Any part-timers in reception?

[mogs0]

My boy started at his school last year in the nursery which he always loved. He then moved up to reception this term after turning 4 in August.

Although, he does go in to school reasonably ok, he's not as happy as he was at the nursery. At the beginning of term I wasn't too worried as I thought it'd take a bit of time to get used to the new classroom, teacher and other children. After a couple of weeks he started mentioning a couple of names of other children and seemed more settled.

For the last two weeks he's been very negative about school. When he's getting dressed in the morning he says he doesn't want to go, although he's alright when we get there. He's increasingly moody and generally quite negative about lots of things.

After talking to a friend last week, I discovered that her girl (same age) does 2 full days and 3 half days at another school. I thought maybe if my son did one or two half days maybe he wouldn't be so tired and grumpy and be more enthusiastic about school.

Today, I mentioned it to the TA who went to talk to the head of early years. I was in the playground and caught bits of their conversation which basically was to tell me that the local council guidelines were that a child had to attend 5 full days and that I should feel lucky that this was available and, NO, he couldn't be taken out for one afternoon a week. This was then relayed to me by the TA.

I spoke to another friend this afternoon and her dd was 4 in May, so also fairly young in the year. She has just taken her out of school 2 afternoons a week and said after one week has noticed a massive difference in her behaviour and attitude towards school.

Any suggestions as to what I do? I really want to try taking him out even if it's just one afternoon a week. I phoned the council to try and find out more about the guidelines but didn't really get anywhere.

i think tis bollocks
they dont haev to go at all till they are 5 do they

you don't have to send him at all until the term that he'll turn 5 - so in your case, easter.

I'd go higher and talk to the head direct, explaining that he is struggling with 5 full days and can you just do 3 full days and 2 half days until he can cope with the hours abit more. Surely she should have your ds interests at heart and realise that.

When ds started R I was concerned that he wouldn't bew able to cope with the full days as he was still having a regular afternoon nap. The teacher todl me that, while they diudn't have an official part-time policy, I could take him out of school early if I wanted, but only until he reached the statutory age for starting school (ie the term after he turned 5).

You need to speak to the school Head or at least the Early Years Head yourself. Messages can get misinterpreted. Your ds doesn't legally have to be in school at all until next September so missing a few afternoons should hardly be a big deal and they can't insist upon it. Having said that dd was 4 the August before last and did full days in the September. She is more frazzled in year 1 but they are all different.

my dd started in reception this year, she will be 5 in January. She is doing half days untill Christmas - in our case I would have liked her to do full days. Most of her friends do and she feels left out, she has been ready for school for ages. All children who are winter children ie up to December are full days, Jan to Easter will do full days from Jan, and Easter to summer will be decided following conversation between parent and teacher.

I had heard that they don't legally have to be in school til they're 5 but the woman at the council said I had to follow the schools rules or find another school. I can take him out of school until he's 5 but I don't want to completly remove him. I just want to try and help him settle in better. Was also told by the council that he could be missing out on vital parts of the curriculum if was absent for 2 hours a week!!!!!!!!

I know naff all about this really but

isn't it that he doesn't have to be educated til he's 5 (which for most people means school)?

Whether he takes a full or part time place before he is 5 is thus at the discretion of the school. Am pretty sure they can refuse to give you a part time place, just as you can refuse to send him til the term after he's 5.

Hmm but otoh dunno what they could do if you just removed him 2 afternoons a week, really, short of excluding him...

I don't know why different schools have such different rules!!

I had been looking forward to him starting school and thought he was ready to go but in reality he's not.

I will have to book an appointment with head of early years but am a bit pants at saying what I want to say. Even this afternoon talking to the TA I could feel myself getting upset which is so silly. I have to be brave and maybe write down a few things that I want to say to her.

My ds is 5 in April, and he goes 5 mornings a week 9am - 12pm, this is the policy for all children born on or after 30 March. He statrts full time in Jan, but 1 gir who is an August birthday will not be full time till easter. This is her mum's request.

Does anyone think there are any major benefits to him being there 5 full days?

i think its more about the school are getting funded for him. when we had our open evening in sept the head made it clear there were no part time places and if we didnt think we could go along with that find another school.

a friends son will be 3 on aug 31st so should be starting school nursery in sept. she rang our council who explained as long as the child isnt four in the nursey school year i.e before july he can start the folllowing sept. so will be oldest not youngest. she also said dont worry if the school tells her any different.

ds is in reception and 5 already. some of the kids arent 5 till next august - boy can you notice the difference.

no

My son was 4 in august and he is part time i.e mornings only. He wont go full time until the final term (summer). I would actually prefer it if he could go full time after Christmas but I have been told that he cant and that he can only go full time the term after he turns 5.

Last year in the nursery I didn't notice too much difference in ages between my son and others who were turning 4 in the first term. Because my son is quite tall everyone thinks he's one of the older ones.

I just want him to feel happy about going to school and don't think it's fair for them to stop me doing something I think will help him.

Will make an appointment tomorrow to see his teacher.

Message withdrawn

I think if you hold your child back a year, when they do start, they'll go into the right year for there age IYSWIM. If you don't start your child in reception, he'll start in Year 1 with the other children his age.

But don't quote me on that I could be completly wrong!!

I hadn't even considered keeping ds back as he was so confident at nursery.

mogs0 - i think the point about following the school rules is right - yes legally he doesn't have to be at school, but if you accept a place at that school you have to agree to their rules - the alternative is to withdraw him totally, and for most people that would bring paroxysms of panic re not getting a place when he does turn 5. All the schools in my area start the younger kids off part-time - they all start in september, but any who's birthdays are January or after do mornings only, until January - or inour schools case until after Easter if they're summer birthdays and you want. my dneice is a june birthday and she won;t start at all in Sep - they do a second intake in jan. It seems highly unusual to expect all the kids to start f-t in sep - in fact I can't think of anyone I know who's school is like this. It's ridiculous. fwiw your ds is not at all unusual in finding it all exhausting - mine were - and they were on half days

I think the little ones can get really tired by school. My July baby is now in year 1 - but he did half days up until Christmas, and then gradually increased to full time by Easter.

A friend did it a bit different - she sometimes kept him at home one day a week (usually Thursday) when she felt he was struggling.

I honestly think the most important thing is that they enjoy being there and want to go - and if being too tired is getting in the way of that then they are doing too much. I don't think there is any real issue of missing curriculum - mostly they are playing and socialising and not really doing anything that they won't do again a hundred times in the next year or so.

hatwoman- I totally agree about following school rules.

At the end of nursery last year the reception teachers talked through the settling in period for September which was a week of mornings, a week of mornings + lunch, then full days. However, if you felt your child was not quite ready you could keep them on half days a bit longer. At that point he seemed ok and I thought he was just adjusting to the new routine.

It could just be another phase and in a couple of weeks he could be back to normal I just think it's unfair to deny us the opportunity to try and make things a little easier for him.

I do think a full day for one so young is a lot to expect - does he do any out of school activities? could you cut these out and let him have more time relaxing? also does he have school friends around to play? that might re-ignite his interest in school. I'm sure he'll be ok, but think your school's policy is pretty daft. can i ask about your mn name? it reminds me of someone I know (who has a ds of about the right age...)

He doesn't do any after school activities. I was thinking about taking him to swimming class after xmas but might leave it now til Easter. No-one mentioned anything at school today.

I have been getting more and more wound up by the lack of flexibility but have to just calm down and wait for a suitable opportunity to talk to the school about it.

I am a cm and one of my charges is finishing this week so things at home will be a bit quieter at home and hopefully this will help.

My mn name is my boy's nickname!!

if it's your boys nick-name then you're not who I thought you might be. hope things work out with ds - sure it will

my dd is has an 18th Aug birthday so was the youngest in the year. At her school the autumn born children started full time, the Spring born did mornings until Jan and the summer borns went full time from Jan onwards, with parent/teacher consultation. Other local schoolds did it differently - my friend's daughter (19th Aug) started part time in the Jan (stayed at nursery for the autumn term) and went full time in the summer term.

We have now moved areas and the policy is completely different - they all start part time and work up to full time by the October half term (even the summer borns) - ds is due to start in Sept but he is Dec birthday so would be fine with that - I'm just glad my dd was in another area for Reception. There's no way I would have wanted her to do full time stright off- she was absolutely exhausted.

As I understand it, it's all about the funding.