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?

BUT schools are not childcare providers
Schools do care for children. They need to get over their attitude towards the rest of society. Schools are the only organisation worse than the NHS that expects everyone else to work around them.

OP - you should be able to demand the school takes your child full time from the beginning. Or keep your child in nursery until the school is willing to take them full time.

6 weeks!? That's ridiculous. I'm a teacher and children have always started full time from the first day in reception round here with no settling in period.

If your DS is already in nursery and used to being away from you for a full day I would just ask for full time from the beginning.

DS dad is self employed so no work = no money although he is involved hopefully I can get him to do some.

I can take two weeks AL but that's all I'm allowed to take in one go (will also need to keep a bit back for actual school holidays though). I actually get 36 days paid leave so quite generous.

I might take to Facebook and see if others are in the same situation and go to the school mob handed.

Don't go to the school "mob handed". That's definitely not the way to seek their help and cooperation or start your relationship with them in a positive and constructive way.

Yeah I agree with Wolfie

No need to go mob handed. I'm sure if you explained the situation and your rights, you can insist on your child starting full time straight away

Sorry, I just mean see if others are in the same boat and try and sort something out.

Not rock up and start demanding they start children full time the first week of Sept.

Yes go to the school and insist after 2 weeks he will be full time. Explain he's used to full days therefore a change will be worse than this settling in bollocks period.

Do you have any friends who are a sahm or will be?

I would have been more than happy to help a friend out for a few weeks. Even if someone could just do a couple of days a week for you. Or maybe try and team up with another mum or two so you can cover the week between you?

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.

I totally agree with this

Don't go to the school "mob handed". That's definitely not the way to seek their help and cooperation or start your relationship with them in a positive and constructive way.
How about the school learn how to start relationships with parents in a positive and constructive way?

The situation is probably solvable one way or another. But it's going to be so disruptive and probably not a very good starting school experience for DS. I'm actually really gutted.

YANBU, our school start them full time from day one - both my kids settled in really well.

I'm in Scotland and we had no settling in period at all. They were all full time from the first day.

It worked just fine.

Oh bloody hell 6 weeks?! I don't blame you for being gutted, how the hell are the school expecting you to manage with that?!

We are still waiting on news for our September reception starter but I asked my neighbour whose DD started two years ago and she said that the reception kids start a week after the other kids, but go full time straight away.

I've been stressing about sorting the days between him leaving nursery and starting school as well as covering Oct half term using this years leave! (I also do 4 days a week).

In the end I think I'm going to take a weeks unpaid leave and also work from home (thank god my director is really flexible and understanding).

YANBU our school settling in takes one week. Half the class attend Monday and Wednesday all day. The other half of the class attend Tuesday and Thursday all day then they're all in together on the Friday.

They get two days of gently, gently with all TA staff present and only 16 children. This worked well with DD1 and expect it to work well with DD2.

6 weeks is a joke IMO.

And why does the teacher have to come to my house?

Teacher coming to your house is so the child meets them on their own home turf. Also if you have specific things to discuss that you don't want other parents overhearing. also so they can see if you have any books

We also have six weeks settling in here. I agree it's ludicrous - I'm planning to talk to the school to see if there's any flexibility as we will struggle with it too, as will DS who likes routine. I suspect it's for the school's benefit, not the pupils.

"it's education, not childcare" as lovely and altruistic as that is, free universal education WAS set up to be childcare, and is still very much considered to be childcare by the government (benefit changes from school age, funding of out of school clubs to facilitate full time employment).

YANBU, 6 weeks is ridiculous. Not just for childcare issues, but also because for most kids, it isn't necessary.

I think it's pretty normal for teachers to do a home visit - it means the children get to meet them beforehand and you get some time with them to go over and individual concerns you might have regarding your child. Maybe it would be worth talking to them then?

Ours was 6 weeks and it was a nightmare and it did not help DS settle in. In fact, despite loving his teacher and liking school in general, he had to be pulled off me every drop off, despite having been almost full time at pre school beforehand. I have every sympathy for you! I wish I had insisted on him starting full time/held him back for those weeks (he was summer born so one of the youngest and pre school was happy to do it). I thought like you that either option would put him at a disadvantage to the other children but, retrospectively, it couldn't have gone any worse.

Oh the joys, can't wait for that one. Still at least I have books.

Interesting to see others have a similar settling in.

I also think it will be detrimental to my DS.

I'm going to send the school and e-mail. Although their communication to date has been piss poor so doubt I'll get a response.

Utterly ridiculous. Both of mine started full days immediately. Half an hour late start on the first day but then full time. I was a SAHM at the time and for each of them it was the first time they had been away from me for more than a few hours but they were fine.

The school I currently work in goes straight to full days too. It is disruptive to the school to do those ridiculous part days too.

And why does the teacher have to come to my house?
To have a nose around. I wonder if they complie a report on you and your living standards afterwards?