Should I refuse reception settling in days if I can?

[Jiski]

Hi,

Has anyone ever gotten their child to stay full time when it’s supposed to be a settling in day. Can you do it? How did you do it?

I’ve read on an old post that it was possible, but the link to government guidance doesn’t work and I don’t know if I just can’t find it or if it’s outdated advice now.

My son already goes to nursery full time and does lots of other activities like Squirrels and swimming so he’s used to long days. Also, I don’t think he needs to settle in as he’s been to playgroup at the school a number of times and should be in a class with 3 of his nursery friends.

FYI I don’t have any annual leave left as my annual leave year resets in November.

Thanks

DS1 went in F/T straight away, no problem. He was used to 08:00- 17:55 in nursery. It turned out down the line that he's autistic, and actually getting straight into routine was probably more helpful than dithering about with random part days. The head teacher said that many parents worked and there was no appetite for part days.

DS2 two years later, it changed to a week of pissing around with various times. DS wanted to get down to be a big boy like his brother and was narked to be in and out of school like a hokey cokey. Fortunately I was no longer teaching at this point because I would have been unable to leave my own classes, and there were no other childcare options avaliable. Getting him to catch a couple of buses to the airport to get a flight to granny would no doubt be frowned upon.

The families least likely to be able to accommodate this are those where children are most likely to be used to childcare and the EYFS. Children that need it more are more likely to have parents that can manage it. Allowing families to opt-in to a p/t transition as needed is fine.

It always seems ironic that schools (SLT) are often quick to forget that many occupations don't have flexibility over working hours and annual leave when their staff are similarly affected.

This is not true. Parents don't have to send a child in until after they turn 5, but schools offering children a place in reception must offer them a full time education

Having said that, if settling in is sensible, i.e. 2 half days type of thing, I would try to facilitate it, they do seem to get very tired starting school even though most of them have been in nursery

It's not just about YOUR child though is it?

There will be others who benefit from smaller groups to begin with, and they won't get that if yours and others insist on going full time from day 1.

I think a week or even two of "settling in" is entirely reasonable for the school to plan for - and you knew this was coming so why have you used up all your holiday and are now stroppy about being asked to do something which is perfectly normal.

I'm also curious to know what if your child doesn't settle as well as you expect and needs those extra days? You have no contingency if you've booked out all your leave.

Having said that, if settling in is sensible, i.e. 2 half days type of thing, I would try to facilitate it, they do seem to get very tired starting school even though most of them have been in nursery

I agree with this. There is a school near us that does 3 weeks of settling. First week they're in either morning or afternoon, second week they swap, third week it's still half doing morning, half doing afternoon but they include lunch (so the morning children stay for lunch, and the afternoon children come in a bit earlier and have lunch).
I don't believe for a second that children are more settled doing a week of mornings, then a week of afternoons, then a week of mornings plus lunch, and then going full time. It sounds ridiculously unsettling.

The school would be legally incorrect if they refused to take from day one.

I remember my DD being upset she had to leave halfway through the day... shecwabted to wait for her big sister and go on the bus as obviously she was also a big girl now. And that was only 3 days...

Many children are in the school nursery, let alone private nurseries, for the full school day now. They don't need weeks if settling in.

If there was evidence it was beneficial, every school would do the same. But they don't.

(I like our Secondary school approach... they take the yr7s a day earlier so its quiet. The same would probably work with the younger children!)

I dealt with this as a deputy headteacher 15 years ago, I can’t believe it’s still rumbling on.
A parent couldn’t do PT, we checked with the LA and they confirmed we had to offer FT. We adjusted and allowed it, it worked fine for everyone involved and from every year moving forward we offered families both options to choose according to needs and preferences.
Really not a big deal.

By the same token, it's not just about those children either. Even assuming any exist in the class, which we don't know. OP also hasn't said that this is happening so they can all have smaller groups. One variant of the staggered start is whole class in for shorter hours so school staff can make home visits, for example.

You seem to be expecting the parents of those DC who would benefit from going full time straight away to prioritise hypothetical other children who might do better with shorter days. Why doesn't it work the other way around?

every year moving forward we offered families both options to choose according to needs and preferences.

Which is what every school should do! A sensible approach which allows everyone to start full time as is their right. Plus the benefit of settling in being simplified whilst also giving those who need a less full on start the chance to do what benefits them.

Honestly the most perfect solution.

Op: just say you went full time from day 1. DD is entitled to it. She won't get too tired and she's used to it. So just ask. As the DH says, they must offer full time.

My kids did 6 weeks (!) of part time days (every combination of morning/afternoon/lunchtime you could think of) at the start of reception. It was a bloody nightmare. I didn’t know it was an option to refuse.

@Candleabra

Schools do this but parents have to
agree to it. For dc used to full time nursery, it's disruptive and probably unnecessary. For half term it's dreadful.

It wasn’t remotely difficult. We had had two classes of 15, one week of half days then a switch to the other half of the day for a second week.
We did also have a visit day of very small groups, but we actually only ever had our own nursery children want to attend that first day ft. They went to the nursery class for the rest of the day.
Very few parents actually took up ft spaces. It either meant the classes of 15 were enlarger to nearer 20 (a difference no 4 yr old notices) or if appropriate we used the nursery space or combined with yr 1 who were also spending afternoons transitioning from play based learning with play based afternoons. It wasn’t the huge headache posters are making it out to be. Once we had feedback our community was changing we adapted to needs, which is the whole point of being a school- meeting the needs of children and families. It’s not to serve our timetables. Parents were consistently mindful of their child’s needs. At the other end of the spectrum we had parents requesting PT reception until CSA, which was their right. I never in 5 years of working there thought ft had been the wrong decision for an individual child.

You're not alone. This thread shows that so many parents / carers are wrongly convinced their child has to do them, even if they would prefer them to start full time. One of the reasons that this archaic process has continued for so long is because people just accept what the school says, and don't realise their child has a legal right to attend full time from day 1.

I hate staggarred starts and its so variable what each school offers as well that there cant be much evidence for them.

But I think you need to talk to your school about what will happen to your child if you ask for full days from day 1.

They might be put on a year 1 class as their teacher is doing something else in the afernoon, they might sit with the head and do colouring or they might just be with the other half of their class and not trally notice. You then need to think if your child will be happy with what the school does.

Speak to the school. Those trying to imply part time is best - depends on the child.

As your child is already full time - they will be used to the long day.

Luckily my sons school didn't so the part time as the head herself said it causes more confusion as the children don't know it they are coming or going.

My son who is ASD went full time from day 1. And after school club. For us consistent routine was important

In the last five years we have had four children go full time from day one (year groups of 90 children). It's your right and the school cannot say no, even if it's not in the best interests of your child and not easy for them to manage.
If there's a morning group and an afternoon group, your child will sit through the same teaching inputs twice a day. They can't skip over things just because your child has already heard it. Also, lunchtimes could be problematic. Is your child confident enough to eat alone or with the year ones because none of their cohort will be there.
If you are determined, you can insist, it is your right. I'd think carefully about the practicalities though.

Teaching input in reception half days? They aren’t sitting for lessons. There will be activities with observations and assessment in small groups or 1:1. They will play longer with the same resources maybe, but with other children to meet.

In the last five years we have had four children go full time from day one (year groups of 90 children).

I have to ask, did you actually tell parents full time from the start was an option? If parents were aware they could send their children full time from the start I suspect a lot more than just 4 children would have done so.

Settling in days weren't even a thing when my DS went to school. Everyone went full time from day 1. Most of them had already been at the nursery attached to the school. As far as I'm aware the children coped. I wouldn't mind betting that the staffing is in place for the whole class compliment from day 1 so no reason why they can't accommodate your child FT.

This entirely depends on how long the transitioned start goes on for. Ideally, you're right. In reality, phonics gets going as many of the SSP schemes begin in week 2. There will also be "sitting on the carpet training" whether that's a circle time to learn everyone else's name, singing number songs, discussing rules, or Phase 1 phonics activities. Teachers won't plan that twice for two groups in a day, therefore the full timer hears it twice. Not the end of the world but not overly exciting!

It doesn't sound like you have much choice and also sounds like son will easily manage full days. Absolutely request full time immediately and don't feel bad about it.

It's not about the long day - it's about a new setting with a much lower adult-child ratio than nursery has. It's about a formal day with organised time - different to free flow at nursery.

Because the adult-child ratio is lower - the teachers need the children in smaller groups to start with to get to know them.

I agree its a total pain however.

For the record, I wholeheartedly disagree with staggered starts for the vast majority of pupils. I cannot see the point of settling in a group of 15, finding their feet and then having to do it again when another 15 arrive. Yes children are often tired when they go full time; it's different to nursery. However they'll be tired whether that's week one, week two or week 27.
That being said, 99% of parents will make it work and your child would likely be the only one. You can insist, but I wouldn't recommend it for the reasons I've already explained.

Because the adult-child ratio is lower - the teachers need the children in smaller groups to start with to get to know them.

Except there are plenty of teachers who manage to get to know the children, in the the hundreds of schools who don't insist on part time, staggered starts and settling in days.

Pretending a teacher won't be able to get to know their pupils if they don't start in tiny groups is just nonsense.