full time V's part time ( Reception class)

[pigleychez]

DD1 had started school on Friday. She was one of the last to start as she is summer born (end of July). They staggered the intake from the wed to the fri and everyone was half days till 12 that week.

We got letters before they started asking us to choose whether we wanted our child to start full time or part time (till half term). I picked part time. Picked her up at 12 today and there was only 5 children doing this out a class of 30. I was expecting more.

One parent was saying they might change to full time then as they worry about her missing out with friendships as they are usually formed at breaks/lunch times.
This made me think... will DD be missing out too?

DD has only ever done mornings at nursery and still quite often has an afternoon nap so I was thinking this would help ease her in. As it is she's come home the past two days asking for a sleep and slept for a good hour and a half. Im not sure she would cope till 3 yet.

Did you child start full or part time and what was your reasoning behind it (if you got the choice).

I think DD starting school has really knocked me for six.. Im usually quite calm and collected but I was a blubbering wreck on her first day and now questioning my decisions. I think the control freak in me is going crazy as School is so out of my hands.

ds will be starting reception full time next week, but he was in full time nursery class at another school last term, so I know he'll be fine with whole days. I need him there full time as I work some afternoons (as well as every morning).

dd1,2&3 (separate children, not triplets!) all started part time as that's the way it worked then. Everyone was part time, either mornings or afternoons only for first 1-2 terms depending on age. Older ones went full time after Christmas, younger ones after Easter. Never stopped them making friends in the other half of the year despite the fact that they didn't really meet those children until a term in.

For my dds they changed friends so often at first that I'm pretty the part time-ness made no difference to friendship groups :) I wonder if that reason is given as its more socially acceptable than saying I want my child full time as they're a handful and I need a break / I need childcare as I'm working.

If she still naps in afternoons I think you're doing the right thing to start her off part time :)

With DS we followed the school settling in plan. He did one week p/t, came home and bounced off the walls. I would rather have had him started f/t from the start.

When DD started we opted to have her start f/t. She was absolutely fine - the only thing she got upset about was her friends only being there some of the time and she never quite knew when. She was absolutely fine when everyone was f/t and she understood the routines.

I think I'd want my child to do what the majority are doing. I also imagine swapping from p/t to full time when most children are used to the full time routine might be difficult.

With DS1 he was part time for 4 weeks then full time. Technically I could have kept him part time for longer but it wasn't encouraged and he was fine (just me who was wobbly about it!) so I did what everyone else did.

DS2 started school last week. He has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and suffers badly with fatigue. He did tuesday and thursday morning last week, will do the same this week and then we will discuss with the school about maybe increasing his hours.

At this age she won't be missing out. Children change who they are friends with frequently. When they are at nursery/preschool a lot of children do different hours/days and it doesn't affect friendships

I'm going to let my ds go part time until Xmas.
I'm not worried about his friends in school. It's not that important.
He turned 4 in July, I'm more concerned with his happiness than friends or academic.stuff at the moment.

You will need to start cutting her naps if you are thinking of putting her in full time, so she is used to it.

To be honest, I remember when ds1 was in nursery, and I mean when he was 1 yr old, and when he would have had a nap at home, at nursery it was snack time and it kept him going!

There is an afternoon playtime to boost their energy levels back up, all you can do is try cutting her nap and replicating a good 20 minutes playing outside.

At our primary school there is no part-time option given. It is full time only and it is an outstanding school on Ofsted.

Both of mine are summer born, both only did mornings only in preschool and both of them had afternoon naps. I weaned them off the afternoon naps as they were going into school full time in reception.

My DD did 4 days a week until the Easter term.
I thought 5 days was too much (she was only 4) the school raised some mild concerns, but these didn't materialise. Friendships have not suffered. Plus I was being a little selfish - I wanted to have some more time with her too.
She went 5 days at Easter (having turned 5) and didn't notice the difference - she was ready to do the extra day and now I enjoy having a day to myself too.
If your DD is still napping in the afternoon it sounds ideal that she is doing mornings only.

Thanks for the replies. She can do without the afternoon naps but will still ask for one some days. Its doesn't stop her sleeping at night she just loves her sleep!

She knows quite a few children in her class as they all went to Nursery together which helps alot as its not as if she doesn't know anyone. There are quite a few familiar faces.

On reflection I think ill stick with the part time for now. If in a few weeks she wants to stay then i'll speak to the teacher. I guess I just expected more of the class to be part time to start with.

My DD2 is starting Reception on Wed. She is an August baby and still very young in so many ways. Truth be told I am dreading her going, I know she isn't ready (only went to nursery 3 mornings then upped to 4 the last half term). Having experienced problems with DD1 where I had felt under pressure to put her in full time (tears for weeks), I won't be repeating that and will not rush her. She only did one week part time before I moved her to full time but in a class of 30 she was the ONLY one - the majority of the children were older or their parents had no choice.

I'm going to stick to my guns and only make her full time once I definitely know she is ready. She is a shy child and just remember school can be very daunting - suddenly being independent, school dinners, getting dressed for PE....

With regards friendships, please don't worry, kids are so fickle and adaptable!

Good luck.

My DS started last week.

He can go full time from next week. I think he will be ready, if not then I may bring him home after lunch on Thursdays and Fridays. Do what suits your child.

Arrghh..
DD's teacher tells me today that as of next week she will be the only one doing part time.
Now what do I do!?

I dont want her to be the only one and feel left out. :( But then im not ready for her to be full time yet. Plus she's shattered after only a morning so how will she be by 3pm.

One friend is going to full days on Thur and fri's to break her in so think I might try that too.

my MIL has told me many times that when her boys started school the headmaster used to send the whole class home for lunch and that coming back in the afternoon was optional, if they wanted to sleep / have some quiet time then that was OK...

would something like that be an option for you? bring her home, give her lunch and if she's not too sleepy, take her back for the afternoon :)

otherwise I'd be tempted to try for a couple of whole days and build it up gradually as you suggested :)

deferred reception entry a term - and absolutely no problem settling in. we were only ones.
another new child also came into class in january (swapped from another school) - no problem either.
part time for rest of year - three/four full days - absolutely no problem with disruption, friends, missing out etc.
you can always consolidate friendships with some play on the weekend with class mates (trying to avoid using word 'play dates').

Have courage of your convictions. You probably know what's best for your daughter. Schools have to balance what's good for you with what they perceive is best for the school as a whole. It's absolutely OK to do what you think is best for your family. My only caveat is that kids can surprise you and that you may find that she enjoys schools more than you ever expected... this happened to me (sort of).

sorry - just to add: you could suggest doing three or four full days a week to start with, rather than mornings only? That way she is there for the whole day, including the important play breaks, but you both get a long weekend together. Then you can gradually up it to four days as she approaches her fifth birthday.