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

[dissle]

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.

hours

When dd2 started last year only one child hadn't been in the school nursery and had already met the teaches, the school and 1/2 the class, yet for the first week she went for an hour (less than the 2 1/2 h in the school nursery!) then 1/2 days then the opposite 1/2 day then full days in week 4.

The majority of the Foundation Stage children at our school have attended the attached Nursery, so start full time on day 1.

The few children that are starting 'education' for the first time have a staggered timetable, usually arranged with the parents agreement.

Seems to work fine.

We do mornings only for a term and then all day after that. I think it's good for the children as it eases them in nicely. plus a full day is hard when they first start school especially if they're not used to it like mine aren't. The first few days you stay with them as well.

Just read a few other posts and agree with Bree, it's about what's best for the child not your work. What's more important?

When DD started there was a month long introductory period - DS started school three years later and it was a two week introductory period.

On talking to the teachers about it, it seems the longer introductory period made settling in more difficult for the children and when they finally did a full day they were a bit shell shocked after thinking this school lark was a bit easy only doing two hours a day for three weeks!

I think an hour a day at the beginning seems weird (did I read OP right?). Hardly time to find out where the loos are and have a playtime!

My children were chomping at the bit to get to school and stay all day but others might not be so keen and I suppose they have to cater for that.

Agree it's tough when you're working but the year DD started I used up my annual leave and lots of favours with my mum and friends for pickups.

But I said that first! 'Those who want to should be able to settle in gently' etc. Of course it's about what's best for your child, but stressed (or sacked!) Mummy, or being passed around from friend to neighbour or going from 8 hrs at nursery to 2.5 hours then back up to full school day isn't nec. what's best for each individual child. I have never been given the impression by my childs (future) school that the day will be run around his needs more that he will have to fit in with them. Obv. those who are really struggling will need another arrangement.

Do you think it's always working parents who find this so difficult.
I do think Bree saying it's about what's best for your child thereby implying (to me if noone else) that the op doesn't want that simply because she said she had never been given a decent explanation was a bit uncalled for. Not everyones job consists of 'nipping into the office'

I don't think it is particularly difficult to work out the benefits is it?
That some schools ease new children into school gradually in order to make it easier for them.
Even if they have been to nursery for full days, there are aspects of school that will be new to them eg: they won't have played in a playground with children who are up to seven years older than them. It can be daunting even for the most confident 4 year old.
I'm sure there are also benefits to the other children, as well as the teachers, as new school years usually involve change for everyone, and a certain settling down period.
I certainly don't see it as "pissing around" anyway.
I don't think anyone has implied that the OP doesn't want what is best for her child, and of course it is difficult to arrange childcare for these times if you work full time.
But in a way it is easier to prepare for this than it is if your child is suddenly off school sick, there is at least plenty of notice.
Some nurseries help with cover at the beginning of new school years, so perhaps this is something that the OP could look into?

dd found it all very frustrating, she went from going to nursery 8-5.30 every day to all these staggered times at school, rather than easing her in, it confused her.

DS2 found the complete opposite, as his school had them in full time straight away.
He was exhausted for months, and I had to drag him into school every day.
He didn't like the noise, the playtimes, the assemblies.
In our case, a staggered start would have been great.
DS1 went straight to full days, and was fine - if a bit grumpy in the mornings.

Of course i want what is best for my child, i DO not see school as free childcare (OMG!)

My child IS more important than my job (AGAIN O M G !)

However i work in an environment that is predominantly women and they ALL want the first couple of weeks off in September in order to comply with school term "easing in periods".
This means booking AL in the Jan/Feb in order to stand a chance.....there is NO chance!
This is my first time at big school, i presumed that there may be a week or two of settling in, this particular school have a policy of nearly 4 weeks...this is a stressful nightmare.
Guilt ridden am i that i want and need to be with my boy at this special important time, guilt ridden am i that i have to fullfill my work contract and obligations.
My opinion is that i am utterly outraged that people would suggest that my priorities are wrong and that i should even question the reasons behind some ones decision that impacts HUGELY on our life for what amounts to a month of time!
How bloody dare you!
Loopybear, thankyou for a most informative and enlightening explanation, i understand a bit better, thankyou.

dissle, I honestly don't think anyone has suggested your priorities are wrong.

It's a pain in the backside, I agree.

Luckily our school doesn't stagger it too much.

Those born Sept to end of March start full time on day one with the rest of the school (so ds1 did this and ds2 will do so in Sept - and he's joining a year 1 class along with 9 other reception children!).

Those born April to June go for mornings for 2 weeks (I think), then full time.

Those born July and Aug go afternoons for 2 weeks, then full time.

Next year it's going to irritate me as ds3 is an August birthday so will end up doing a few poxy afternoons for the first part - he is going to the school nursery in Sept so half his friends will go to school full time adn be wondering where the hell he is!

I'm so glad we don't have it staggered so much as others do - not full time till Oct, Dec or even Easter

If you've used childcare before, it's very difficult to then mix that in with awkward school hours.

I agree that gradual intake may be best for the child, but that's not always based on their birthday is it? Ds3 is August but has 2 older brothers and will be raring to go.

A poster was asking me "whats more important?" That is offensive.
Thanks for trying to calm me though Humphry, ive got ever so irrate and its not like me at all!

HC I don't actually think people ment to imply dissles priorities are wrong but in the middle there was a whole lot of 'school isn't free childcare and nipping into the office', which does rather give the wrong impression rather than attempt to answer the question lots of others did try and answer or make helpful suggestions like keeping nursery place open at the start. I guess I just was a bit touchy that asking a question or talking about what for some is a real problem resulted in others making certain comments.
Sorry

to pick up another point, it really isn't a lot of notice, imo, for arranging childcare pickups/cover/holidays etc. I still have no clue at all what the school plans to do for the first few weeks of sept, it's not such a big deal cos I'm mostly sahm, but as dh had to book all his hols way back in jan, I can't see that it would be great if he was expected to mind read the school some 6 months in advance.
ds' school do seem to assume someone is permanently sat at home waiting to do school pick up/drop offs at a moments notice

Thankyou for that.

Its not just the 3 weeks in sept, my son is also going for 2 50min sessions last Wed and this Wed...in the middle of the day. Im taking him out of pre school, dh is picking him up,dropping him off, waiting at home for 50mins picking him up and then taking him to work till i can get to pick him up.
I agree with the posters that say that the school MUST presume that we are sitting at home awaiting thier instructions.
It is a bloody nightmare!

This apears to be an extreme though, you are all very lucky to not have to do this "pissing around"

Hope your 50 minute sessions were more 'useful' than ours! Both took time off work (PFB syndrome obviously the next can get the bus there himself!) and went in to a meeting an I still don't know why!... The children didn't get shown round/allocated classes/find the loos/playground. Just the headmistress reading her leaflet to us and a chat about uniform!

And what are you supposed to do if you're a teacher yourself? I'm hardly allowed to cancel the first days of term with my own classes to fit around my dds' school. This is leaving me with 2 options: one, take dds into work with me (I've done this with dd1 but it's not possible with both of them since dd1 has INSET too) or two, get grandparents to make the 400 mile trip to look after them for one day then book dd2 back into her current nursrey for 2 days after a 6 week break. WE're opting for the 2nd choice but this is going to be incredibly stressful for all of us including dd2. Schools have to accept that the majority of mums work these days. That may not make their life easier but that's the way it is. It's just the same as not organising parents' evenings at 10 am. Schools need to keep parents on side and parents and children happy. At the very least they should offer a choice.

DD is just finishing primary 1, and I think that,out of a class of 19, the number of WOHMs is about 3 or 4- and I agree that there seems to be a complete failure at dd's school to allow for that. The school prizegiving/ end of year service was at 10.45 this morning- absolutely impossible for me to get to, we were only told last week the date and time, far too late for dh and I to request time off work. When I mentioned this to dd's teacher, on one of the rare occasons that I was able to pick her up from school, I was told that I was "lucky" that dd hadn't won a prize, as I "wouldn't miss much" . OK, so dd is a bit of a dreamer, and probably doesn't deserve either the "general excellence" or the "exceptional effort" prize, but I know for a fact that she has been practising her songs for the service, really hard, and I would have loved to have been there to listen. In common with most 5 yr olds, I expect, she doesn't say much about what she's done at school, and it would be nice to have the opportunity to hear some of their work.

This has been going on all year, so not an isolated example; parent's "evening" was actually an afternoon, just after school finished, so starting at 3.15-5pm- impossible to get the time off work at less than a week's notice.

I try my hardest to be involved, but I'm sure that dd's teacher must think I can't be bothered, when really if I had a bit more warning of these events, i could probably arrange to be there.

Dh said that last weeks 50min session was a caotic shambles.
He took ds to look around and find loo's as they were both bored as there was absolutely nothing going on. They were quickly ushered back into the hall.

I still dont know what im going to do on week 2 and 3 in September.

STRESSSSSSS!!!

I am lucky I suppose that I can often rearrange my work schedule (dh can't he is a teacher).

However at the beginning of the year we were given a list of all significant dates, from harvest festical, Christmas play, right through to sports day and prize giving.

There have been a couple of last minute things, teddy bear's picnic today for example but dd's teacher made a huge point about the fact that very few mums and dad's would go, it was only if they were not at work they could go along if they wished.

Settling in visits were done by her nursery, in fact I didn't even know about them til afterwards and she went full time straight away.

Independant schools seem a lot more geared up to working parents. Dd's teacher and TA are both working mums themselves too.

settlig in by nursery!! was it a move up within the same school?

Yes, the same school, nursery and reception classrooms are separated by a corridor.

It's amazing how much this varies from school to school.My dd is a January birthday and starts 3 weeks of half days then straight to ft.
My dd2 is starting at the pre school on the same day .So i will take dd 1 at 8.45 am come home then take dd2 at 10 am then collect dd2 at 12.30 pm then collect dd1 at 1.30pm.Luckily we live a stones throw from the school.It is a lot of pissing about and i will be glad when the first 3 weeks are over.