Part time schooling?

[longestlurkerever]

Dd starts reception in September but she only turns 5 next August. She currently attends pre-school part time and an outdoor nursery (think forest school approach) one day a week. The outdoor nursery have sent an email asking if anyone is interested in keeping their child there one day a week after school starts, saying they understand it is parents' right to exercise the option of part time schooling if they want. They have said that if there's sufficient interest they will tailor the activities one day a week towards school-aged children.

I am quite tempted. She learns all sorts of different things at outdoor nursery and she is quite young to be in a classroom all day every day. I couldn't afford private schooling or home ed but I could afford this one day a week.

Does anyone know the rules around this, and has anyone any experience of doing anything similar? I remember someone at the school open day asking aid they could attend part time and the school's response was negative so I would like to know what my rights are before broaching it but have found no info on the council's website. I don't want to jeopardise my school place as it's a very oversubscribed school and we were lucky to get in.

Also slightly concerned about her falling behind at school but since it's all child-led learning in reception I don't think she would, as she will be learning outdoors too, just in a different way.

but since it's all child-led learning in reception

Be careful if you are making your decision on this basis. It isn't all child-led learning in reception, it's a balance between child and adult led. There should be lots of child-led learning, but there will also be whole class and group taught sessions every day. If you were choosing to flexi-school yourself you could work with the school around their timetable. With an outside provider you don't have this option.

But she wouldn't just be "missing out" she would be having a different and enriching experience learning broader skills and expanding her horizons and social circle. For example she might miss sn hour's pe lesson but spend all day running, climbing, building tree houses. She might miss the art specialist at school but be making a leaf collage on the woods (who also have art, music and other specialists who visit). I think what she would gain would more than compensate for what she would lose. 4 days a week is plenty of time to build friendships for example. I need to find out more about whether she would fall behind but since I could delay her start altogether and no one would mind it can't be that much of a concern can it?

I care deeply about her education but think it can be viewed very narrowly. She is not even 4. There is plenty of time to fret about attainment levels.

I agree with kohl, she would be missing out on things in school. My DS is in Reception and I didn't really understand till he started how quickly his life at school would become so important to him and part of that is feeling part of his class and being there for things they are all doing together.

Your DD would get parallel learning experiences at the forest school no doubt, but she would miss a entire day's activities that her school peers have done and will talk about and bond over. That for me is enough of a reason to have my DS in Reception full time.

Thanks kohi. That is food for thought. Is your experience with reception or older age kids? At pre school they seem to cope quite well with some children being full time and some part time. They're all at such different stages anyway that learning necessarily has to follow the child's pace. I confess I assumed (and was led by the school to believe) that it would be similar in reception. If dd would really miss out then I won't pursue flexi schooling but if it's all about meeting Govian attendance target then, much as i am sympathetic to the school's predicament, I am less convinced that it isn't worth pursuing.

Hear hear longest. I'm keeping mine at his nursery for another term (various reasons) but I had assumed that he wouldn't be missing that much in reception. Is it much more structured than we think then kohl. Does it matter? Should I be getting ds a tutor?!!

And just to clarify kohl, you are a YR teacher? What happens with the delayed starts then, are they also more difficult to deal with?

Thanks too hiccup. Obviously my life would be easier if I didn't have to faff about preparing her for and ferrying her to the woods and it isn't cheap either so I am only interested if it would genuinely benefit her. I wish I had a crystal ball to see how she will take to school. I might actually seek her pre school teacher's thoughts as she knows my dd and the way she responds to different learning settings. The new school is not connected (though it's the same council) so she could give me an objective view.

Also presumably if she did start to feel left out and fell behind you could just put her in five days a week?

Thanks kohl, we're delaying as we got allocated the worst school in the borough so buying some thinking time really. The full whammy of school just seems such a lot at this age!

Good luck longest. I keep telling myself they're only four!

Ah that is worth knowing also kohl. I was hoping to review it on a half-termly basis and certainly envisage her attending full time eventually.

One compromise might be to seek the school's permission for the first half term. They have weeks and weeks of staggered settling in anyway so it wouldn't be disruptive and then I could see how she is settling into school before pulling her out of outdoor nursery. But it will still be early days by the time I have to make a decision.

One of the reasons all children are now entitled to a September start rather than it being standard to have a split entry with younger children starting in January was what the summer borns were missing in the two terms they didn't attend. It's certainly something that parents thinking of deferring do need to consider when they weigh up their options.

It may not just be a case of missing art or pe. It might be that the teacher focuses on certain aspects of literacy on specific days for example. Missing 20% of literacy sessions might not look too bad on paper even if it leaves a few gaps. But if the class normally spends most of the week doing activities to prepare for a piece of writing on Fridays, and you miss every Friday then you may have missed almost all of the writing sessions.

It's interesting hearing people saying things are much less flexible since the attendance targets.

One of my DDs had Wednesday afternoons and all day Thursday at home to start with. After a term she stayed in school all day Wednesday but she continued to be home with me on Thursdays for the whole of reception, even after she turned 5. She was so tired by the end of the week but with the day off she was ready to go in Friday which was chip day.I can't see that it disadvantaged her socially or academically. She's in secondary now.

Another didn't start school until year 2. She did part time Steiner for year one, nothing for reception. She's a confident, sociable young woman doing A levels and thinking about her shopping list for uni.

My DD who did the conventional nursery, then school full time probably likes school the least. I don't think full time schooling caused that. She is just quite unconventional unlike the Steiner girl who is more conventional. Hmm that's interesting....

Good luck op with negotiating what you feel is right for your daughter. Our youngest who is in primary still gets the occasional sore throat/well being day which involves walking up a mountain or going for a bike ride and a picnic with dad.

It isn't the headteacher's choice at all. You have a right for your child to attend school part time until the term after they are 5 and you don't have to start at all until after Easter for summer borns. Join 'Flexible school admissions for summer borns' group on Facebook for loads of factual advice.

I think it depends on the school and the child, chilly. There's probably more variety in how the reception day and week is organised than in any other year group. Some are much more play based than others and there can be a huge variety in how adult led activities are dealt with.

Similarly, some children are fine with starting behind or having gaps and catch up quickly whereas it really throws others and they stay behind.

Ah, I now have the info from the council's director of schools. You have a "right to request" deferred entry or part time attendance but it doesn't say on what basis it can be refused. No wonder it's all so vague. It's like the right to request flexible working.

I will check out the Facebook group clarissa thank you.

I agree with hiccup how important it is to the reception children that they follow their routines etc. Mine would both have hated to miss out on a day a week. Their friends would talk about it. They would miss events and parts of week long projects and topics - ours often focus on a book or topic over a few weeks eg farm, growing plants, animals

Do nearly all children love reception and never want to miss it then? My biggest fear is that dd will find going to the same place every day and having to sit still and pay attention a grind and it'll turn her off learning if she is forced into it too much too young. She likes pre school but i wouldn't say she adores it, or frets about missing it. She is bright with an amazing memory, rich vocab and vivid imagination but she certainly isn't a natural scholar - she doesn't like practising drawing, writing, reading etc, you have to sneak it into her day, and she isn't motivated by praise in the way many children are - her teachers comment that she needs to be intrinsically motivated and have her imagination fired. If I was talking about myself as a child I would be confident that I would take to school straight away but dd is quite different from me, and a bit of a complex character!

We are at a massive primary and every parent I have ever spoken to says their child totally loves it. But our school is creative, expressive, fun, challenging etc. Dont misunderstand reception year as it should be great fun and the early learning goals are to get them school ready for year one. Ours are outdoors half the day and carpet time (sitting) is max an hour in any day.
Obviously some will come along and say different. My experience of looking at other schools was less fun and more formal.