Anyone's DC been the only child in reception doing part time?

[birdseed]

Late July born shy DS, headteacher says fine to do part time when he starts in reception. I just don't think that emotionally and socially he is up to more, unless he comes on hugely in the next 6 months, which is why I am keen. But am worried that the other kids might give him a hard time if he is the only one going part time. There is no one doing it this year and no one planned to do it in Sept except us.

Has anyone had their DC being the only one starting part time? If so how did it work out? Did they get a hard time for it at all?

Yes but parttime for different reasons to you. And I wouldn't advise it, it is making your DC the odd one out

I had a boy last year do the first term part-time for similar reasons. From the school's point of view, the boy really thrived when he went full-time. Things move on very quickly in a reception class - socially rather than academically - and his friendships became much more secure when he was full-time. This year I had a painfully shy little boy start and for the first few weeks he just played on his own, too shy to get involved with others. But now he's got lots of friends and Mum says he's like a different child at home as well as at school. You know your child best, but sometimes going full time is just what they need to blossom.

My August born dd2 is in reception currently. I had similar worries and decided in the end not to send her part-time because of concerns over her fitting in socially. I think this has turned out to be the right course of action for her as she is now happy and settled with lots of friends. What I have done, since September, is give her odd days off here and there when I feel she is just too tired and needs a day off. School haven't objected to this and it means that because there is no pattern to it she is not missing the same activity all the time. Lunchtime is socially a very important time so I didn't want her to do half-days for that reason.

Dd was part time in reception up until Easter in fact initialyl she only went two or three mornings building up to five mornings. She has SEN and was having home based early intervention programme at home so that was the reason for her part time attendance. It was undoubtedly right for dd, she started EYFS with significant development delay particularly with regards to speech and communication but her leaving score was 113. She needed to continue the home programme to enable her to access school successfully.

My DD2 is mid August and i know will be VERY tired. But 6 months is quite a way off and current plan is to send her FT (although they are PT until almost 1/2 term due to staggered entry) and see how she copes.

As your HT has cleared it, i would say can your DS try FT and then see? No point planning for an issue which may not materialise? Runoutofideas ad-hoc days off seem sensible

I agree with SharkBite, as the head is happy with less hours, suck it and see. Your child WILL change enormously in the next six months and enormously again in the following six months... and the six months after that. You will in all probability be semi pt for the first half of the term anyhow. Then there will be half term. After that the pre Christmas term is lots of fun - Christmas activities, the preparations for the first nativity play / concert etc so it would be a shame for him to miss out on too much. My dd1's old school used to positively encourage the parents to collect the younger/tired children at lunchtime on a Friday, so maybe that might be an option, as well as the occasional long weekend? If that's still not enough, then it sounds like your Head will sanction more time off if needed?

They'll all be part time for what seems ages anyway. REasess when the time comes knowing you have the head behind you. Consider also a duvet day or half day if they are just getting plain exhausted say at the end of a term/half term.

When it came to it my late july born was the one dragged OUT of school kicking and screaming because of the half day "gentle start" for the younger kids- she just wanted to be in there doing things!............She's 18 and the embarrassment is with me still!

DD went part time for two terms. None of the other children noticed, so it made not a jot of difference. She was fine with it, missed nothing worth worrying about and was among the top academically by the time she went full time.

She would have been exhausted, and she does not take kindly to chaotic social situations (like a reception class) and just used to hide or stare at the computer screen for two hours. If I'd had any faith that the teachers actually noticed this, I would perhaps have considered FT. But they didn't. (Our school is not one of those which takes kindly to duvet days etc in children meant to be FT.)

DD1 did part time (collected her after lunch) for the first half term then did 4 full days and 1 half day. It worked really well, she was exhausted and needed that half day off. By xmas she was the only one doing any half days and I don't think any of the other children even noticed.

The only time her peers commented was to ask if they could go home too. It certainly made no difference to her having friends or academically.

Some of the children will notice, my dd2 did when they all went full time and one girl didn't. Probably not an issue so much now she is full time. Dd1 had to have some duvet days when she started. If you are really not sure you might do better to wait until after christmas to start, but move towards full days from there. Lunch time pick:-ups are a PITA!