School Settling in Period

[LouieLou2013]

Is six bloody weeks. How the fuck am I supposed to manage that!.

I get that they need to settle in and was expecting two weeks, six.

What the actual fuck am I supposed to do. Work are very flexible and accommodating but this will tip them over the edge.

AIBUR to say six weeks is to long?

Where are you? In Scotland it used to be until the October week they did half days (we start back in August as well) but I'm sure this has been shortened to a week or so

It's a nightmare for working parents and many schools don't take that long. BUT schools are not childcare providers. There will be lots of holidays and INSET days and days your child is sick so you need to start considering all your childcare options now. This time enables teachers to establish routines and boundaries and work on the group getting to know each other and feeling happy in school.

Yanbu. In England at least I think you can insist on full time from start of term. I would speak to the school. (PS you will probably get a lot of its education not childcare replies but I agree it's daft).

School holidays are covered thank you, that is not the issue.

In England so I can probably insist on the full time place but that's probably not in his best interest either if all the other children will be very part time. I honestly expected a couple of weeks

We have until the end of August, so roughly three weeks - and even that seems excessive. When I started school we got a grand total of zero 'settling in' weeks.

I agree with a PP who suggested starting to look at your childcare options now.

As I said my work are flexible. Nursery have inset days and my child has been sick, it's not the issue

He'll be in holiday club or I'll take a gal leave for the holidays

Protracted settling in periods are rather crap - most schools don't go in for it. DC have enough to deal with in starting school without having to cope with ad hoc childcare too.

6 weeks really is taking the mickey.

Also there will be no routine for him he's not going to know what the hell is going on.

i feel for you. Ours is 2.5 weeks which i think is bad enough. I completely agree this has nothing to do with sickness or holiday cover!

six weeks! Why not ask about the child doing say 2 or 3 weeks part-time but insist on a fulltime place from then onwards?

In our school reception children are not allowed in the afterschool clubs either so im now hiring a nanny to care for my toddler and school aged kids. I know school isn't a childcare provider but if the nation wants parents to work then they need to work out how that is going to be facilitated! Its not fair on the workplaces to have to deal with all the chaos caused by schools.

good luck.

Wow that's long.

Mine is 2 weeks.

Maybe you could do two weeks settling and then insist on full time from there?

I think the half day thing is way more damaging. My little boys school do half the class in the morning and half in the afternoon. He made a new little friend in the first 2weeks but when they merged it changed the dynamics again and old school nursery friends came back and my DS had to start over. He had been doing full days at nursery since 8 months.

Ours was 4 weeks, mornings for 2 weeks then afternoon for two then full time. It's difficult but there's not much you can do

I really do not have a clue what I am going to do. At present I work 4 days but will be working 5 days in order to do pick up and drop off.

Starting school was supposed to be the making of me and my boy, I'll be over £700 a month better off without nursery fee's. I've worked so bloody hard to get this far scrimping every bloody month. I guess I need to speak to my (childless director)

Work/school/home are all in a five min walk from each other so it should have been bloody perfect.

No after school clubs for reception here either but I shouldn't need to use them anyway.

You arrange for nursery to pick up and drop off for the 6 wks

What do you do for childcare at the moment? I was really lucky with my first. Nursery helped out.
Local childminder?
Any friends in same position? Could you share childcare or help each other out?
Any chance at all to work from home for a few hours?
Speak to the school to see if they know what parents have done in the past or if they know of anyone who can help?

What about a childminder for the first 6 weeks? I know it's not saving you much money but at least you could still go to work.

That's ridiculous though. I know they try to make transition easy but 6 weeks?! Not every family had a sahp and at least most schools offer after school/breakfast club for reception ages

Nursery won't, I've asked. It's a Childrens centre and they said it will be to disruptive for their new starters.

Think it's going to have to be a temporary childminder for the settling in six weeks, if I can find one. Most parents seem to either have one sahp or local family support

As a reception teacher I have to say I completely agree!! It is ridiculous to expect children to be psyched up to go to big school and then confuse them by changing the hours, groupings and k by week or sometimes day by day schedule. I would and in the past have had no problem accommodating children full time from day 1. In my opinion it's much better for them as they know the expectation and if they get tired well there's always the option of a comfy book corner for a small rest.

I would discuss with other parents and see if they feel the same way and approach the teacher as a united front, there is simply no reason for 6 weeks of settling it, it benefits nobody.

Stupid. Really stupid

I'm lucky that I'm a sahm. I have no family to help. All too busy. But I do have support from dh which from the sounds of things your a single parent too?

Part of the staggered start is for those children who have not accessed full days away from their parents yet.

Does the school have a preschool attached and would they have space to accommodate your child on the non-school portions of the day.

Our school thankfully only does 2 weeks - along the lines of 3 half days before lunch collect, 2 after lunch collect and the following week mon and fri half days, the rest full days. Last year Preschool kept spaces available for those who were already accessing full time childcare on the short days.

I agree that school is not childcare, but that is neither the parents nor the school's fault.

Are you able to use some annual leave, is dc's Dad involved and could be asked to share the burden. See if nursery would be able to accommodate if they are nearby - dd1's nursery used to do morning and afternoon school care including walking the children to and from school.

Settling in periods are ridiculous! My two go to an international school and thank God we avoid all this crap. Most children these days are used to full days in nursery. Why on earth does anyone need six weeks of half days and chopping and changing? There is little consistency and it just causes stress, no one is able to get into routine until October half term, by which point the week off throws the children again.

Really annoying. I was on maternity leave when my eldest started so it was easy but confusing for him going from full nursery days to just 3 hours sessions. Thankfully he could go fulltime from the second week.

When my youngest starts I will have to take leave from work for a week. But leave i can't do much with as we will have to be back at school a couple of hours later to get the eldest. It's barking.

Yanbu

6 weeks is a bloody nightmare. Talk to the school and explain you can't manage that with work. I'm sure you won't be the only one.

Mine had a staggered start for children over a week, then usually 2 part days until starting full days (unless the child couldn't cope). That seemed pretty reasonable to me.