean just before and after school-although I would like one starting before 815, but actual nurseries on site that could cope with all the faffing about transitioning from full time nursery to school entails. It would mean 1 drop off too, when you have a 5 and 3 year old.

They'd be tired if they were in full days in week 1 or week 5 though.

It would be hard for any nursery to cope with the faffing though Astr0naut - they'd have to have extra staff and space for just a few weeks a year, it's unlikely to be financially viable.

DS had four weeks of half days when he started P1 and I'm really thankful for it - he was knackered! I'm sure most children can 'cope' with full days but for a lot it won't be ideal.

Why are people demanding and insisting that a school's role is childcare? It isn't, it's education. (Although, historically schools have also been used to improve nutrition).

Of course, this raises issues about both parents working (or one parent in single parent homes) but that doesn't mean the school have a responsibility to sort it out. Just let them teach and do what's best for DCs - don't dilute schools' purpose. It is a PITA - but presumably most of the people on this thread planned their children and had a pretty good idea of a) standard holiday allowance and b) term lengths, holiday lengths, and so on. No point in being indignant now.

Lots of schools don't have room to provide breakfast/ after school clubs. Our school has one room used by after school club. If our roll continues to increase at the same rate they will need to leave by August 2015 as the room will be needed as a classroom.

Standard holiday length and term length doesn't have anything to do with the extended, random settling in hours that some schools do.

Schools function as childcare, the govt. insists on this. Education may be the primary purpose but it is silly to ignore the fact that schools allow parents to work.

DD1 is not able to go full time till Monday 30th September

indy, Ours is a 'pack away' one - it uses the school canteen and has specific storage units all round the room where the After school Club stuf is kept. No need for a full-time room.

Interestingly, there is also a pre-school on the school site, though not a full-service private nursery.

No ones demanding their role is child Care. Just that times have changed so much. Parents work more now, increasing amounts of pupils come from outside the catchment areas. This lovely little picture of kids walking to school and mum being home no longer exists in the way it did before. For many parents its not a case of an easy quick pick up at lunch time.

They are merely asking that this is recognised and perhaps that the situation is reversed. There is already the option of deferring til January (or the term after they turn five) and the option of part time in many schools. What there isn't , is the option to start full time straight away.

It seems that putting your child's needs before your own is a thing of the past.

They may function as childcare but that is not their purpose nor should it be.

Same as my car functions as a mobile make-up bag/mobile dog kennel/mobile umbrella but that is not it's actual purpose. It's purpose is to get me from A to B.

Really? Does a child not need home and food then? You know that work pays for that right and that to much time off results in dismissal these days?

To ignore a child's need to have financial stability is ridiculous though. The reality is parents need to work, they need their children to be at school.

OverTheFields - staggered starts work best for teachers, they don't work best for all children.

Then fit your job around your child not your child around your job. If you cannot afford to do that you cannot afford to have children.

I see - only SAHM in a relationship with their children's father should have children! Unfortunately many schools seem to work on this principal too.

OverTheFields - and what about the posters on this thread who are SAHMs whose children were upset and unsettled at extended phasing in periods, not being able to stay for lunch or afternoons etc?

And where are these employees that offer such flexible hours whilst still paying you? Where you can cater to a schools ever changing whim and not be in breech of a contract??

for overthefields

for all the parents and teachers trying to juggle the annual madness of new starts. And some and for good measure.

Even those who can afford child care CAN'T FIND any to take on such a short term post.

But what is best for children could include not screwing up their parents' annual leave so that they have to do more holiday playschemes because there is no annual leave left. All this "school is education not care" stuff is too simplistic. These are little children and education and care meld into each other for many years to come. Schools should, can and do respond to young children's tiredness (if it transpires) by building rest times and free play into the school day. It's part of a rounded education. It's not new. I remember sleeping curled up in the book corner through the last hour of reception every day for months and months. No one minded. I still learned stuff. My mum did not have to faff with half days. It was fine.

Elvis- that is ridiculous.