Staged/part time starting of school is unfair?

[FurierTransform]

My DD has just started reception.
The school she's attending have this system where the children don't all start on the Monday full time, but have 4 x 2-3 hour sessions, spread across 2 weeks, to 'ease into it' before attending full hours.

AIBU to think this is totally ridiculous?

I'm sure many people have had to take 2 weeks holiday from their work to bridge this gap between their children finishing nursery, and actually starting school full time, so potentially now will have to forgo a summer holiday, or work over Christmas etc!
Luckily we have flexible jobs so have just about coped.

Seems so ill thought out and inconsiderate to families with 2 working parents.

School is not childcare.
Phased start is not for the benefit of parents.

It's not necessarily best for the child tho. My dd has gone from regularly attending nursery /preschool to 2 weeks of fannying about coming and going.

They're being sarcastic.

The vast majority of kids have been in nursery or preschool, so it is a little silly. I think sessions over the first week is ok, after that they need to move on.

Our school did mornings/afternoons (alternating ) for the first few days with half the class on each, then a full day on the Friday then full time week 2.

Nursery is a different thing to nursery. A commercial thing of convenience v public offering (on the assumption you are state school)

Yes it's a real pain but school is not the same as child care. Now you've entered the world of school, there's going to be loads of times when you need to organise additional child care; INSET days, sick days, school-boiler-broken-down days.

Didn't they explain the staggered start in your 'new parents' info. Assuming you received it, of course.

Where I work we have a clear policy around the gradual start which is clearly explained to parents and is all about the children's needs. The staff initially meet a small group, they add a few each day whilst doing half days only. Then all do mornings and stay for lunch, then all day. Takes about 4 weeks. It is 100% based on the children's needs.

A parent with their one reception child can't see the needs of the class as a whole and the fact the staff are trying to get to know each childs needs and interests and settle them into school as smoothly as possible.

So just get on and be annoyed for a few weeks. And no you can't insist on full time from the start as education is not statutory before 31st Dec, 31st March or 31st August following their 5th birthday.

Be thankful your child doesn't have significant needs where their hours can be reduced.

Education is not a childminding service.

Back in the day ..about 25 years ago my March born child had to go mornings only for the whole autumn term !
My October born child did mornings only until the October half term
I think the cut off was end of February ...ie became 5 before then half a term part time after feb then while term !!
Nightmare

Is there any academic/peer-reviewed literature that talks about the benefits of a staggered start vs a less staggered start? I'd be interested in reading how it impacted outcomes, for example.

A friend complained and got a earlier start was going to cost her £100's in childcare

Complained ?!
no entitlement😵‍💫

My August born dd, who is now 20, wasn't full time until October half term! She did a seemingly random mix of mornings, lunches and afternoon.
I know it's meant for the best for the children, as many have said, but in real life, what parent can take 6 weeks off work to facilitate this pattern.

And it certainly wasn't to her benefit, she didn't know if she was coming or going with all the different sessions and seeming endless different children each day.
It took her months to get to know all the children in her class because of the chaos of staggerd starts.

Conversely, the older children went full time much quicker, within the second week.
So they not only had the benefit of being older, but also of being more settled and spending more time in school learning routines and making friends whilst she missed out.

I cant see how this was to benefit her at all!

We had this last year where other local schools started full-time straight away. DD was due to go full-time on the 19th, but that was then the Queen's funeral so she started on the 20th. Few weeks later it was half term! It was a real headache trying to accommodate the staggered start around work.

Just chuck 30 kids in who do not know how to follow the rules some of which will be overwhelmed and upset, no idea of basic things like sitting on the carpet, putting things away, getting changed for PE and just enjoy the chaos and complaints of - he got paint on his new uniform on day 1, he cut his hair on day 1, they lost their uniform on day 1 etc. Some kids overwhelmed and X amount wanting a cuddle but can't have one as the staff are dealing with little Matilda standing on the toilet and darling Oscar pulling someone's hair.

No nursery take 30 on the first day. Intakes in nursery are staggered by birthdays.

Taking children in smaller groups allows less kids overwhelmed. It is easier to teach the basic routines and rules. It will give time for things like a few cuddles and reassurance for those who need it.

I don't think it needs to be excessively staggered but some take 10 kids for 3 days, then introduce another 10 then another 10. Kind of build them up until they have all 30 in.

My youngest started reception this week. They split the class equally into A, B and C. A had their first full day on tuesday. A and B together on Wednesday then A, B and C on Thursday and onwards.

Put more ones have been in from 9-1 this week.
Three of them spent the morning intermittently crying and two fell asleep. There’s only 12 of them.
Add in the heat and they’re shattered.
I was so glad they were able to go home after lunch.
It’s a good compromise.

Daughter just started school this week. School nursery used to be 2.5 days.
I'm so glad they have gone in full days straight away. As from the get go they know what's what.
I asked the teacher about doing phased starting etc as when my niece started 4 years ago that's what the school used to do.
They said that it used to unsettle the children so that's why it stopped.

Perhaps it helps children who've never been to any kind of childcare before starting school, but I can't imagine that's many.

YABU

I would rather forgo a summer holiday one year to make the transition into school easier for my child.

I wish they did similar for year 7s too as the transition is such a big one.

Oh here we go with the teacher bashing!

Disgusting.

The old fashioned way was kids doing fulltime from day 1, the gradual start is the moving on with the times as experienced teachers think it is better for the children. They don't have to consider what is best for the parents, that's not their job.

Yes same thing has happened with my dc just 2 hours each day! I get that it is to ease children in, who are anxious or maybe never been away from parents but in reality the majority of children have been in preschool and are used to longer days! It’s been a nightmare to work around but we did it! Roll on next week!

@MrsBennetsPoorNerves and how will a parent using two weeks leave to accommodate this help with the rest of the leave they need throughout the year?

Why so much whining? As parents you have the right to have your child start full time from the correct date as determined by your childs age. If this issue is important to you, just tell the school that is what you expect to happen. No school will forbid that.

I don't know. Pay for childcare like lots of people do? Ask family to help? Take unpaid parental leave? Presumably most people have a plan for how they are manage. Not many people can cover all of the school holidays with their annual leave alone in any case.

Some staggering (even if just across the first week) is usually going to be helpful for staff to get to know children. Some kids will benefit from mornings only - perhaps that should be a choice.

Whatever, I think schools do need to review every so often as the demographics shift. When DD started, most of the mums of her class worked flexibly/part-time enough to cope, and the others had childminders. Now, a far higher proportion of mums are working. I know the pre-school next door has sometimes offered afternoon sessions during the mornings-only period, but as the children whose parents worked full-time didn't usually attend that pre-school, that ends up with them having to get to two new settings at once.

It also helps if people are warned as soon as possible what the system is, so that they can book the grandparents to come and stay if needed, before grandparents book their September getaway. (I remember one friend changed job, and managed it so that they were between jobs for September.)