in thinking that most children will not need 11 weeks of half days when they start school?

[OrmIrian]

Because 6 weeks of half days with DD and DS#1 was hard enough to deal with whilst trying to hold down a job. But now I've just noticed that DS#2 will have to do 11 weeks of half days before finally being allowed to go full time - serves me right for not reading all the stuff we were given last term. It used to go on until half term - now it's half way though the second half as well. Why? Really, why? If any child isn't settled after 6 weeks surely that child can be handled differently - not the whole class... And DS is doing afternoons the whole time. They used to alternate the kids between mornings and afternoon.

Oh sh*t!!! I think my company's "family friendliness" may be tested to the limit by this one..

S'OK. I know I ABU. But I am so fed up....

naily
dd will be 5!

yes i know cd
but we dont have that receptioon whatsit

Home Visits CD... what's all that about then?

11 weeks seems utterly overkill. Bet this is the governers - the school DS is going to wanted to drop the number of weeks to 4 but the governers said "No" apparently - so here we are - 7 weeks of it.

dd2 starts school next week. she is doing 3 days f half days then into full days.

not 11 bloody weeks

unless you are in an area with one intake take per year? we have two a year here.

i have to go now and collect dd1 from school - EVERY school - every class - in Edinburgh shuts at 12 on a friday

I've spoken to the teachers about it before but all I ever get is 'it helps the children to settle in happily' and I really don't want to start a row at the very start of my childrens' school career. And it'about my convenience not my child's benefit so I feel bad making a fuss.

But I'd love to know the 'real' reasoning behind it.

Yes only one intake ladyvictoria.

PMSL ormirian, I s about to say ah yes ds1 ahd this (Eastover) then i relaised who it was

DS2 ahd part time for a week, the teachers ahd the option of extending but didn't for the vast majority.

DS3 will go part time for a term BUT that is my specific rewuest, so i canmoinitor his SN.

CD, I can trump that, as dd2 doesn't start till 24th September. But then again we did sneak the last place at an incredibly oversubscribed school having missed the cutoff date for applications because of our house vendors messing us about. So seems churlish to complain too much...

No idea
I guess they want to identify disadvantaged children so they can be aware of issues? I really can't think of any other reason.

Our school is SO nambypamby

Firstly they don't start til 17th,
secondly they THEN have three intakes in that week, 10 on Mon, 10 on Weds, 10 on Fri
thirdly they have half days all term
fourthhly the school visits

FFS are they expecting a bunch of neurotic clingy kids or what/?

It's new at DD's school that they go full day after x-mas. If they hadn't changed the rules she would go half days until April! What? No!!!! Take her all day the sooner the better. She gets bored at home. I hate the summer hols. She is much happier being occupied all day at school with friends and toys.

I'm opposed to giving younger kids a half day and older ones a full day because I think it's a double whammy against the younger ones. They are disadvantaged of course by nature of being younger, but then on top of that they are sent home half way through the day and so miss things that the older ones get to do.

(one thing I did find at Eastover btw was that working aprents were VERY few and far between, so there wasn't the same level of difficulty there would be elsewhere, iyswim.)

np - dd will be in the pre school class at nursery from Christmas onwards - very similar to a school environment with trained teachers in a Reception class environment.

tbh I am not all that happy that at 3.6 she will be in such a structured environment but she will be at school by 4.2 (the school only does September intake so I can't delay it) so I think it will be kinder for her to be used to structure in a familiar surroundings before school.

Will disappear now as am going completely off topic...

am wishing we had gone with private option now

so you get all sixty kids starting at once. that harsh really. dd2 school is only 30per class, she starts in a class of 14 next week. she is used to full time nursery (9-3.30) in groups of 30 anyway, so hopefully wont be unsettled after xmas with the other 16kids joining.

With private you get even less school for your money, CD. My nephew doesn't go back till 12th September or some such nonsense.

peachy - they still are quite rare it seems. Which is presumably why no-one more assertive than I has made a fuss yet.

yes, my dd2 is part time for the whole of the first term. I have no idea what I am going to do when I am at work.

(i'm taking a head in sand approach here - but I need to sort something out quickly really).
I agree it's ridiculous - she's very ready to go full time and is quite disappointed that she's missing lunch!

30 per year group i mean,

dd1 did half days for the autumn term last year and I thought it was great. School is a lot different from preschool and some of the children were so young. dd1 was one of oldest, so that wasn't a problem, but I was happy to still have her around for the afternoons.
may think differently by the time dd3 is off to school in 4 years time though. But I liked the half days thing

ladyv - my DS is 4.7 so old enough to cope and had been to nursery full-time 2 days a week for a year. I appreciate that there are going to be some really little ones but it would be more sensible if they did half days perhaps.

Full days from day 1 here too.

Reception's just another year of nursery though isn't it?

Not like the proper education you get round here

Oh yes the private school had a 2 week h/t in Oct ffs