Staggered start is illegal exclusion

[HapptobeTHATparent]

DD turns 5 on 2nd September. Just received her school starter paperwork and it's a staggered start, so won't actually start full time until 16th September. No home visits so no need for staggered start. 26 children already attend the school nursery full time.

AIBU to accuse the school of illegal exclusion by not allowing DD and the 25 others already attending school (nursery) full time (plus any new starters who wish to start full time straight away), to return to school on the 1st September like the rest of the school.

State maintained school (not academy).

Slightly tounge in cheek, but also hoping for some links to documents I can quote at the school.

Every school must have the resources to educate all children on roll from the start of term.

Most have got rid of staggered starts where I am & ofsted are not keen on them, they are likely to be phased out everywhere. Our governing body were advised by the local education authority that they were being discouraged as little to no evidence it benefits parents and it actively creates a problem for working parents, especially those on the lowest incomes.

I am not naive. I have been a parent of multiple children who have been through this transition process and I am also a member of staff who experiences this every year. Yes it is inconvenient but that is part of parenthood.

I have total respect for all childcare staff.

You need to plan childcare around your child's school, not expect school to pick up your admin. Probably not the school for you if you're not happy with their arrangements that are made to support the children transitioning into a structured learning environment
It's not expecting school to pick up the admin and childcare by wanting them to offer the full time education that the children are entitled to (and that they're funded to provide).

You need to plan childcare around your child's school, not expect school to pick up your admin.
Its not OPs admin. Her child is entitled to a full time school place from the start of term, her employer will expect this because it is state mandated and not optional for the school to provide it.

This thread comes up each year. You can notify the school that your DC will be attending full time from the start of the term. We did as do many others. Wasn’t an issue.

Anyway, your child could be being taught by a teacher who has never taught in EYFS before, with no TA in the room. It could be an ECT, or the teacher who was in Year 3 last year, or a supply teacher as recruitment has been a nightmare this year.

Exactly that. Our reception teacher next year has been teaching year 4 for the last 4 years and year 3 for a few years before that. I don’t know where this idea of highly trained EYFS professionals comes from. Anyone with QTS can be put in reception. There is no CPD anymore so although in the past a teacher could sign themselves up to a course they simply don’t exist anymore.

Just talk to them OP, don't go in armed with documents and whatever else unless they say no you'll look ridiculous and they'll full well know the legal position. We do the opposite and every child starts full time unless they speak to us and actively want a staggered start- usually there's a handful but we do a fortnight at most and then everyone's in. For some children it does benefit them (and parents for a variety of reasons), but yes full time provision should be the standard.

What are you going to do when your place of work has holidays that don't aline with your childs'?

Often wrap around care places pick up children who are on staggered starts.

If they are under 5 they don't have to take them full time. Plus starting reception is a nightmare for the kids and adults. 30 kids crying at drop off/can't find their peg/scared to go toilet/forgotten their carpet space/can't find resources/don't know expectations/needs help doing coat up/can't cut up their lunch/missing mum etc. Staggered starts allow for a better, smoother transition for all the children with a much higher adult ratio to guide and support them through those early days and build their confidence. It also allows them to meet all the new children in a less overwhelming way and gives the adults time to really spend with each child and get to know them properly. It's there to support your child, not punish you for goodness sake. Wind your neck in and speak to the school politely if you really feel the need to but don't make yourself a pain in the arse and pit yourself against the staff before your kid even starts 🙄

If they are under 5 they don't have to take them full time

They do. You don't have to send them full time, but the admissions code someone linked/quoted further up (along with the guidance from several councils) is clear that children are entitled to a full time place from the September of the school year they turn 5.

If they are under 5 they don't have to take them full time
Compulsory school age is different to the entitlement to a full time education in reception.

Children have to be in full time education from the term after they turn 5. Parents can choose to delay start to school until CSA or have part time until then.

Schools can't insist that children have a part time education.

Schools are funded for your child from the beginning of the school year. If they stagger your child's start you can't use the government 15 or 30 hours at a nursery/childminder in the meantime to cover childcare arrangements. It will result in double funding and against the DfE rules.

Don’t panic, most other schools manage to do their job full time from day 1 so you will be fine too. It’s adults that find change difficult.
In my experience this way is actually far better and less unsettling for most children compared to the uncertainty, hotch potch of different childcare arrangements and family stress that staggered starts causes.
Treat children as individuals and make arrangements for those that need it and let go of the previous one size fits all approach.

I think what most people would do is ring up and say 'a staggered start isn't possible for us and I think my child will be fine with a typical 9am start anyway'

No need for talk of illegal exclusions or gathering evidence, even if you do later pretend it was all part of a cunning plan to attract attention.

You do seem to be someone who uses a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

I don't understand the staggered starts. They say it's better for the children and eases them in. But it stretches the whole process put and actually makes its harder for the kids in my opinion..

Mu youngest starts in September. Over 10 days it's all over the place. First 2 days only 1 hour. Then until lunch. Then stay for lunch. Then that 1st day of lunch we have to run home for the home visit. Then stay for lunch again. There's a weekend in there somewhere. Then another few days until 2 and then full days. (That's not exact but there abouts) I'm lucky I work from home and the others are in the same school. But it's an awful week and I'm dreading it but also greatful it's the last time I'm doing it.

Either suck it up and organise yourself now. Or speak nicely to the school to arrange something more convenient

I'd say the problem is everyone thinks their child won't be the problem, and let's face it, it's usually the people who has the problem child who thinks that. This way it's 'fairer', one rule for all and parents with those children can't kick up a fuss. I mean look at OP ffs. Easier for all concerned. Makes sense to me.
It's not surprising teachers are leaving in droves with so many entitled parents. Soon there will be no teachers and we will all be truly fucked.

I've taught reception for many years and thankfully never encountered a head teacher that thinks this way! I have always done settling sessions, nursery visits, information evening out of work hours and offered parents who can't make any of them the chance to call etc- no reason for a child's first time meeting a teacher and their peers needs to be the first day.

Yes the first few weeks are generally chaos but I bloody love it, we do offer staggard starts but only a few ever take them up. Invariably teachers across other year groups say I'm crazy for enjoying it but children are quick to adapt, those who need additional support we usually have an awareness of before they start but even if not its part of being part of a child's first encounter with school and its something that with experience you learn how to best support.

I agree school isn't solely childcare but it's important to consider the parents imo, my DH works away a lot and certainly I wouldn't be able to work and teach if my child wasn't in school! The reality is that school does enable parents to work and that's fine to acknowledge- it doesn't discount that school for children adds more value than that.

Don’t panic, most other schools manage to do their job full time from day 1 so you will be fine too. It’s adults that find change difficult.
In my experience this way is actually far better and less unsettling for most children compared to the uncertainty, hotch potch of different childcare arrangements and family stress that staggered starts causes
Agree with this.

Given so many children are in nursery and already accessing EYFS why can't schools set their reception classrooms to run more like a nursery for the first couple of weeks so it's familiar for children. Plenty of schools do this from day one to make transition more smooth.

If the argument is "but it's not nursery, it's reception and we've got to get them used to school/got content to cover" then that doesn't stack up because they're not doing that whilst the children are not in the building half the time on part time timetables.

We sent DC’s full time from day one as did many others (who do schools think will look after the DC’s in a staggered start with two full time working parents?).
DC’s didn’t have any difficulties - they also did breakfast and after school club from day one. Many schools have now abandoned the staggered start as little benefit to any children and totally impractical for working parents (also totally disruptive for the children).

Of course it's a feminist issue.

Are the men in your child's life worrying about how to cover the staggered starts, the wrap around or the school holidays? No doubt a few may be. But it's mainly seen as a mums' problem plus of course women are on lower wages on average so it "makes sense" for the lower earner to be more inconvenienced, seek flexibility at work, etc.

Do men make snidey comments to other men about this stuff? "If you cared about your children you'd want them to have a gentle start to primary..."

Plus this stuff impacts much more extremely on single parent families (90% headed by a female).

Statutory school age is the term after their fifth birthday, so January for your child. School doesn't have to provide full time until then.

Compulsory school age is not the same as the age when children are entitled to a full time place. They don't have to go, but they entitled to the place the September of the school year they turn 5.

Lots of women do indeed choose partners who don't give a crap yes, but many due. Due to his shift pattern DH has done far more pick ups and drop offs than I have and has always arranged wrap around to fit with his rota etc. I'm not denying this mostly falls to women but it doesn't have to.

Ok,

The children, even if they've come from a nursery, will be used to a smaller adult-child ratio - going from 1:8 to possibly 1:30 or 1:15. As it's usually 30+ kids and a teacher and if you're lucky a TA in Reception.

Next factor into the mix kids with SEND who more than likely don't have any extra support yet. There is often looked after children/newly adopted who only just met their new Mummy and Daddy this summer, also the anxious ones, the shy worried ones that struggle with separation, the quiet ones who won't be seen is a boisterous class of 30. Oh and they will be boisterous!

The teacher needs to get to know all of the children, not just the confident ones, the ones that call out.

Yes we could let them all come in at once but we could never again have that time back where we allow the children a chance to settle in a smaller group, finding their way.

Lots of children will be used to going to nursery but none will be used to sharing one adult with 29 other children.

We want to teach, love and care for those children. We wouldn't do the job, under ridiculous pressure and scrutiny if we didn't care about the kids.

Trust that we know what we're doing.

An early years teacher.

Do you not do any of this in the summer term before they start? Surely you plan activities and lessons in the first few weeks that enables you to work more closely with smaller groups at a time? Maybe I've just been teaching for too long but there are plenty of ways to do all of this without staggered starts and I dislike the insinuation that if a school doesn't do them then they aren't doing any of these very important things.