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....

peachy - I think that is part of our problem sadly. The head has now left after being off sick long-term. I assume it's the same one you knew. He was great. We will miss him

Ok, well, voice of dissent here, I think

Personally, I think 4 is pretty young to be at school full time (bearing in mind that usually the more staggered intakes are for the younger kids). In fact, I'm seriously wondering about leaving ds at nursery for an extra term rather than putting him into school next Sept.

I think that shoving kids who aren't phyically ready into full time school is a bit pointless. Not that I'm saying anyone here is doing this, and obviously mums know whether their individual kid can cope with it ... but how is the school meant to know?

Also, from the teachers POV, drip feeding presumably gives them more time to settle those who need it/get to know indvidual personalites eyc.

My mum was a reception school teacher, and she said that she has at least one kid in every intake who really still needs a nap after lunch becuase they find school so knackering. In fact, she has mats set up in one corner so kids can have a snooze if they need one. She would also have a quiet word with mums & tell them to take kids off, if practical, when she felt they were getting tired.

I can see that it is an ungodly PITA (I work pt from home so have less hassles than about 99% world on this one, have to confess), but I can see why its done too.

dd2 is doing 2 weeks of half days and I think that's a bit excessive

also if they do 11 weeks of p/t then it's christmas (ie at home again) and then back f/t - madnessthat must only serve to confuse

enmore is still undersubscribed peachy. Which ends up with the ridiculous situation that kids from this area whose parents don't even own a car let alone drive, being offered places in a little village school miles out of town because ours is full.

And (rant hat on) with the huuuge numbers of new houses going up as infill round here I would imagine the situation won't improve. Somerset Bridge is having to move and increast it's intake massively. Which seems a shame.

You know, I don't actually mind so much that they don't let younger ones in until the government provides them with funding for them. What annoys me is that they are not honest. They say oh they are younger and not ready (I tell ya, mine is so ready and she is a March baby), or that's how the rest of the borough does it or some other pile of crap. Just say "We have to balance our books and we can't afford the intake until the government provides the funding". Now, that I could appreciate.

we dont have half days at all. Normal school starts at 0845 and ends at 1530 but for one week reception start at 0915 and finish at 1500.

Half days would do my head in and completly balls up the day- how are you supposed to work etc??

dd was exhausted after doing a 1/2 day at school and she was already 5 when she started - she was absolutely ready for 'school' way before she started, but it still tired her out

funnypeculiar, I agreee with you, but the assessment needs to be made based on each child, rather than a sweeping generalisation about the age and most parents know whether their child is ready for full days.

my dd is only just in the cut off for half days (feb birthday), but is very ready for full days. In fact, she takes quite a while to settle in each day at nursery and has found it easier to do a full day than a half day. She is also desperate to sit down and have lunch at school (she visited the school for lunch) and won't be able to do this.

my ds who had a January birthday and stayed full days from the beginning would have really benefitted from half days.

I didn't mind the half-days so much as DS2 was only 4 at the end of August (he's 6 today!) and it was an ideal transition for him - he still got very tired. But they don't do anything much with them until around the October half-term; it certainly wasn't until then that his teacher discovered how well he could read.

But some of the older children could easily have coped with more earlier.

as far as I know it is national but some Local Authorities choose to fund full time places for all from Sept but they have to do that from some other funding ...

Message withdrawn

one of the reason that schools have changed to a one intake in September is becaseu they get more money per child - they cna get the nursery vouchers as well as the per head money. Nursery vouchers run until the term in which the child turns 5, so it's in the school's financila interest to take 4 year-olds.

Two weeks of half days for everyone and then autumn born go full time. Then after half term prettty much everyone goes full time, though option to keep them half time until January if school and parent thinks thats best.

My little one is only just 4 so the thought of him going at all makes me sad - and he has only been at pre-school 4 mornings a week this term so I would be unhappy if he was going full time immediately.

Sisters both live within Somerset bridge catchment, they're going for St john and St Francis- one's OK, long Church links etc, the other is faking it, but schools round there with wrap around care are so far between (think the LEA still lives in 1960), and as Sis runs the service that provides the wrap around care, she can hardly leave early LOL.

The idea of aprents from that area being given the village schools is ridiculous- the rpecise reason its a surestart area is because its struggling, car ownership si very low. And did I see westonzoylansd school has problems now that will rpevent opening? (Our TV refuses to covert to Welsh news LOL)

Looks as if we're heading abck to Somerset next year but Glastonbury way 9well with a religion degree... LOL). Not looking forwards to dealing with the LEa again...

Brave enough to come back & fight my corner!

Yes, individal assessment sounds lovely. Who's going to do that? The mum? The teacher? What if they disagree- what happens then? I guess you've got to have something as a starting point - and child's age seems like the most sensible one. And yes, of course, it seems sensible to monitor how things go, and be flexible. Eg note the contrast between pollyannas & hana's posts - a child can be ready for school but still find it exhausting. But realistically, how would you manage that? Organise childcare/time off work for all 11 weeks in case your child needed it, then change plans? Would that be any better>

(PS pollyanna doesn't your school have a lunch club? Ds could stay for lunch if he wanted, even if not staying for afternoon)

And doodledootoo - yes, was, she retired last year. I suspect she was very good. She was however very, very child focused. A good thing? Yes, but it meant that sometimes she would end up having to get parents to back off/let the kids take things easy a bit (middle class state school)

I'm just trying to think of the alternatives to a blanket approach.
O.k. all children start full time on day one. Then during the first term the teacher identifies those children who are clearly not coping and decides that half a day is better for those individuals. I can just imagine the furore from working parents!
It works less well than knowing up front I would've thought.

crossed posts

Well teh norm at our school is a wekek induction, and then negotiated after for kids who have difficulties- given that all the kids have spent a year in the nursery there anyhow, I've not known many issues. I do think things should be more flexible- we wanted ds3 tor epeat nursery, as did his therapists and paed, but LEA has a blanket policy of sod off.

sorry tigerfeet - i am completely lost on your education system and therefore shouldnt comment

I have a better idea
They all start full time
They do schooly things in teh am then just play in the pm

in reception they play all day though.
no schooly type things till year one.

but would that give the teachers time for afternoon tea and cake, CD?

ok. easy on the teachers. they don't have the afternoons off, they are used throughout the school for other things - noncontact time, specialist subjects, training etc etc. with , I'm sure, a nice cup of tea at some point

That's basically what they do already CD