Reception staggered starts are overkill?! UPDATE

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I posted recently about how people manage staggered starts for reception... A lot of people said legally that schools have to take them full time if asked. For context my little one starts in September and will do 3 weeks of 2 hour sessions...

She currently goes to preschool full time and after-school club until 5pm. Childcare aside I honestly do think she will find it very disruptive and think we'll spend more time taking her to and from school. 4 other parents agree with me, however this is the response I've had from the headteacher... Is it even worth challenging? I totally get the gradual approach but 3 weeks feels overkill...

Just unsure of what to do and no idea how I'll manage 😩 I honestly don't believe it'll be beneficial for my little one either. Any advice appreciated!

The school has been settling children in to Reception for years. They know what works and what doesn’t for the class as a whole. There will be DC who will more than need a gentle introduction to school, although their parents would very much like them in full time from the first day. But if the school have some children they know could cope with full time in all day every day, then how do they explain that to the parents of DC who will struggle?

One of the most demanding job in a primary school is the first few weeks in Reception, IMO. I assure you, it’s physically and emotionally demanding for staff! All children in full time from the first day would be a killer. Do you really want your DC spending the day with other DC who are crying for the whole day, and TA who is constantly changing the five who are not toilet trained, but the parents didn't warn the school? Day care will have a higher staff:child ratio than a reception class. Just because your child is used to full time nursery with familiar children, doesn’t mean they will cope seamlessly when thrown into a full day of school, when they don’t know where to put their water bottle/hang their coats/who will help them if they have a problem, and with 29 other children and one member of staff to help them with lunch. These are four year olds we’re talking about, and I’d guess about seven of them have only just turn four. They are very little people, and an awful lot is expected of them.

Having said that, I totally appreciate parents who work full time may not be able to magically conjure up childcare for three weeks. But schools are more likely to do what’s best for the whole class, than individual parents.

You have a legal right to full time education for your child from the start of the autumn term. She does not have to be 5. This is the autumn term when she is 4 at the start of the year.

it is in the school admissions code 2.17 as a pp has indicated. This was clarified in December 2014 (for a previous version of the code where the same wording was at 2.16) in the report from the office of the schools adjudicator for the academic year 2013-2014.

You can take this to the chair of the governors, your LEA or your MP. The school is trying to fob you off. I have dealt with this as a school governor. If you need assistance drafting a letter to the chair of governors of your school, say so and I will put a template on this thread.

I’d look for a different school, being absolute dickheads about this is a red flag that they will be dickheads about a whole host of other things. Surely they aren’t all the same where you live? It’s very variable here.

It’s 2 half days at ours (they start on a Thursday), then full time from the Monday. Our headteacher is committed to supporting working parents and doesn’t believe in fannying about. My DD was in full wraparoud from day 4.

I'm remember the frustration of this with my kids, and they're in the 20s now! Full time in the school nursery in the class room next door, then a crazy time table of a few hours here and there for weeks when they actually started school.

I have a DC totally the opposite and I still agree staggered starts are more disruptive.
Can you just keep her off for the 3 weeks? Use a childminder or something? Family/friends etc. She's not 5 yet so they can't fine you

Ours was a reception year of 60 split into two classes. One class was due in on the Tuesday, the other class the Wednesday with everyone in full time from the Thursday. Then in reality there was an issue on the Tuesday and the whole school stayed shut. So DC went in from the Thursday with everyone else and never got the one induction day with less kids. They’re all fine for it 🤣

The school has been settling children in to Reception for years. They know what works and what doesn’t for the class as a whole.

But schools are more likely to do what’s best for the whole class, than individual parents.

But this is far from a universal policy. So would you say that schools who don’t do this are not aware of what works best and aren’t doing things in the best interest of all the children?

Haven't read the full thread but I sympathise. Our school is 7 days of disruption. Is keeping the child in preschool for some of the day an option?

When do they inform you of all this? We’ve just been given a start date but no mention of reduced hours.

I have no idea how they expect us to manage with work commitments at such short notice.

3 weeks is excessive. At my school we have 2 INSET days on the MOnday and Tue, Reception kids are then in for an hour with a parent on the Wednesday, on Thursday and Friday they are doing either a morning or an afternoon, then I thnk that's it, in full time from the following week.

I think this is just about right. You can't compare it with nursery. Most kids who go to day nurseries have been there since they were babies - they will all have started on a random date depending on when their parent's maternity leave ended so induction happens gradually.

Talking of induction, as an adult we mostly get some sort of induction when we start at a new workplace. We are not thrown in and expected to know everything from the second you arrive there and just left to get on with it. (unless you're a supply teacher 😉) We are shown processes and procedures, maybe do some time doing some e-learning elsewhere, taken around to be introduced to people, maybe have meetings with a mentor, go to resolve any IT problems you're experiencing or problems with your security pass etc. It all takes time and allowances are made in terms of how productive you are. Yet somehow parents on here are suggesting that our very small children don't deserve the equivalent for this huge change to their lives? They are expected to just get on with a full school day, with all the new processes and rules and expectations of independence, new faces, etc as if they've always been there? Try to put yourselves in their shoes.

I can't agree with just throwing very young children in all together in a class of 30 on day 1. It's not in their best interests. You also need to consider that times have changed and now mainstream schools have to take children who clearly have often quite severe extra needs, which many parents seem to either be in denial about, or fail to mention on their child's school application and for whom it will take months if not years in some areas to get an EHCP in order to provide funding for one to one support.

All those parents saying that all the children should be in full time from day one, I wonder whether you would have the same opinion if you knew your child was getting hit every day of the first week by a child who is clearly struggling without support. How would you like it if it was YOUR child who was struggling, but not enough attention could be given to them to assess their needs quickly so they coulld get support, because school policy had been changed after parents had demanded a full time education for the whole class from day one?

It's in everyone's interests to ensure that all children can get adequate indvidual attention when they first start school and the staff don't know them at all. Why a parent would want to deny their child that I have absolutely no idea, it's like the empathy gene is missing in some people.

Aren't the school offering a new parents' meeting where everything can be explained to you? Or an information pack showing arrangements, at the very least? Surprising, if not.

You need to contact the education department at your local authority. A school local to me did extended staggered starts and parents contacted the LA who told the school in no uncertain terms they were acting illegally and must allow the children to start full time.

For what it's worth I am a Head of EYFS/KS1 and think staggered starts are totally unnecessary for most children. They can be arranged for individual children if there are specific reasons they may struggle.

i think staggered starts are great if done over a few days or a week. But some schools seem to really drag them out.

legally you are correct and can insist your child starts full time, however I would also consider if you want to start your journey with the school by being that difficult parent,

if you can suck it up. You’ve provided feedback maybe it won’t change this year but might make a difference in the future

The only thing you can do is not send her to school for those 3 weeks or for some of that, take a holiday and then start full time if she isn’t 5 yet. Ours is the same and it’s ridiculous!!

How did you get them to change their minds?

Schools are not childcare. It’s not their job to arrange your childcare. If this is what they feel works best for the majority of kids then presumably that’s why they do it.

Oh and legally they are required to offer your child a full time place from day 1 op, their email is nonsense.

How did you get them to change their minds?

You drop them off, then you collect them at 3.15.

If they try and fuck about you ask them why they are not providing the education your child is entitled to.

I'd be tempted to go on holiday for most of that time and just bring her in at the end of the staggered starts.....

Their job is to provide a full time place from the start of term though.

I feel like all the emotion and debate about who it benefits needs to be taken out of it. Legally, do they have to offer the full time place? It sounds like they do so I would check, make sure you have official sources to point to and keep things very calm and logical. There’s no need to have a debate if it’s the law. The same way if someone stole from you, it’s not your job to debate the morality of the situation. It’s the law.

Asking parents to use up all their annual leave, struggle with childcare, spend a load of money, watch their own kids have a much worse experience of starting school and ignore their legal entitlements just to keep some other kids happy is unrealistic.

They can always offer it on an optional basis where kids can either come in for mornings or full days at first.

My youngest started reception last year and was full time straight away. I wasn't too happy about it but it seemed to work out OK.

If it was the right thing to do, all schools would do a staggered start. School isn’t childcare which is why schools are legally required to provide full time education from the start of the term

You just remind them of their legal obligations

Parents will make a decision based on what is best for their child. In our case that was full time education from the start of term with breakfast and after school clubs. DT’s had no difficulties but would have with the disruption a staggered start would have brought.

Other parents can decide a staggered start or delayed start is better for their child. Schools just need to remember their legal obligations.