To wonder how the heck schools expect working parents to cope with this?

[Worriedaboutdog]

Apologies this may be a rant. DS1 is due to start school in September. We have therefore put childcare plans in place based on him starting school on the first day of term in September. School have just announced that:

a) reception start a week later
And
b) as a summer birthday, DS actually will do half days for another week after that, and ‘must be picked up at 1.30pm’.

No mention of either of these things was made when we looked round the school. We have already juggled the time off we have available to look after him over the summer. As it happens it’s probably easier for us than most parents as DH is a shift worker so can cover some days, but we were relying on him going to school at the beginning of September, and being in after-school club on days DH isn’t at home until I can get there to pick him up. Wtf are parents who both work Monday-Friday meant to do about two extra weeks?! This was all announced today in a meeting (I couldn’t go, because it was at 3.30pm, but DH did), and when he asked the class teacher if they had to go home at lunchtime or could stay and then go to after school club, she said they had to go home and we’d have to get ‘a grandparent or someone’ to pick them up. So we’ll just magic up a grandparent physically fit and willing enough to do a whole week of half days childcare, who is actually able to drive to the school, then.

He can possibly go back to his current nursery for the week he isn’t in school at all, but the half days are stumping me. I think I probably am being unreasonable to be cross - I realise school is not designed to be childcare, and therefore not run for the convenience of the parents, BUT they must know that parents make assumptions (based on the information on their website!) about the dates of terms and the length of the school day, and make arrangements accordingly. And that this just isn’t feasible for everyone, and if they don’t bloody tell you about it until June then plans (and budgets) for September childcare are already in place! Argh.

Schools do not give a rodents bottom about working parents, they simply expect you to be constantly ready to do anything necessary.
We have had a lot of pressure for the DCs to walk to school, not come by car
Impossible for working parents (unless they are fast runners, and live pretty close!).
Have also been summoned for an urgent meeting, and they were really annoyed that I was 40 miles away, working with customers at work - they very much expected me to drop everything and come immediately. When I got there, abandoning work, a bit over an hour later, it took the teacher a bit of thought to remember what had been so urgent....

Schools are a public service run to educate children. Many parents work, to make their lives more fulfilling, they contribute to the economy and their income enhances their children’s life chances.

Children have a legal right to full-time education from the start of the academic year. Some schools prevent children exercising this right. This can make the children unsettled, and can have a detrimental affect on their parents’ ability to hold down a job. For a number of reasons, parents would like to exercise their child’s legal right to a full-time place at school from the start of the academic year.

People who claim that it is a good thing that this right is being denied to children, that parenare should unquestioningly accommodate it, are in an odd position. The public sector is not here for convenience: it’s here for service - to carry out the work of government and among other things, uphold the law, and uphold legal rights.

Yep thats fairly standard introduction to school for reception. Our school dont let reception kids do after school clubs until after christmas either.

Ds1- summer born so just turned 4 when starting school- did half days until October half term. Complete and utter nightmare, fortunately l was on maternity leave with ds2. He wasn't tired in the slightest going to school as he was used to a much longer day at nursery.

Ds2 fortunately only had 2 weeks worth of faffing.

I helped another parent out during those two weeks by dropping her son back at his nursery for the afternoon.

Gomfor the full days if you possibly can, regardless of everything else. DD is a summer baby, and had to go half days for the first half term, and she never list that taint of ge8ng one of the babies who had to go home early (and couldn't wear school uniform either, until she went ft). So many of the older class children were horrid about it. Luckily, the school only took them up to Y2 and we moved before then too.

It is standard and has been for a long time. Wonder why you weren't given this info beforehand though start is 3 months away, if in the south of UK anyway.

Normal. My ds was 4 in August, started in September and did this until the January term when he was full time.

@manicmij my daughter starts this year. Last year they did staggered, previous years they didn't. We won't find out until Tuesday on our info evening. I called and asked and they said they said they'd tell us then.

Get ready for school .... ie get ready to be expected to magic up childcare at a moments’ notice . Sadly, this is not the last time it will happen . Our school regularly announces spurious reasons to pick kids up early and/ or magic up cakes , costumes , charitable contributions etc. They really don’t seem to care about working parents. This week alone we had 3 things to be in school for and 1 half day. All with less than 10 dsys’ notice

It's interesting that this 'policy based of years of educational experience' is only relevant for state school children. At private schools it's a full day from day 1.

If that is the case re private school then that just shows - private schools are not necessarily better schools! They cost more - doesn’t automatically make them better.
Plus they pander more to parents than the child - what a parent wants it gets at private school cos after all they are the one paying for it. And most parents don’t want staggered starts.

my DC had 2 weeks of pick up at 11, then 4 weeks of 1.30 pick up before finally having 3.30 pick up after half term. Its annoying but I think they do it to train you to be able to rustle up dressing up outfits, cakes, space rocket projects, homework and return numerous slips all at the drop of a hat.

OublietteBravo

State schools do seem to assume that:

1. Most children have a SAHP.
2. Children without a SAHP have grandparents who help out.
3. A weeks notice is ample for any school event.
4. Parents require less than 48h notice to provide cakes/ tombola prized/ exact amounts of cash for trips/ themed costumes.
5. Hospital appointments can be rearranged such that they never fall within school hours.
6. Parents are immediately contactable at any point during the school day, and can collect their child within 30 mins if requested to do so.
7. Parents can go to events scheduled immediately after school (e.g. at 3.30pm) without their child.

Yes, absolutely and it's so bloody frustrating especially when you're that parent who doesn't attend the sports day/reading cafe/whatever and you're made to feel bad when all you're doing is working hard to feed them and keep a roof over their heads.

Yep we had the same thing. We were able to juggle but it's the constant "come in next week for a morning/afternoon with your child" - a week's notice to book a half day, it's just ain't gonna happen. We've managed to make a couple of these days and I'll feel so sad for the kids that don't have a parent there - they do look upset. Then on days when we can't make it I think about how it's going to be my DS being sad (and guilt tripping me when I get home "some parents come on school outings" yes DS, lucky parents who don't have to work).

It's great to be involved in your child's school life, if I didn't work I would be more but I do wish school would be a bit more considerate of working parents - as much notice as possible for a start

I get terribly annoyed with schools and their last minute organisation. I recognise that school is about education and isn't free childcare, but why do they have to make it so difficult for working parents? Everything happens within school hours or straight after school and then you're made to feel like you don't care if you don't attend, when they only give you 3 days notice! There was recently a question as to why a normal summer event wasn't taking place and a snippy answer came back from the PTA that it was because nobody could be bothered to join the PTA to help organise it..... Well if you didn't have all your meetings at 2pm on a Tuesday, maybe more people could come!

It’s obvious that the main goal of schools is to provide education. BUT parents are required by law to send their children to school. For that reason I believe that schools ought to be responsible
for operating within a timetable that can, within reason, meet the needs of the majority of families in the UK. Today, the cost of living and economic uncertainty in the UK is such that most families need both parents to work. We also have an increasingly demanding employment market with less rights and security for employees. If working parents cannot arrange childcare to suit the school timetable then they may end up losing their job and of course then that will prevent them from providing housing, food, clothing etc for their children.

I also don’t agree with the argument that a phased start at school is best for the children. It certainly isn’t best for those children who have to do a half day at school and then spend the rest of the day in another form of childcare which then does not continue beyond a few weeks. It isn’t best for the parents who end up even more stressed and no doubt that stress will be picked up by the children. If the schools are really concerned about the children settling in then they could offer more relaxed sessions at school for the first few weeks - perhaps a morning lesson followed by lunch and then stay and play. Let’s be honest 9am until 3pm is hardly a long day.

I think that the work/family balance raises some majors issues that the government needs to tackle soon. Currently a lot of families get support from grandparents because that generation tended to retire earlier. But future generations will be working until they are 70 and so unable to provide any support. Childcare is increasing in cost. Living costs are increasing. Employment is unstable, demanding and often inflexible (appreciate that some employers are flexible of course by choice but there’s currently no requirement for them to accommodate their employee’s family commitments). It doesn’t bode well for future generations.

Anotherday - in all my many years of being involved with schools, I've never been called in for an 'emeŕgency meeting' - sick kids - yes, emergency meetings - no

My DC did no days in the first week (we had a home visit from the teacher, which was lovely but it meant I had 5 days of childcare to arrange!), then half a day in the second week (another 4.5 days to sort), then every other day for the following 2 weeks!!!! That was 14 days of annual leave my DH and I needed to take between us to care for them. We were lucky. Understanding managers. Flexible working arrangements. How other people manage this, I don’t know! My oldest (DS) doesn’t get tired. It was totally unnecessary. I remember feeling really cross at the time, but my youngest (DD) is very different. More clingy, more shy. It was just what she needed. I was more sympathetic second time round!

I sm a LP with 3 DC, F/T job and no grandparents nearby to help. Our reception teacher thought 9-3 would be too long a day for new starters and we had a fortnight of half days (all my DC used to 8am-6pm full-time nursery anyway) . Little thought about communication with working parents...for example a sign pinned to the classroom door at school pick up asking everyone to bring in wellies/costume etc tomorrow - useless if after school club collects your child so you don't see it and stressful for the child next day when they can't do the activity. And to cap it all, at parents'evening teacher said it would help my DS make friends if I could arrange to take other children home to play and tea a couple of times a week. Maybe she was right but I didn't have that option, she knew he was f/t at the after school club so it felt like a judgement. Whole process of moving from day nursery (where working parents are the norm), to school (where working parents are somehow 'not quite nice' ) was a shock.

Sympathise. I'm a secondary school teacher and so is my partner. I had to sneak out of school to take my child on the first day as I can't get leave and parental leave is very difficult to get let alone paid for. Her school did three weeks of different times induction ie one week afternoons the next week was mornings etc. Thankfully I had a child minder taking her and collecting her as there was no wrap around care and she agreed to the odd hours or I don't know what I would have done - no family near by and friends are teachers too.

In my experience of having had 3 dc, primary schools are anti working parents. I worked part time for years in order to try and manage their ridiculous last minute requests and unhelpfulness as no family around and dh travelling a lot. I just about managed it all part time but it was unnecessarily stressful and judgemental. Primary schools need to get with today's society and be parent friendly as well as that ultimately benefits the children. For all those saying the school is not childcare...well they have a responsibility to all children and the way they treat working parents is very anti child friendly. Primary school teachers, get off your high moral horses and live in the real world. And stop with the ridiculous demands and homework which we all know stah parents do anyway.

I have been a teacher for 18 years and coincidentally my son’s first day at school nursery was my first day of my first job. When I was a nursery teacher I tried very hard to accommodate working parents and always admitted full time of the child was ready. As a class teacher I always try to give as much notice as possible for upcoming events and try to reassure parents who can’t attend. As a mother I was lucky to be able to attend my son’s nativities (x2) when he was young but that was it. There was no option for me to take any time off. My partner went when he could. Nobody died. Everyone understood.
It has been explained over and over on here that working parents can request FT from the first day in Reception if they wish. Do that if you are experiencing difficulties. Most schools will try their best to accommodate you. What schools can’t do is stop everyone from taking part just because you can’t. It’s your responsibility to explain to your child why you can’t come. Most kids will understand and the teachers ( the ones some of you are slagging off) will do their best to make sure your child isn’t upset in any way. The school isn’t your enemy. As parents we tend to put ourselves under a huge amount of pressure and then scream that we’re being judged. Mostly it’s just not the case.

kentparent
Fuck off with your ‘live in the real world’ ... you have a problem with the school you talk to the school. Lots of primary teachers are parents too.

The school isn’t your enemy

This.

I haven't read the full thread but...

THIS IS MADNESS!

My children started school 1 day after the rest of the school. On the day they did start they had half the class in the morning and half in the afternoon. After that they were all full time.

Half of the children had been doing day nursery 8-6 ish 5 days a week. Some had been doing less hours but 2/3/4 days a week, some just doing mornings or afternoons and some no nursery at all. Yes they were tired but they got used to it,

I have heard of so many schools where they gradually increase the hours and the children finally do their first full week the week before October half term. Which I think is bloody ridiculous!

Reception is still pretty 'easy' (and so it should be) lots of play time and less formalised learning compared to year 1.

I think it's ridiculous to do half days when most of the children have been doing full days 5 days a week before starting school.