Part time attendance at primary school

[PassMeTheKleenex]

I apologise in advance if I am being a total dimwit, but after much procrastination, I have finally got round to looking into primary school admissions - we will be applying this autumn for DS1 who turns 4 next April.

I have seen something on the council website that I am a bit about, as it simply didn't occur to me!

Apparently his birth month means that for the first term of reception, he will be offered a part time place.

Is this right??

Why is this the case (and not FT from the off?)

And if it is right, how do you manage the logistics of a child only at school for a few hours (am already dreading manging the hours of a full school day, never mind a part time one!)? Especially when DS2 will be at a nursery elsewhere...

Finally, if PT attendance is unmanageable - what are the options? (I am assuming they won't let him attend only from term 2, when it becomes FT...am joking about this, but seriously, I don't understand why this is a good system)

Both DH and I work FT (or I will do when I go back after this mat leave) and it is unfeasable for us to do otherwise.

Would be interested to hear others' thoughts/experiences of this.

Different areas and even schools within the same LA differ in their policy on younger Reception children. Increasingly they all start in September but are phased to ft according to age. Some schools still offer later start dates ie January for those born after March. Your options are to use a childminder to do the wraparound hours and holidays or see if there is an attached nursery he can go into for lunch and the afternoon in the meantime (I know one of our local Surestarts does this)

We had the same situation when dd started school ? she was part time for a term, then, as her birthday was in March, full time from Christmas. Children who had summer birthdays were part time for two terms.

In our case dd?s nursery offered to collect children from school and she spent the afternoons in nursery for that term, with us picking her up at 6pm. Would it be feasible to do that or use a child minder for a term?

Some children in dd?s class did put off starting school until they went full time, they do not have to be in education until the term after their 5th birthday. There was no problem in the children integrating when they started late, but it might depend on how over-subscribed the school is.

Yes my son starts in Sep and we have to endure part time afternoons or morning sessions until half term. Madness!

I am not happy about it, but I have to lump it.

There is a nursery around here that will offer the wrap around care, so I will use it for a couple of days a week.

I think my son will be quite unsettled and confused by this set up, he just wants to go to big school with his big sister without coming and going at random times.

Rant over!

Thanks all.

I think we are going to suffer the worst of all worlds - schools are generally oversubscribed here (they had to expand school places last year, this year and are now building a whole new school.)

I doubt his current nursery can offer a pick up - although I would be delighted if they did.
I suppose I could leave him there for another year - but I have to say, I hadn't budgeted for another £12k of private nursery fees!!

Will CMs take someone on just for a term?

Good grief, I knew I was putting off thinking about this because of the whole rigmarole...but this is even worse than I thought.

[And don't even get me started on the fact that Muslims* are attending a CofE church just to get their kids into the shcool...when said school is closest to us, we DO attend church - although not that one, because it is not the style of worship we prefer - and we probably won't get a place.
*I am not anti Muslim - it could be anyone who is 'practising' a faith of which they are not a part, just this couple happens to be Muslim]

Try a CM, local nurseries and contact the school. You could always go private which will probably less than £12k and then move them in yr1, private schools go full time from the start and often offer after school and breakfast clubs too.