Is anyone else wondering how they're going to juggle school and work? Or already struggling?

[SpottyTeacakes]

Dd starts in September

The parents information session is on a Tuesday morning. Dp and I both work (I work part time) and dd's settling in sessions are on four consecutive Fridays 10:45-1:05 when I also work.

From September she has to go half days, which I know will be better for her, but I can't pick her up when I'm working!

It's really stressing me out. Atm my parents look after her but it's a twenty minute drive from theirs to her school and I can't ask them to do that.

I have no idea what I'm going to do it's really stressing me out!

Hi. Yes, the school year is a different way of life compared to the non school year, but you'll soon get used to it.
Look out for half days at the end of terms, days when school might be closed as a polling station and things like school trips when mummy helpers are invited. As a working parent you won't make all the reading mornings,mrs ports days, nativities etc but knowi g them in advance at least gives you the chance to fit in a few.

Regarding slow correspondence, I always finds fit works to email in and then if a reply is not received in 48 hours, to email again and ring to 'check the original email was received'. The reply is usually quite speedy then.

UPDATE:

Response from head teacher:

Thank you for your email and welcome to X school. We are really looking forward to X starting with us in X Class.
Our policy to stagger starts for children is based on our aim to help each individual child to have a happy and successful start to their time with us at school. We would love to meet you and X of course and have a conversation about start dates. We always try to work with families to support you and also to look at the best interests of each child. Obviously we have not met X yet but look forward to her joining us for Transition sessions after half term. Are you planning to send her to these?
Perhaps we can arrange a date after half term to meet together with Mrs X, the class teacher and with X.
I am out of school for the next two days on residential with our Year 5 and 6 children but you can always contact me at this email address.

Sorry for all the Xs!

Not sure what she's thinking. Either it's great that they want to make sure dd will be ok or it's bad news as they really don't like taking them full time straight away....

I think that response is really positive. They are willing to meet and discuss. They have not said they cannot do it. It sounds to me like they will seriously consider it.
I would email tonight saying you appreciate their willingness to be flexible and that has encouraged you. Ask to meet during the first week back (suggest dates and times when you can go) as you are keen to get this sorted out asap.

Start preparing what you want to say about why you need a full time start. Start preparing what you can say to show your child will be able to cope, so that when you go, you know what to say. Sounds like child will go with you to the meeting, so perhaps they will be watching her to see how she is likely to cope.

I would also research if you are legally entitled to a full time place from September. You clearly don't want to have to bring this up, and It doesn't sound like you will need to, but it would be worth being aware of.

I think it sounds very hopeful.

Thanks I emailed straight back and she replied saying she will come and find me when I take dd in on the sixth. I will definitely do all the things you suggested, thank you

Great! Best of luck with it. Hope you feel a bit less worried about it all now.
Do let us know what happens.

We both work full time and family are all overseas, but at least our jobs are flexible as to time. However -- our school allowed a full-time start in September for DD (while other children did part time starts), and they had one visit day earlier on, in June, with parents present too (not 3!). DD was fine.
However - if you have, or can form, relationships with local childminders, and if the school has an after-school pickup to a community centre or other setting that you could get a relationship with, these are very, very helpful to have. We are slowly building a network of friends, acquaintances, nursery staff or ex-staff, and there are 2 after-school groups (care till 6pm). The clubs can do regular 3:30pm pickups and various people we know can do the occasional 6pm pickup when one of us is away for work and the other HAS to work. Some of these are people who work at DD2's nursery and live near us (so can bring her home), some are younger people I know through activities or work, some are local childcarers who do a bit of extra babysitting, ex-students of mine, etc. Some we exchange favours with, others we pay. Having a network like this is really essential if family are far away, and if the childminder you mentioned doesn't mind, perhaps she could help you with this, and also might be willing to continue with the odd unavoidable thing. It definitely takes some getting used to.

Yes, having as many back ups as possible is really important, because things do go wrong, children are ill etc, however much you plan.
Being registered with the various childcare options is good, even if you don't plan to regularly use them, just in case you do need to.
I think the more you plan ahead and the more back ups you have, the more peace of mind you have too. And peace of mind is very important for the working parent!

I think that is a really helpful email from the head.

I'd stress that dd is school ready, used to nursery x hours a a day and a cobbled together mish mash of child care will be more unsettling to her.

UPDATE

I've just left dd at her transition session. Looks like she was the only one there. Head teacher was teaching so couldn't speak to me. Class teacher seemed lovely but basically said they don't want to take her full time, she's worried she'd get too tired in the afternoon, can I not get any grandparents to pick her up/use the childcare across the road (it's full), it's only for six weeks etc etc. I nearly cried

Spotty I don't think they can refuse. It isn't as though all children are in part time and only your DD would be there, stopping the teacher from doing other stuff. A good part of her class will be there. Why is someone born in March, who may not have been to preschool etc, better able to cope than someone born in April (or later) who could have been in nursery 8-6, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year?

It's not like ours where for 3 weeks all the children do the same half day, so the teacher isn't teaching for the other half iyswim. (The children are divided into 4 groups and week 1 each group does 2 hrs for one day but all different days; week 2 and 3 it's 2 groups doing every morning and 2 doing every afternoon- although not quite matching the after school club times; week 4 is everyone for mornings with lunch; week 5 is everyone 3 mornings and 2 full days; week 6 is everyone 2 mornings and 3 full days. 13th October they start full time.

That's on top of 10 minutes next week, 20 minutes the week after, lunch the following week and then being left for an hour in the 4th week.

Let's just say it's a nurturing school! But I did look when my dad asked if we were going away this year!

Childcare for DD to the half days works out at £31 per day.

Spotty, I think you need to get a meeting with the head and talk to her directly. Assuming you're confident that your dd can handle full days from the start, it's hard to see how having one more child in the class for the first six weeks is going to make much difference to the school, and it will obviously make a big difference to you (and probably also to your dd, as spending a couple of hours a day longer in school is likely to be much less disruptive for her than being passed from pillar to post, to people she doesn't know well).

Beasty that's hurting my brain!

All of the other schools locally take the children full time from the off. I agree it would be less damaging for her going full time as opposed to being passed from pillar to post with new people.

I will have to speak to the head when I get back from our holiday

I had this problem and forced the school to alllow me to defer DD place until the Spring term, she would have remained in theprivate nursery. The accepted but in the end I went private for many reasons, but that was a major factor- the cost of the wrap around care, a breakfast nanny to walk to school, school for 3 hours then a nanny @14 per hour from 11.30am as they have to start work from the journey time to the school till 6.30pm daily rate of 112 more than I ever paid for nursery and for three months the cost of 6700 not to mention dinner, uniform and afterschool clubs at that cost it was cheaper to send DD to a private school where the fees for the year are 7000 wraparound care included and the clubs DD is interested, lunch is included and I can pay with CC. Schools/councils nowadays seem to think all children have a SAHP or grandparents nearby. Why should state school ( YR) cost so much? I have friends who have timed pregnancy so to be on mat leave when DC1starts, people who have stayed in same jobs to take sabbtical when DC starts school, have a parent who helps or left job. Not easy.