To think primary transition days aren’t much help if you work?

[Transitiondays]

Arghh. Three primary transition days, two with pick ups at midday and one full day but obviously finishing around three. I’m guessing this is standard but very difficult to manage!

No, they normally have an understanding head who will facilitate it for them instead.

Bless you. Helping out like this.

I've worked in many schools and this has simply not been the case. All my teachers friends have the same issue.

Are you a teacher? Maybe me and my friends have been very unlucky that we've never been allowed this time.

I think they’re bollocks to be honest. My eldest started with 3 weeks of staggered start - first week just a single 2 hour visit, second week he did mornings, third week he did afternoons. Apparently it was so the teacher could do baseline assessments but I don’t believe this for one minute as they didn’t realise he could read for some weeks after this. Thankfully our nursery agreed to keep him on during this time, otherwise I have no idea how we would have managed. My youngest went to a different school where they just started with full days straight away (and he did wraparound 8-5) which was great, the kids all settled really quickly and by 3 weeks in they were all flying with phonics etc. In England you can insist they start with full days straight away, unfortunately in wales that isn’t the case.

Yeah, that's why I'm not coming back to teaching in England. It's utterly ridiculous...and not even that well paid. It's actually important for me to be able to see my children and I need an employer who is understanding of that.

Although, to be fair, at least one of my headteachers back in England would have been absolutely fine and would have tried to make it work. He's not a head anymore, sadly.

How on earth will you cope with all the school hols.

You just have to sort it out. Put your child first . Take some annual leave.

RTFT.
Op is a teacher, she doesn't get random annual leave, but is off in the school holidays.

My DCs' primary did a full term of half days because they were both winter born. I deferred DC1 because I couldn't get childcare that would do a midday pickup. By the time DC2 started there was such a service available, but I was then having to deal with a small child who was furious that they were not allowed to stay the entire day with their friends, because they were so far past school ready it wasn't real.

Staggered starts are not beneficial for all children.

It is a PITA. Those having a go at the OP telling her to suck it up - OP isn’t saying she won’t be doing it, but that it’s awkward to work around. She’s allowed to come on here and have a moan with others who feel the same in solidarity isn’t she? Try being a bit supportive….

So many people not reading the OPs posts - why are people going on about staggered starts etc. in September when the OP is talking about transition visits in Summer term? Although she missed it out of the first post, she has said she's a teacher, so no annual leave to take.

Anyone you can offer to pick up their child on the day you can do?

A neighbour? Local teen you could pay, GCSEs are over by then.