Starting school - how long to full-length days?

[Azzie]

My ds is nearly 5 and will start school this September. His school insists that he go half days for 5 weeks before starting full days, despite the fact that he will turn 5 two weeks after starting school, and has been doing full days at nursery. I could understand this long time period if he was a younger child or not used to being away from Mum, but 5 weeks of half days seems very long, and will prove very difficult for myself and another mother who both work. How long have other people's children had to go half-time at their infants schools? Is this a normal length of time? Children at other schools in our area are only going part-time for a couple of weeks.

Our school starts all the new children full time from day 1. They think it is less stressful this way and less confusing for the child. I might be wrong but I thought that all children had to be in full time education by their fifth birthday and that this was a legal requirement - please put me right if I am mistaken.

I'd love to know if the full time education thing is true - I thought that was so, too, which is why I've been so surprised at the Head's complete refusal to budge on this one.

I'd love to know if the full time education thing is true - I thought that was so, too, which is why I've been so surprised at the Head's complete refusal to budge on this one.

I've just Asked Jeeves. Apparently they don't have to go to school at all until the start of the term after their 5th birthday. This came from www.legalservices.gov.uk (I think). Looks like you're stuck with it Azzie, sorry. I do think it is a bit silly though, one of our local schools has an 'Early Years' service rather than a nursery and Reception class so their children start part time, progress to part time plus lunch and then finally to full time. We have part time for nursery then straight into full time on day one in Reception class which suits me fine.

Azzie, my dd is 5 mid September and starting school. She is going 1 1/2 weeks mornings only then full time from then on, which co-incidently happens to be on her birthday.
All children born between Sept and Xmas are doing this, Spring babies are part time until half term and summer babies until Christmas.
I agree that this takes no account of childrens readiness for school, both emotionally and academically nor does it reflect the differences between children like ours who have been going to nurseries and those at the other end of the scale who have never left mum or dad.
This has been a hobby horse of mine for a long time about the seemingly inability of the education system to be flexible enough to take children into school when their parents and the school think they are ready and not just every September according to pre ordained rules.
Good luck with the juggling of work / school and I hope your ds settles in quickly and enjoys school.

I've just done some web searching myself. Apparently legally children have to be in education at 5, but the minimum recommended time is 21 hours per week. So our Head is just reaching that 21 hours with her 5 mornings a week. Five weeks is a complete b**r for those of us who work - my company is very flexible, but I'd like to see their faces if I asked for 25 afternoons off in a row! As it is, my poor little lad will have to go back to his nursery for the afternoons, where all of his friends will have left - I feel bad about this (am filling up just thinking about the poor little soul).

Having said that, of course, he'll probably sail through it totally unfazed and enjoy lording it over all the little kids (here's hoping...). Doesn't seem right, though, when he's so ready for school.

I've got a confession to make: I assumed ds was starting full time straight away in Sept, read this, thought I ought to ask my friend if she knows and just this minute found out that it's 1/2 days for 10 days, then couple of days for lunch too, THEN full days. S*!!! And I've arranged to start work on the 14th working day...

I actually think in my case ds (5 in early Oct) would be fine going to full days straight away but not sure if I'll have the option. But thank goodness I read this and asked, can you imagine if I'd been the only mum who strolled in at 3.20pm on the first day, just the 3 hours late to collect. I'd have never lived that one down.

Schools can be really inflexible, can't they? My youngest is starting nursery in September, and there is a slow programme over a month, working up to going half days five days a week. I know he would be fine, though he's just 3, but I'm just freelance, so it doesn't cause me a problem.

HOWEVER, my eldest is just 5, hasn't gone to school here - different system, but when we move will go straight into Yr 1 with a class of children who've been going to school full time for a year. I know he will struggle with five full days, and I would love to pick him up at lunchtime and have him home for the afternoon with me for a few months at least, but it's just not possible within their system. And probably legally as well reading the above.

All these different rules in different education authorities is amazing. In my area ( Scotland) children start in August for half days until after the October holidays, then have full days. It is non-negotiable.

www - glad my annoying situation has at least been of use to somebody

Star it does seem unnecessary to impose such a strict division between home life and school life (ie you not allowed in the classroom). Also it seems very old-fashioned. Surely it is better for the child to have the familiar parent in the new environment even if just for a couple of minutes.

Star, I do think it extremely harsh not to let parents into the classroom. Having met our dd's new teacher and the head of the school she will be going to in September, they actually ask you to take them to the classroom, help them hang up their coats etc and get them settled. They believe it helps the children feel less intimidated about starting school. They also said that the parents feel happier as the weeks pass and they see their dd's and ds's becoming more independant and settled and telling mum and dad what the routines are, rather than the other way round.
Perhaps you could have a word with the school to find out their reasoning behind this decision. Maybe they have had problems in the past with parents not taking their leave quick enough and making the child more unsettled?

In the booklet given us by ds's school they say that parents are welcome to bring their child in when they start school, but that they encourage us to start leaving our children in the playground as soon as we can to build their independence. I read this to mean that I could leave my son when I thought he was ready; however a friend tells me that at the start of her son's second week her dh took him to school for the first time and went in with him, and got ticked off for doing so by the head as if he was a small child himself. Her dh was to say the least not impressed by her attitude - she didn't even stop to ask why he was there, just laid into him.

even worse star, they are penalising all the children.

Good luck Star in talking to the school, as sis says its a shame that its the little ones that end up suffering.