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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

has anyone's dc started with full days in reception from the beginning?

23 replies

CatIsSleepy · 14/09/2010 12:49

dd1 is finally starting reception next week. They have phased the entry (the older children started 2 weeks ago) but the children are all going straight into full days from the start, unlike most other schools in our area.

Am just a little worried about how she will cope but am not sure if I am just being silly about it?...also it's not the school whose nursery she went to so she knows nobody there at all, and last week she told me she didn't want to go there. So she is obviously a bit wibbly about it and so am I!

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CMOTdibbler · 14/09/2010 12:51

Yes, and ds only knew one child. He has been very happy from the start, and it seems to have worked well going straight into their normal timetable

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 14/09/2010 12:52

oh good CMOT
was he knackered though?

OP posts:

beeny · 14/09/2010 12:53

Yes dd is doing a full day.She was 4 August 29th.She only knows one child from nursery.

dizzymac · 14/09/2010 12:54

Both my DDs ( 8 & 5) did this when they started school. I thought it was great. They settled straight in and although they were tired it was no more than I had expected. Has she been going to nursery part time? If so then I think this is fine. Why continue with 1/2 days when they've done that for a year.

My eldest didn't go to the feeder nursery, in fact we were new to the area and she settled straight away. DD2 went to the feeder nursery and was asked if she could be special friends with a girl who did not. They are still best friends .

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 14/09/2010 12:54

and has she been ok beeny?

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Ragwort · 14/09/2010 12:56

My DS started with full days - also an only child like CMOT's - he loved it, unfortunately he wasn't at all knackered . I personally think that it's much better than faffing around with half days etc.

mumoverseas · 14/09/2010 12:56

DD is 4 in a few weeks and is starting foundation 1 full time on Saturday (we are abroad and our 'working' week is Sat - Wed)
The hours are 7.50am to 1pm so it is quite a long day for the little ones but her friends who started last year all coped ok although a little tired and some needed a nap in the afternoon.
I'm sure your DD will soon settle in and make friends.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 14/09/2010 12:56

DS did last year (well, they started an hour late on the first day, but other than that) They all seemed to settle in fine.

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 14/09/2010 12:56

yes she was doing half days at nursery dizzy.

I think I am being silly then...i just think of her having to go off for school dinners, and having to do PE and all that in her first week and I worry for her

it's her not knowing anyone else that really bothers me though

OP posts:

Bonsoir · 14/09/2010 12:57

Yes, DD did in France, at 3.10.

She was tired to begin with(9am to 4.20pm) but was fine after a few weeks.

beeny · 14/09/2010 12:58

She is tired,but also seems to have caught a cold.Shes not a clingy child.

LtEveDallas · 14/09/2010 13:05

DD didnt know anyone at her school, nor the area (we had flown in from living overseas the week before) and had moved into our house only the day before.

She did until 1330 on the first day, and we were expecting her to do that until Oct.

Instead when we went to collect her on the 2nd day she kicked off, proper tantrum "I WANT TO STAY"

so we left her.......

....... and she never did half days again.

She is an only, quite 'clever', but was never that confident with strangers - took her time to get to know people. Never in my wildest dreams did I think she would fit in that quickly.

Also, I was really worried when I saw the class - 15 boys, 4 girls - but she has coped with that fine.

Yes she was tired, but not that she would admit it!

Try not to worry too much - easier said than done, I know, but I actually took 2 weeks off work thinking that she wouldnt settle and that I'd be needed, but guess what, it was a bloody waste of Leave!

CMOTdibbler · 14/09/2010 13:07

The only days he has been really extra tired are pe days - but then he has had an hour of pe, 1 1/2 hours in the playground during the day (and they have a huge adventure playground so really v active) plus another 1 1/2 hours at late club where they play outside. His school runs 8.30-3.30

dizzymac · 14/09/2010 13:11

You are not being silly. Its perfectly normal to worry about starting school. We all do that

Original poster

CatIsSleepy · 14/09/2010 13:33

thanks for all the reassurance!

dd1 seems pretty tired anyway atm I'm not sure why...she is not good when tired, gets very grumpy...am sort of expecting some tiredness-related bad behaviour next week

LtEve I am also finishing early most days next week (dd1 will normally be going to her CM after school)-maybe I'll find she doesn't need me either

OP posts:

marge2 · 14/09/2010 13:38

Both my boys started full time from day 1 in Reception - yes they were tired at the end of the day. But they are STILL tired at the end of teh day now they are in Yrs 1 and 3. Ds2 settled in much better than DS1 though as he had big bro already there and he know almost all the class already frmo pre-school.

Your DD wil prob be very tired and grumpy after school - give her some slack when it comes to the tiredness tantrums.

sailorsgal · 14/09/2010 14:13

Ds started last Wed and is doing full days except Wed when they finish at 1pm. He starts at 8.15 and finishes at 3.30pm.

He is very tired so when he gets home he just chills out and watches TV or plays. We did start an earlier bath/bedtime so he is asleep by 7.15.

He has had a cold already and now has given it to me.

MollieO · 14/09/2010 15:09

Ds only knew one child when he started in Reception when he was 4.2. Full days from the off. Absolutely fine although a bit tired to begin with. Teachers very understanding and tolerant to little ones which helped the ones who got tearful. Big change in all that now ds is in yr 2!

roadkillbunny · 14/09/2010 16:18

dd started school last year, she was 4.3 years old, out of an intake of 26 children all but 4 (2 boys, 2 girls) had been to the village pre-school so dd knew almost everybody and had some strong friendship groups. They started from day one full time and although tired they were all fine, dd has a rather lovely personality trait in that she automatically looks for the child most at sea or who is new and doesn't know anybody and makes a really effort to befriend them. The two 'new' girls in her class had other things other then being new that made the start of school even more tricky, one had just arrived from Sweden and didn't have any English and the other is blind, these two children are now my dd's best friends in the world, she is still part of her old friendship groups and the other girls have been included completely in these groups but dd has a really lovely bond with them.
I wouldn't be concerned over either her not knowing anyone or being full time from the start, they deal much much better with these things then we do as parents, dd would have been very miffed if she had a part time start to school, she was so keen to go (and is still just as keen now in Y1), all the children who had been to the village pre-school (all but 4 as I said) had done at least one full day a week at pre-school so had experienced having lunch away from home before, dd's year was the second year of full time start and the school has been very pleased with the results, I wouldn't worry about the pe thing either, dd's school didn't have them get changed for pe in the first half term and the pe lessons were really just a few get to know you type games in the hall not full on pe as we as parents might imagine when we think about it.
good luck for your dd, she will be fine, plaster a smile on your face, tell her how much fun she is going to have and then once she is safely in go and have a little cry about how grown up your baby girl has become! (sorry for the mega post

PavlovtheCat · 14/09/2010 16:20

DD has done two half days and then straight in to full days, she doesn't know any children, and the other children know lots of children as many went to the pre-school there. She is in her second full week and is thoroughly enjoying it, made two friends already. She is absolutely shattered, and very very hungry when she comes home!

mungo8 · 14/09/2010 16:45

DS started full days straight away was 4 in July. He has settled just fine, he is really tired at the end of the day and have to give him a snack on the way home and put his tea in front of him as soon as we get in, as the moment he stops he will crash out once he has had his tea he gets a new lease of life.

I hope your daughter settles in from day one.

tracyf · 14/09/2010 21:58

My DD started last thursday doing 9-11.30 and goes full time tomorrow. She can't wait :)

She's been going to nursery for 2 years doing long days while I was working (on mat leave now). So she's really keen to be allowed to go to 'big school' all day.

springchik · 14/09/2010 22:10

My ds isnt full time but I actually think its the easiest way tbh. Started this week. Hes doing 2 hours a day - afternoons- which is less than preschool which was 15 hours a week. All morning hes on edge wanting to be there so cant really relax even at home. Also I'm hardly home when its time to pick him up. He was 5 last week so one of their oldest. I think that he wont actually feel part of it and settled til he is full time so why not from the start. Dont worry shell be fine!

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