AIBU reception class start date

[Fortybingowings]

Our council website gives the start of term as Monday 4th September. DD starts reception this autumn having been in the school's nursery for afternoons since Sept 2016. Approx 3/4 of her reception year have also been in the nursery so they're familiar with the school.
We're told today that reception doesn't start until Wed 6th Sept, and even then, a third of the class start on Wed 6th, another third on Thurs 7th and the final third on Friday 8th. DD is one of the Friday starters. So now we need to sort child care for Monday- Thursday that week as both me and DH are working.
AIBU to be irritated (a lot) or is this sort of phased start the norm?

Normal.

I took the time off - nothing like seeing pfb on their first days at school.

A tiny part of me wants to say this is the reality of having dcs.... it's not always convenient.

It's annoying but it is the norm.

I do think it's an outdated norm though. Fewer families are able to be SAHP whilst their children are small nowadays so as a result there aren't as many children who won't be used to being without their parents. Most children have at least been in part l-time childcare until starting school.

I took the time off - nothing like seeing pfb on their first days at school.

It's not always possible though. I am busy teaching other people's DC.

When I first started teaching, children would start in the term they turned five. So, for some, that meant after Easter.
It's one of those things that is done with the children's best interests at heart, not the parents.

Well, the law is the law and whether it is normal practice or not, children have a right to a full time education from the start of term, barring INSET days.

So regardless of whether the school has deployed the teacher on home visits during the first two weeks, or they'd decided that only the autumn borns would do afternoons, etc., they will have to find a way of accommodating those children whose parents would like a full time attendance from the beginning.

Absolutely. If you want your Reception child to start fulltime when the term starts in September, the school MUST make that happen. You just have to inform then that you are requesting it.

It's not always possible though. I am busy teaching other people's DC

I appreciate that. But where you can take the time off, you should IMO. If you can't you can't.

That's the reality of having dcs!