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.

YANBU
When DD started reception there was some staggered start available that had mornings here, afternoons there and gradually built up over 4 weeks. Fortunately it wasn't compulsory and you could put them in full time from the start if preferred. As it turned out almost everyone did, even the SAHM, as many of them had other DC already at school and would have spent all day shuttling back and forth otherwise.

DDs day actually got shorter at school anyway as I went from 4 full days to 5 short days so instead of 8:30 - 6:00 at nursery she was 9:00 - 5:00 at school /after school.

And to people commenting that the school are not there to provide childcare or:
It is their not their problem to sort out your childcare arrangements.

I think you will find most working parents know all about finding and paying for childcare and have been doing it for years before school starts. It is not a case of expecting the school to sort out childcare arrangements just wishing that they would not disrupt the arrangements we have already put in place by imposing temporary, ad hoc hours like this.

School isn’t childcare but nor should it impede you making childcare arrangements.

My experience was this, armed with Mumsnet advice I decided to demand a full time place for my summer born ds from day 1. I’d heard the settling in was a month but then found out it was ‘only’ 2 weeks and i mellowed a bit and thought ok, I can make this work by keeping the nursery place. My ds was fine in school but withdrawn and quiet going back to nursery in the afternoon. As it happened his freelancer father had some work cancelled and nursery could see it wasn’t working so the second week he stayed with his dad.

My impression is it is more about the teachers than the children. Those saying that parents should be putting the child first and going with whatever harebrained scheme the school proposes, might want to think about why, if staggered start is essential, not every school does it and those that do have a gazillion different permutations on the ‘how’. This is about preference and opinion not evidence.

Kent county council advice: www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-age#
You have the right to start your child at school on a full time basis from the September following their 4th birthday, providing they have been allocated a school place. While schools are free to suggest a preferred induction process, parents retain the right to formally request that the school provide a full term schedule for their child from the beginning of the school year.

Except not one of the dates is on a weekend.

Suggest to the PTA it would be nice? There will be others in your boat.

If DH is a shift worker, is he free one day they’ve mentioned?

They wanted to do this with dd but I said no she had been in full time nursery longer hours. I think they cant legally enforce.

I expect they make arrangements based on the fact they have years of experience helping children adjust to starting school and prioritise this over parental convenience.

I’ve got a feeling most schools do it because it’s what they’ve always done. Children seem to settle into the routine much quicker if you hit the ground running. Having the option to stagger for parents that choose would be much better.

just wishing that they would not disrupt the arrangements we have already put in place by imposing temporary, ad hoc hours like this.

They're not disrupting anything! Schools operate the way they operate and always have done, which is for the benefit of the majority and for operational reasons. They cannot be expected to cater for the myriad of personal arrangements of all the families that attend.

Why does it come as such a shock to people that once their child starts school, they'll have to organise wrap-around care?

Only on MN do people say you can insist he stays all day. I mean, you might try it, but to the school is likely to say no, but mainly - what would that be like? Your first week of primary one, all your pals leave to have lunch at home and you sit there, just you and your teacher, or dumped into a different class, for the rest of the day.

Exactly.
Those saying insist on full days, do you really think the teacher will plan afternoon activities for one child and give them individual attention?

And the same from hants: www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions/applicationprocess/changeorlateapplication/startingschool
Most children start school full-time in the September after their fourth birthday. There are other options for parents of four year olds who feel their child is not yet ready for school.

Parents have the opportunity to:

start their child in September on a full-time basis from their first day of attendance or
allow their child to attend on a part-time basis until the start of the term after the child's fifth birthday or
defer their child's entry to school until later in the school year. This must not be beyond the start of the term after their fifth birthday or beyond the start of the final term of the school year

When my eldest too started (now 15 and 18) summer babies were part time till Christmas! pretty rubbish to manage. I wouldn't get too annoyed as otherwise it will be an endless battle. We have had two things during the school day in the last week. Next week is sports day and with a week's notice the school have suggested that parents may like to take the kids home at lunchtime. It is truly a bit of a nightmare for working parents!

Children seem to settle into the routine much quicker if you hit the ground running.
That is a generalisation that would be very hard to prove.

Agree with others. It's ridiculous if like us you don't have family or other support, so they'll just be going to an unfamiliar babysitter or childminder for their half days anyway. Presumably the 'school isn't childcare' brigade are also ok with continuing to pay benefits for parents regardless of their children's ages, as they should be available for weeks like this, as well as school holidays, inset days etc? It's bloody frustrating sometimes...

Dc joined the Y1 children for lunch and in the afternoon did some reading with the TA. By day 3 there were other reception children and they did the same. By the end of the “transition” period, over half the class was full time and they’d had lunch grouped with Y1 every day (and made friends in Y1) and had lots of stories and some phonics and music in the afternoons.

My dd's school was part time till bloody half term. It still makes me cross. Coming after the long summer holidays it could push some families' financial security off a cliff, but they just say"it's better for the children this way". Dd2 starts next year and I'm already working my contacts to see if I can find some kindred spirits to swap favours with, though I can't help but think it'd be less unsettling just to have an actual school routine. She's been at nursery for full days after all

My kids school don’t do this.

They believe that going for an hour on Monday, two hours on Tuesday, in the afternoon on Wednesday and then 4 hours on Thursday whilst being picked up by whatever hotchpot of people their parents manage to pull together is not particularly settling.

They start at 8:45am on the first day and off they go.

Personally I can see pros and cons.

However holidays are a zero sum game. Every day a parent spends fitting around “settling in” is one less day that parents have for school holidays.

The autumn term is long and gruelling. Being able to spend half term at home with a parent is very valuable. As is being with family at Xmas,.

And that is what “settling in”is costing children.

dds school and year had a bulge class, so 90 starting.
head teacher, the most sensible woman to walk the earth, said that all kids could come all day right from the start. parents could decide if they wanted to pick them up early up to half term. just let them know.

School isn't childcare is a ridiculous stance. Who organises their lives around the whim of schools to close on no notice?

My summer born DD had to do half days from September to Easter. I got a childminder to pick her up lunchtimes as I was working.

I’m a teacher and my school doesn’t do staggered starts unless parents request it. Most children have done full days in nursery before school starts.

I am dreading my own child starting school next year. If her primary does staggered starts then I’m absolutely fine with taking unpaid leave (sharing the time taken with DH) so that I can accommodate the staggered start to reception. I’m not sure the parents of my reception intake will be pleased with that though and my school is unlikely to approve my leave request.

This is really common. Be thankful its only a week. Mine had the whole first half term as half days!

School is ‘childcare’ in the sense that we are compelled by law to send children to school, where they are ‘in care’ of them until the end of the school day.

No we are not compelled by law to send out children to school, we are compelled by law to provide them with a suitable education, which does not have to involve school. My 12 year old DD does not go to school but is receiving a suitable education, which takes into account her needs.

Please NoSquirrels do not pedal lies!

I see in your post you mention HE, which contradicts this statement, so I wonder why you made it.

Coming after the long summer holidays it could push some families' financial security off a cliff. Yep - the reason we are juggling time off over the summer is that we simply can’t afford to have both DC in childcare at the same time for more than the 10 weeks between me ending maternity leave and the start of the summer holidays, so DS1 switched to term time only with the expectation that he’d be starting school in September when the schools go back! We literally timed ttc DS2 based on them barely overlapping in childcare! An extra week of nursery for DS1 will be over £200 which is really not a negligible amount.

And in response to PPs saying it’s my responsibility to sort childcare - I know that! And I have, based on what I thought would be happening. But I can only do it based on the information I have. I genuinely had no idea schools did this!

The school.isnt childcare line is what it is.

Your child, you are responsible. Not the school, for childcare

Phased start is absolutely standard practice.

I'm afraid you'll have to just suck it up. Same as inset etc, schools won't work around your schedule. You have to work around your child's one now you have a child. Going to school doesn't change that.

Find a childminder local to the school.

Please NoSquirrels do not pedal lies!

I see in your post you mention HE, which contradicts this statement, so I wonder why you made it.

Blimey - over-reaction much?

I wrote as I thought, and neglected to mention HE in the first instance. We are compelled to provide an education. If we choose to send them to school for that education, we are then compelled by law to make sure they attend - we cannot puck and choose when to take advantage of ‘education provision’ and when to choose ‘childcare’ as an option.

All I will say is get used to it. The amount of stuff that school will pull on you at the last minute expecting you to just be able to magically appear in the middle of a work day with next to no notice is ridiculous. I've had the same experience with 2 schools as well.

Thankfully we have none of this half day nonsense when they started at current school. I thought it was an old fashioned thing and most schools didn't bother now.