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Original poster

What are the settling in arrangements for your reception class children?

42 replies

emkana · 02/09/2005 23:04

Talking to friends I am amazed at the differences in the settling in period. Dd1 will go 9 to 12 for the first two weeks, 9 to 1.15 for the next two weeks, and then full time. But she is one of the younger ones, and only the younger ones start next Tuesday, the older ones start a week to 10 days later.
So what's it like at your school? And what do you think of the arrangements? Good idea or not?

OP posts:

Nixz · 02/09/2005 23:25

Im shocked at mine, they dont have a 'proper' pre school, just a little get together thingy for 2 hours twice a week. On monday she goes half day for 3 days then its full time until she's 18 - Im gutted, i dont think its a good idea. But ilove the school, i went and all my family went and its the nicest school i know. (Im doing a teaching degree so have been to lts of schools). My only thoughts are that it IS such a nice school that they dont need breaking in slowly, still not 100% tho!

Earlybird · 02/09/2005 23:28

DD's school gives the option for 2 full days/3 half days per week for the first term. Parents can increase that at their own discretion. But, after Christmas, the reception class are expected to stay full days every day.

QueenOfQuotes · 02/09/2005 23:29

DS1 starts part time on Monday for 6 weeks - starts full time on the 17th October. They only do 2hrs (less than nursery arghh) until then. I 'think' they introduce them slowly, starting with the older ones (well DS1 is a September baby so he's an older one starting on the first day of term, and I know a friend of his doesn't start until one or two weeks after him).

I don't know what I think of them yet - as he hasn't started - but it's an excellent school so they must do something right LOL

Skribble · 02/09/2005 23:30

My DD 's clas all started at the same time and were half days up to Oct holidays.

Kayleigh · 02/09/2005 23:31

Ds2 starts on Monday 12th, a week after the yr1 and yr2 kids (it is only a small infant school). he'll do the same as your dd for two weeks then 9:00-1:15 till half term. he'll start full time after half term. He is a june baby - but this year reception kids are all starting together as there are only 11 of them in the class.
When ds1 was in reception because he was an august baby and they had a full class of 28 he didn't start full time till jan. He did a mix of afternoons and then mornings, then mornings plus lunch - it was a real pain.

princesspeahead · 02/09/2005 23:33

My ds's class go in for an hour on monday to see the classroom, remind themselves what it all looks like, meet the new children who weren't at the nursery there etc. Then they start on Thurs but do only until 12 for the first week and a half.
After that Wed afternoons are optional for the first term.
By the spring term they are expected to be there full time but if they look tired etc they can take Wed afternoons off (it is mostly quiet time/arts and crafts etc).

soapbox · 02/09/2005 23:46

DS was in reception last year - they all started together and went full time right from the start.

I can't say that I remember it being too hard going for him!

Relax - they will cope better than you think

QueenOfQuotes · 02/09/2005 23:48

DS1 is SOOOOO excited about it - especially as we got ALL his school uniform today.

When I told him we were going to buy his uniform this morning, his face lit up and he said

"Does that mean I'm a big boy now"

Ulysees · 02/09/2005 23:50

Staggered start on first day. DS2 is goin at 10.15, should be 10am but my mate's dd is in his class and her time is 10.30 so they're goin together as mate just lost her fiance and mate's dd will be v sad as he used to take her to school.

They stay until 1.30 for first week then it's full time.

Original poster

emkana · 03/09/2005 10:16

bump

OP posts:

cod · 03/09/2005 10:19

Message withdrawn

Aniles · 03/09/2005 11:37

At my school all reception children start full time from day one. This works really well and doesn't cause any problems. Better to start as you mean to go along - or whatever that saying is lol!

charliecat · 03/09/2005 11:58

My dd is one of the oldest and will go for 1 week till before lunch and then fulltime after that.
Others are half days till after Xmas and some are halfdays till half term.
The school asked if and how many days they were at nursery so whether this has anything to do with it?

WigWamBam · 03/09/2005 12:45

Reception starts a week after the rest of the school does (so I have an extra week's holiday in which to entertain her, oh joy, oh rapture). Half of the class do mornings (9 - 11.15) and half do afternoons (1.15 - 3.30) for two weeks, then they're full-time. It's the same for all of them, regardless of when their birthdays are.

Bozza · 03/09/2005 13:18

Well DS (Feb birthday so youngest in class until January) started with half a dozen others yesterday. Went yesterday until 11.30, Mon and Tues until 1.30 and then full days from then. Don't know what I think about it but given that he's been wanting to go for months and then got to go for 2.5 hours and has to wait all weekend to go again he is not impressed. Apart from the lack of sugar rush, it was like the aftermath of a party, an hour of being high and then grumpy for the rest of the afternoon.

coppertop · 03/09/2005 13:38

Ds1 started in Reception last year. In the first week the older ones went to school for the mornings and the younger ones for the afternoons. In the second week the older ones stayed all day while the younger ones did mornings only. In the 3rd week everyone was full-time. The exception was ds1 who has a summer birthday and is autistic. He went for mornings-only for the first 2 weeks. In the 3rd week he did one full day and 4 mornings. The following week he did 2 full days and 3 mornings. If the teacher felt he could cope he was able to stay for an extra full day the following week and by November he was attending full-time.

The arrangements for the rest of he class worked well for them AFAIK. It would've been too much too soon for ds1 though and I'm lucky that his teacher was happy to let him settle in at a pace that was right for him.

littlerach · 03/09/2005 13:44

DD1 is a March bday, but one of the older ones this year. So she starts on Monday, and goes until 12pm this week. The following week she stays for lunch too. The next week she does 2 full days, and 3 half, then the next is 3 full days and 2 halfs, then starts full time in October. As she is still quite young, she is allowed to do 1 or 2 half days if she is tired.

The younger group start aweek later, and only go until 12pm until Jan, then go full time.

nooka · 03/09/2005 13:51

We have September and January start dates. They do a staggered start, I think with kids from their nursery first, and then by age (dd who will be 5 on Wednesday will start on Thursday). It's full days from the beginning. I think that this is best - certainly for those of us who work! and I agree with the start as you mean to go on theory. But then dd is currently at nursery, so she's used to a 8.30-6 sort of day. It worked fine for ds a couple of years ago (he was a January start). Might be more of a problem for very young starters, or SN children - but I would expect a good school to be flexible on arrangements for them anyway. If we had the complicated short days, days with and without lunch, or alternate mornings and afternoons I am sure I'd get mixed up and turn up at the wrong time!

QueenOfQuotes · 03/09/2005 13:56

I don't think our school 'system' has any impact on those who's parents work. Almost all the chilren starting reception will have been attending nursery last year - and almost all of them part time - so either mornings and afternoons.

I know of one mum (who works) who's DD was going to nursery afternoons, but was given part time mornings in Reception, she spoke to the school and they've swapped her to afternoons.

I agree that swapping and changing isn't a great idea though - at least parents at DS1's schools KNOW that they've got 6 weeks (or 5 depending on start date) of part time either mornings or afternoons

blueteddy · 03/09/2005 14:33

At our school, the younger children are part time until christmas (going home after lunch) & the older children (those born before April) are full time from the start.

blueteddy · 03/09/2005 14:34

They all start in September though.

Gobbledigook · 03/09/2005 14:36

Born between 1st Sept and 31st March - full time from 7th Sept

Born April, May, June - mornings from 12th Sept - full time on 15th

Born July, Aug - afternoons from 12th Sept - full time on 15th

I'm happy with that this year - ds1 starts full time on 7th and this will be the same for ds2. Ds3 is an August baby though and when he starts school I'd rather he started full time on the first day too rather than starting later after some have already settled in. I'm hoping it won't be too much of an issue though for him as I'm planning for him to go to the school nursery in his pre-school year anyway so he'll be familiar and will have friends. Ds1 didn't go to the nursery so I'm keen for him to get stuck in and make friends from day 1.

Gobbledigook · 03/09/2005 14:40

Wow - just read other posts - I didnt' realise other schools staggered intake so much. None of the schools in this borough do it that way. Most start full time from the off and only stagger for the first 2 weeks or so.

Maddison · 03/09/2005 16:52

My DS1 starts on Monday, for the first week, he goes on afternoons 1 - 3.15 along with all the other kids who were in afternoon nursery, second week mornings 9 - 12 and full time from the third week with the kids who attended morning nurse. Think it's quite good this way that he's getting used to the surroundings of his new class with familiar kids

LIZS · 03/09/2005 17:51

Ours all go full time from the start but you can take them home at 1, after lunch, if they are getting tired. Afternoons are more relaxed activities anyway it seems. dd will be doing 8.15 to 3.45 (to coincide with ds' timings) and she only turned 4 last weekend I'd prefer her to do less to begin with but it isn't really an option.

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