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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

First Day at School - do you wave off your precious darling at the door or stay longer?

34 replies

Gingerbear · 15/06/2006 13:42

DD starts reception in September. What happens on the first morning? The doors open at 0845 and school starts at 0855. Do I get there and take her into the classroom, then wave goodbye straight away? Would I be allowed to wait(what for - my benefit or DD's?)? Are parents supposed to wait at the gate? It is all so different from when she started (private) nursery, where now she often runs in to say hello to her friends and carers before she even says goodbye to me.

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BettySpaghetti · 15/06/2006 13:46

At DDs school everyone arrived into the playground, the bell went at 9am which is the signal for the children to line up and go into school when its their classes turn. Parents waved goodbye from there (discouraged from going in as the cloakrooms can't take 25 children, all their bags and 25+ parents!)

clumsymum · 15/06/2006 13:46

Take her up to the school entrance, the reception teacher should be there to point her the way in.

I wouldn't go all the way into class or try to hang around, otherwise you may start her clinging every morning.

TBH if she's used to running off into nursery, then it probably won't be a problem.

LIZS · 15/06/2006 13:48

We were new to the shcool so were escorted to the classroom where we went in and hung up dd's stuff, said good bye and then they ushered her away - in tears . The children didn't all arrive together though as there were staggered start times for those with older siblings, new to school etc. I stood outside for a few minutes but that was it ! Soon got the hang of it and since January they've been taking themselves into the classroom and hanging up their own things!

KBear · 15/06/2006 13:50

I handed her over to a teacher at the gate between playgrounds and parent's waiting area and off she went without a backward glance with a spring in her step.

DS starting this Sept - much more sobbing (that'll just be me though).

SKYTVADICT · 15/06/2006 13:54

Our school was much more laid back and we took them into the cloakroom then classroom every day for the first term. After that Mondays and Friday we were discouraged from doing this, then this Yr in Yr 1 we don't even get past the door thank goodness.

All schools seem to be differenct Gingerbear and I am sure yours will tell you what is expected. I think independence should be encouraged and tbh I could have done without going in all those times as it made my DD worse/very clingy but if I refused to go in then I got "but x's mummy does"

FloatingOnTheMed · 15/06/2006 13:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

crunchie · 15/06/2006 13:59

GB the school will have their own policy and will let you know nearer the time. Our reception kids were encouraged to be dropped off in the classroom for a week, then outside the door, then after about a month or so we were told to drop them at the gate.

WigWamBam · 15/06/2006 14:01

It depends very much on the school. For the first couple of weeks in Reception, while they were doing half-days, we had to take them into their classroom ten minutes before the whistle blew. During those couple of weeks they were shown how to line up when the whistle blew, and once they started full-time they went into class in their lines, but we could stay in the playground (away from the lines) until the children were in. These days they have dropped the lining up system and the children just go straight in when the doors open at 8.50.

I presume you will be meeting the teachers and getting some information about the school before she starts? You can always ask them about this when you see them. All of this kind of information was given to us before dd started, so that we all knew what to expect.

sandyballs · 15/06/2006 14:07

They vary hugely Gingerbear. At my twin DDs school (they started in reception last September) we are still allowed to go in with them and hang up their coats, put away their lunches, choose a new book, chat to the teachers and other kids and it is all very casual and relaxed until 9.00 when we are expected to leave them.

Don't assume that because she is fine being left at nursery she will necessarily be fine at school. With mine, the DD that was great at nursery is still clingy at school and the one that clung like a limpet at nursery has never given a backward glance.

Enid · 15/06/2006 14:08

ditto crunchie

Enid · 15/06/2006 14:09

would suggest being as cool as possilb e and dropping off outside

if your dd kicks off then rethink

Blu · 15/06/2006 14:11

We do take them into the classroom door, but hanging around is definitely not encouraged, and you can see that it would make it very hard. The teachers are very good, imo, at integrating them quickly, and making them part of the group procedures.

We started on half days for a week, but DS had been primed that i wouldn't be coming in with him - he was completely different from when I had settled him into day nursery a year before.

sandyballs · 15/06/2006 14:15

I do sometimes wonder if the fact that we are allowed to hang around has made my DD clingy. It might have been in her favour to just drop her off and go at the start.

Mercy · 15/06/2006 14:15

dd's school has a settling in policy of 3 weeks for Nursery and Reception age children, all the procedures were explained at an Open Evening/Coffee Morning.

I'm sure your school will have something similar.

Original poster

Gingerbear · 15/06/2006 14:21

Thanks for your replies - each school does things differently then (obvious when I think about it). DD and I are visiting school next Thursday, so I need my list of questions prepared by then. The school has a nursery, and most of the children moving into Reception will have been there and know each other. There are some new to the school like DD (unsure how many). I hope they do a 'gradual withdrawal' like Crunchie and Enid's. What other things do I need to know? I will have to write this all down. It feels like it is going to be MY first day, not DD's!

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Mercy · 15/06/2006 14:27

My dd is still in Reception (she was also at the Nursery) and I remember that her (and my) concerns were things like

toilets - can she go anytime or only at playtime

lunch - where do they eat it

Might seem a bit trivial but a big deal for a 4 year old!

homemama · 21/06/2006 14:25

I have problems when parents of Y5&Y6 children want to come in and hang up their stuff for them.

IME, most (good) schools know that Reception is a big step for both you and the little ones and will have an easing in policy. Just ring or pop in and ask the teacher beforehand.

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2006 14:29

In dd's first primary school reception children were taken all the way to the classroom by parents.

harrisey · 22/06/2006 00:59

i put my dd1 on the bus herself the first morning (little taxibus) as we live so far from the school, and the parents of all the other bus kids did the same. The teacher met them at the gate. Heck I sound hard!!

apronstrings · 22/06/2006 03:13

harrisey - here nearly all children get put on the bus - they are supposed to have a label sfety pinned to them saying name, which bus, ahich class etc. I don't recall ther ebeing a single tear last year.(other than from parents after the bus had left of course

harrisey · 22/06/2006 23:09

We didnt have to do the labels, but then we are a very small school!

Peridot30 · 08/08/2006 19:24

hi my son starts in primary 1 in 2wks time and im starting to feel really nervous about him going. he is really excited and looking forward to it. any 1 got any advice to keep me calm?

hulababy · 08/08/2006 19:33

We have been sent a little book with info for us and info for DD.

For us on the first morning we are to go to the front door of the school (PP building) and rin gthe bell. PP1 teacher will meet us there. We then go into the cloakrooma nd take off her hat and coat, find he rpeg and help her sort out her things. We then take her into the classroom and it is then time to say goodbye. It then says "We know how you will be feeling and quite understand your emotions! Your daughter will be fine"

From then on in we arrive before the school bell, which goes at 8:30am. The girls then line up outside in their class line. For the "settling in period" parent sstay withtthem and asccompany the girls into school. We are asked to bring out child into the class, after hanging up coat and hat, and helping them put their reading book and message folder into the baskets. We then say goodbye in class.

After the setling in period we say goodbye in the playground.

There is a morning club as well though, which we need to sort out for after the second week.

Peridot30 · 08/08/2006 19:43

hulababy u not feeling nervous bout your wee one starting school?

hulababy · 08/08/2006 19:45

Yep!!! I am not really looking forward to it at all. Even though I know she is ready and she is looking forward to it.

Me? I have no idea what I will do with myself on my two days off.

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