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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

197 replies

OrmIrian · 31/08/2007 11:30

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....

OP posts:

Anna8888 · 03/09/2007 08:14

My daughter (2.10) is going to start pre-school here in Paris at the end of this week with a whole year of half-days and half-sized classes (ie mornings only, 15 children) of children born July-December. The children born between January-June will go to school in the afternoons only for the first year. This is a modification of the normal French system where children can go to school all day from the September of the calendar year of their third birthday.

From the September of the calendar year of their fourth birthdays all children pretty much go to school all day. The headmistress of my daughter's school says that lots of them fall asleep in the afternoon.

Ultimately, school hours have to be a huge compromise between the needs of the individual child (and they are all so different) and parents' availability. Nothing is ever going to be perfect.

BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 03/09/2007 08:33

DS went part-time until Christmas.

I just extended my childcare arrangements.

The only gripe I had was that they should have been allowed to stay for lunch.

This would have helped some of the children socialise.

KTeePee · 03/09/2007 09:03

Yes, agree about lunch LGJ. Especially as so many nurseries around here offer lunch clubs so the children are already used to staying for lunch - so it is a step backwards in a way when they go to school.

tjacksonpfc · 03/09/2007 09:24

myy dd starts pre school wednesday she was 3 in july and how our school do it when it comes to starting reception the pre school take the lead the children that they think are ready for big school start full days in september the other ones they feed in gradually but they do the work from reception in the pre school enviroment which i think is a great way of doing it.

wheresthehamster · 03/09/2007 15:49

I and some other mums asked the head about staying for lunch, gave our reasons and she agreed.
Worth a try maybe

NAB3 · 03/09/2007 15:50

I wish our Head would. Parents get no say.

Original poster

OrmIrian · 03/09/2007 16:30

Well.... thanks for your input everyone. Consensus amongst other parents who had a starter last year is that many children ended up staying for lunch about week 4, and all day around week 6. Which isn't so bad. We'll see...

OP posts:

amidaiwish · 03/09/2007 16:36

I don't get how your dcs are starting school so young?

DD1 is 3.5 now and won't go into reception until Sept 2008 when she will be over 4.5

DD2 is an October baby so will start school one month before her 5th birthday

DD1 is ready for it now tbh. full days too, she'd be fine.

Original poster

OrmIrian · 03/09/2007 16:40

Well DS#2 went to a party on sat for a lad he knew from nursery who was 4 last week. He's starting school on Thursday. I think he will find it hard no matter how bright he is. He's a good 6m younger than my boy and it must make a difference - an 8th of their lives. I was lucky that all mine were born in the first third of the year.

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HuwEdwards · 03/09/2007 16:44

11 weeks

2 weeks here

my sympathies

NAB3 · 03/09/2007 16:44

They go to school the Sept after they are 4.

Elasticwoman · 03/09/2007 21:21

Ormiron - my ds is a July baby and started in the Reception class the Sept after he turned 4. I was worried that it would be too much for him, as there was NO INDUCTION PERIOD AT ALL. I spoke to the head beforehand and she said that in her experience even the summer birthday children were fine, but if there were problems, we could negotiated part-time for him. That cheered me up no end. Ds loved school from day 1 and there was no need to go p/t - for him or any other child in his class.

3andnomore · 03/09/2007 21:34

Orm...I can understand your annoyance, if you work...and all that...but, to me, it still is weird that children as young as they start over here, are actually starting school....

MadMare · 03/09/2007 21:37

DS only has 2 half days(inc lunch) before starting full time... he cant wait... i may cry

Elasticwoman · 03/09/2007 21:44

Can't understand mums who cry when dc go to next stage in life. Time for rejoicing imo.

MadMare · 03/09/2007 21:55

Yes - next stage of life, but you are also relinquishing some of your control...

Original poster

OrmIrian · 04/09/2007 10:00

3and - I agree. I want him at home longer. I'd rather he could wait another year or so and then go full-time. It's the half and half that is such a pita.

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minouminou · 05/09/2007 10:05

what happened to the days when you got drop-kicked into your class and then your mum went home and had a margarita to celebrate?
My boy's under a year still, but a chum's daughter is about to start, and they've got this regime of the parents having to stay for the 1st 15 mins EVERY day of the next academic year.
Doesn't the school realise that people have lives outside?
I reckon - as this school is uber-desirable (and uber-uber snooty)- that this requirement is a sneaky selection criteria to weed out them wot does have to work, or aren't prepared to get into the alpha-yummy-mummy verbal mud and Bugaboo wrestling that goes on round here
tell you - i'm thinking, if we're still here in a few years, he's going to the cheap and cheerful school down the road - it doesn't seem so aspirational and tightly wound.

minouminou · 05/09/2007 10:07

and, i forgeot to add, this is despite this desirable school being, as the crow flies, 100 metres from our flat

minouminou · 05/09/2007 10:37

i also forgot to add that this school also has at least 1 term of half days as well, and the 15 minute rule applies to half days

3andnomore · 05/09/2007 21:50

mino that school sounds like a horror....
with es there was nothing but a month of half days, 2 weeks ealry and 2 weeks afternoon and that was that....never met his teacher before, nothing...

With ms now, the Nursery takes the Kids across to the Primary school a few times in their last term there, and they did a parentsevening, to meet the teacher and find out some stuff, and then us parents were asked to take the Kids one morning/afternoon (depending on when they usually go to Nursery) and stay with them for that one session, teh Induction day...
he now will have 2 weeks of half days and that is it! Must say I feel more prepared this time....last time I didn't know what to expect at all, I had no clue about the english schoolsystem anyway, but having no real contact to the school at all, etc....really made me feel a bit anxious about what was expected, etc...

Original poster

OrmIrian · 06/09/2007 11:29

Small update: we have just been told that there are 4 inset days within the first half term too.....

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