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Original poster

What is the importance/significance of 3 weeks of pissing around in Sept for new starters?

81 replies

dissle · 20/06/2007 20:46

I just dont get it, its so stressful.

Week 1: 9.30~10.30 Tues ~Fri

Week 2 8.50~ 11 Mon ~ Fri

Week 3 8.50~ 1.30

week 4 full time.

im absolutely struggling to match work hours up with this and dont understand the benefits as they havent been explained.

OP posts:
blackandwhitecat · 20/06/2007 21:06

In an ideal world staggering the intake might be a good idea but when many children have been at nursery from 6 months and their mums work it seem irrelevant. Why not make it optional or suggest delayed entry or easing in gently only whre children have not been to nursery and where parents can look after them?

hellish · 20/06/2007 21:06

just to make you feel better - we moved to Canada and my dd has to do two years of half days - she'll be 6 before she goes to school full time.

blackandwhitecat · 20/06/2007 21:08

As a teacher I can hardly take the beginning of the academic year off to ease my kids into school gently (when they're been at nursery since before they were 1 anyway) and this means palming them off on relatives, taking them to work with me or finding a childminder all of which are going to be more stressful for everyone and make the experience more difficult than if they just started full-time when I do.

Original poster
dissle · 20/06/2007 21:10

easing in ok

BUT WHY ELSE, but why why why???

OP posts:
mumoftwoangels · 20/06/2007 21:13

Is the nursary attached to the school a full time daycare centre? If so, do they offer a school collection service?

Mercy · 20/06/2007 21:15

No disrespect intended but you must have known this may happen.

If not, then schools should give far more advance notice. Unless you are teacher or similar then you/your dp will just have to use your annual leave.

I have to say that dd's school is really bad at letting parents know when training days etc are happening

blackandwhitecat · 20/06/2007 21:15

dissle, less kids per class and the less time they are in is always good for teachers so i can see why they're in favour. Also gives them the chance to get to know the kids more easily. As I said earlier, schools should allow parents to choose whehter they want to delay their child's entry or minimismse the time they're in. They can't expect parents to fit in as though they're all just able to sit at home with their kids.

Mercy · 20/06/2007 21:18

dissle - schools are more child friendly (!) then when I was at school.

THey recognise that 4/5/6 year olds are still very young.

morocco · 20/06/2007 21:23

maybe we should use our annual leave and go on holiday, then come back in october once it's all settled down
no - I wouldn't really do it, but wish I could. it's annoying. and treats us like we have no life at all apart from ferrying our kids to and from school
anyway, if it makes some of you feel better, ds's nursery are also going to come on a home visit first to see ds in his natural environment, aka have a snoop around - we must live in asbo land or something. plus a day next week to meet the staff. plus god knows how many weeks of going in for 2 mornings a week.
yawn

hydrophobia · 21/06/2007 09:11

also a pain if an early september birthday as child is then over five and ready to go from day 1 rather than p*ssing about with part days

wheresmysuntan · 21/06/2007 09:29

Absolutely 'hydro' - my dd is a September child and was ready to go to school the year before when all her nursery friends went off to school just because they were a few weeks older than her - it took ages to explain to het how the school admissions year works !When she did start school she thought it was weird to come home at lunchtime as she had done full days on the days she went to nursery.
If people really think that the only just turned 4 kids need easing in then why not start them at school after Easter rather than September.This would be much better than the confusing messing about which is also disruptive for SAHM aswell.

Libra · 21/06/2007 09:36

At the pre-school meeting last week, the headmaster announced that - on the basis of two half an hour visits that the children had made to the school - they had now been separated into three groups. Group 1 is those children who have been deemed to require 'more help in settling in', Group 2 is in the middle and Group 3 is 'those who will require little help'. Group 1 will go in every morning for the first four weeks, Group 2 join them for 2-3 morning and Group 1 will go in on Fridays.
I thought that the children's allocation to these groups might be a sensitive matter and that we might be told privately, but no, everyone was sent a letter with the allocations listed.

There are four children in Group 1, DS2 included. I don't know whether to be depressed that he has already been pinpointed as being in need of more help, and that this has been shared with the rest of the class and their parents, or pleased that my childcare arrangements are not going to be as much of a problem.

hydrophobia · 21/06/2007 15:42

its not as if a nursery can have them back and you would have to pay full cost why do they do it

Original poster
dissle · 21/06/2007 19:47

didnt know this till a few weeks ago.
Thought it may be a week or two of in and out but no, its 3 weeks plus 55 mins on Wed and 55mins next Wed...in the middle of the day SO ive had to take him out of pre school and arrange for dh to take him there, pick him up, keep him at his work till i can get there to take him home.
Think this school must be particularly...well...pissy really!

OP posts:
ChippyMinton · 21/06/2007 19:52

School my DC go/will go to starts them about two weeks after the rest of school has gone back. Then straight in fulltime for everyone. Seems to work ok.

Original poster
dissle · 21/06/2007 20:00

yes, that would be better.

OP posts:
LizP · 22/06/2007 17:08

Since the school is presuambly getting the full amount of funding for each pupil I wonder if you can insist that the school takes them full time?

1dilemma · 23/06/2007 02:02

I think half these schools are on a different planet, only in on Fridays for 4 weeks, terms of short days to settle in, sending lists to the whole class naming who needs 'extra help' before they've even started!!!!!!!
I'm quite relieved mine only does 1 week of half days never realised how lucky I was. I agree that for those who wish/have probs should be able to settle in gently for as long as it takes (within reason) fr eg those with September birthdays who attend full-time nursery think school needs to wake up!!

loopybear · 23/06/2007 22:07

I haven't read most of the posts. I'm a reception teacher and we know from experience that most children would find whole days a school with 30 other children difficult, so children are transitioned in. We do it different. Children have a different start day and start hal days only. The advise from County for us Sept - Dec children have to be full time by end of Sept. Jan - 31 March In by End of October and April - Aug full time by end Dec. All counties do it differently, a few still have 2 in takes a year. Legally your child doesn't have to go to school till the term they are 5. If childcare is impossible go and talk to the head. If your child is an autumn born and has been to nursery (only cos they are used to length of day they maybe able to speed week 1-3 up into 1 week. I know parents often think we are just being awkward but my experience and the research shows transition is the best policy. Some children love school and want to be full time from day 1 others are almost traumatised by the separation from their main carer (was going to say Mum but DH said DD will miss him more!!!) and going somewhere new.

islandofsodor · 23/06/2007 22:59

My daughter and the whole of her class went full time from day 1. There was optional half days for the first week but no-one took that option.

If I was a full time working parent and could't take the time off then I think I would have just kept her in nursery until she could go full time if I had to put up with that silly faffing.

BreeVanDerCamp · 23/06/2007 23:03

Have only read the OP.

My DS, May baby was eased in gently. I work part-time but I arranged my nipping in and out of the office months in advance.

School is not free childcare it is about what is best for your child.

I had to use up annual leave but it was worth it for us.

emkana · 23/06/2007 23:05

I agree with Bree, I don't think having had full days at Nursery necessarily means they can go full time into school straight away, it's a whole different environment, new rules and expectations, I'm very glad that dd will be eased in gently (and it did dd1 good, too).

Saturn74 · 23/06/2007 23:07

"School is not free childcare it is about what is best for your child".
I absolutely agree!

BreeVanDerCamp · 23/06/2007 23:11

Thank you HC and Emkana...

NuttyMuffins · 23/06/2007 23:15

Ds is starting on a wednesday and doing 9-12 wed,thurs, fri and then from the next week fulltime. However, at the meeting last week we were told that should our child find it all too much, we only have to say and they can pretty much do whatever ours we think is best for as long as we think is best.