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!

I am a bit worried @notsureyetcertain because the ones he can do are the two at the end if you like. So he’ll have missed three by that point. I will ask work but I’m not hopeful; they are famously difficult about things like this. I’m sure it won’t make any difference long term but like most people with PFB I am anxious to make things as smooth as possible for him starting his schooling journey.

I have worked in schools and so I know how inflexible it can be in terms of getting any time off for things like this as the idea is you get the holidays off and are paid to work the term time hours. Life isn't always that simple though is it?
I wouldn't worry if your dc can't do all the days, as long as they can do some that's fine.

Sorry you've said it's July so slightly more difficult to arrange annual leave but hopefully your line manager will understand. At my workplace we all pitch in to help for situations related to our children and days for concerts, etc.

I have explained quite a few times now that annual leave isn’t an option in my job, ironically because I am a teacher!

I agree they weren't very helpful for my kids either esp as they'd been at nursery on full days beforehand....

I’ve never heard of them happening in July. It gets worse. They do this for high school here and I’m fairly certain they made their way over from the primary together. The county had the same days for all so somehow it worked but small kids won’t remember that long apart will they?

Can you swap PPA time with another staff member to cover some?

It’s not for parental convenience, it’s to ease the kids in to a very different new routine.

I wouldn’t stress about it. Transition days were not common thirty years ago, and we all somehow managed to cope. Kids won’t be forming deep bonds with each other in the space of 2-3 days and a little discomfort on entering a new place is totally normal (and will be as they go through life).

Annual leave isn’t an option if you work in a school, as the Op does.

My dd went to nursery 8-4.30 from the age of 10 months
I have a picture of her fast asleep after her half day. Absolutely exhausted.

Hi OP sorry you are getting such a hard time on here. When I read your original post my first thought was what we did which was a mix of annual leave/split time with DH/sending to usual childcare after but reading through your posts you have clearly thought of options and aren’t able to use annual leave.

I would say send to all the days you can, I wouldn’t worry too much if one or two aren’t possible, some families are going to be on holidays/other commitments at that time, it’s likely that there isn’t going to be a full class at all transition days. Yes these days are good for them, but I don’t think missing some for valid reason is going to be too detrimental. My DD is in reception now and she didn’t really form any bonds from the transition days, it was good to get her used to the setting but I don’t think it would have caused any harm if she had missed some of them.

I'm a single mum and a teacher, si understand the struggle as i can't take holiday like others I know, and I don't work from home which gives some flexibility. However enough notice is given where I just have to work out a plan. Eg childminder for after school means they might be able to support. My son's school transition time lasts 2 weeks!

Yes the OP hadn't stated that in the original post, that's tricky! But do people working in schools not get ANY planned leave in term time? Asking that question honestly as I don't work in a school.

No, not as a rule.

Some are more flexible than others and will allow PPA to be taken from home if it’s at the start or end of the day or swapped with another teacher. My school doesn’t.

It's rather a big assumption that all children have four grandparents alive, living nearby, able-bodied, free during the daytime and willing to assist!

Indeed - I don’t think any of my friends have that, actually!

Transition days as well as staggered starts? YANBU. Yes, it’s utterly pointless.

Most of the children will have attended pre-school or nursery so don’t need lots of shorter days to adjust to a new timetable. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The main reason we moved abroad when DC turned 5 was because I don’t rate the English school system at all and I wanted them to have a better experience. Yes, it’s worked out well during the Primary years.

One of mine was last in a FIVE WEEK staggered start and it was a joke as the early entry kids were far ahead in confidence and settling while the late entry ones were completely ignored in the midst of a term already in full swing.
As working parents it was terrible.

I wouldn't bother with the one that's going to be difficult. Just send your regrets. A boy turned up two weeks into my DC's first term, missed all the intro stuff, and he was absolutely fine, running around and being a right pain like the others and you'd think he'd been there from the start.

Just take some leave, it's s not that difficult. Transition days are very useful to most kids That's why schools do them.

Why did you do it then when it wasn’t beneficial and not compulsory?

It shit but it's called AL, or see if your will work place will give parental leave - not likely to get paid for this.
Have you spoken to work? My employer was accommodating for this as they understood it was out of my control.

We had this and a group of parents lightly objected to it a few years ago (in the weird covid times) and the school happily changed the policy - they agreed it's just what they had always done but actually wasn't all that necessary given most of the children had been with them since they were 3 for pre school and were already familiar with the school day and routines.

It's a small rural school though so nearly all the kids in the village go to pre-school from 3 and the pre-school class is joined up with reception in the same room and the same teacher.

In our case it would have meant coming at dinnertime to pick up a reception child who had been doing full days in pre-school for nearly 2 years and coming back to pick up their younger sibling in pre-school in the same class at the end of the school day. School acknowledged it did seem a bit silly and made the half days for 2 weeks in reception completely optional.

Have you asked if you can swap which day of the week it is? They may be running the settling sessions on a few days and be able to swap you, especially as you are a teacher with DBS so could stay if numbers were an issue, I guess there could be some 3 year olds and I can't remember if the ratio changes when they turn 4