Excessive settling in times in reception year! Who'd like full time earlier?

[Guy1973]

I am somewhat despairing at the schedule for the start of the reception year at our primary. We have three settling in days where the youngest ten in each class go first, the next ten and then the oldest, which bring us to the 8th September. I can see how that's sensible, beds in the youngest children first in smaller groups etc, that's fine. They are then offering only half days for a further fortnight, so the first full day of school is not until the 25th, ridiculous!

They justify this by saying the teachers need to do home visits but the maths on doing that, versus time saved with half days doesn’t even begin to add up and besides, quite a few of the parents don’t want this home visit, as we went in and met the teachers a few weeks back.
It seems lots of schools go straight into full days and others manage to offer parents a choice, which I think is by far the best solution. Younger, more timid children can settle in gently but those who have been in full time nursery 8am-6pm from the age of 6 months (like mine) simply don’t need this.
I’ve put this on a couple of local forums and many people agree with me but the school doesn’t seem keen to listen to the working parents for whom this is a massive pain. Interestingly there was a court case that ruled in favour of a working mum and told the school they were obliged to offer FT. I’m not sure to what extent this might set a precedent…?

www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jun/29/infant-schools-settling-in-period-parents-work

What annoys me most about this policy is that makes life difficult for the modestly or low paid. If you earn squillions and/or have a full time nanny, as many in my neighbourhood do, it’s not really any skin off your nose. For those with two working parents on modest incomes, it might cause financial hardship and mean their kids have to forgo things they enjoy, which doesn’t seem very fair to me.
I’d be interested to hear from those whose schools do offer a choice of FT or PT for the first few weeks, or anyone in local authority administration who can shed light on the legal obligation side of things. Has anyone succeeded in lobbying or pressurising their school to offer FT earlier? I think it’s about time this system was changed to stop penalising the least well off and offer a better solution for everyone.

Home visits were done in July along with various settling in activities. We even all went to try a school dinner one day. In the school holiday a slot has been booked at the local soft play as another opportunity for the children to meet again and the parents to meet. Then it's all in together, full time on 4th Sept!

Wow where is it they don't do 9-3 until their fourth year? What do they do until then? How does childcare work?

I'm in N Ireland. It's completely normal here, I've never heard any parent complain about the school day being too short.

Childcare is just the same as elsewhere I suppose. You pay a childminder to pick them up if you're at work.

How interesting! Do they do half days until 8/9ish? Lots of after school care on site like here - or a lot more sahp?

I don't know of any schools that have after school clubs or anything like that. It's either childminder or grandparents or sah parent really.

When I used a childminder I had to pay for a full day's childcare even when my child was in school for most of it.

It's not half days though. It's until 2pm from P1 to P3, then 3pm from P4 to P7. Then secondary school would be until 3.30 ish.

DS went full time from day 1, they all did. He was fine. He was in the nursery - maybe that helped.

In Scotland here, most Councils start P1s with a full day right from day 1, it is a long day for them but I guess they adjust quickly. And the youngest they start school is 4.5. No home visits from teachers either, they do lots of settling in visits before the summer break.

Home visits at end of summer term here with a trip to have school lunch one Friday. Then 2 mornings, 2 afternoons and then full time. Intake of 30. Can't see the point of prolonging it at all.

When my eldest had a ridiculous long settling in at school I kept reminding myself it was only once in the whole of parenting that it would happen and my child starting school was important.

My second went to a different school and the settling in was two half days on the first week and full time thereafter (so about y weeks less settling) it didn't seem to mean less children settled or found it harder. I now work at a school and the children start in week 2 as week 1 is home visits, but from week 2 it's full time. They used to do a protracted start but the new head changed it and it seems to work better.

Our school was half days for the first two days (you could choose morning or afternoon). During that time our nursery offered half days but for two days we didn't bother.
Then full time on the Monday, till 3.20. I think it was so much better, as our DS (like many children) benefits from a regular routine which does not vary. Days or weeks of odd timetables would have driven him (and us) crazy.
The after school club operates on all term time days and would have taken afternoon children during the first week, but it wouldn't have taken children at lunchtime.

As it happens I don't work Fridays so DH took Thursday afternoon off and picked up DS, I picked him up Friday, Monday I picked him up a bit early to ease him into after school club a little and then he went to his regular after school club slot the next day.

A PP is correct that they have to offer full time school from the September after they are 5. DS' other two school possibilities were much more gradual - one not giving full time till half term - I would have been speaking to them about how they could offer full time (and to other parents) without affecting his settling as I think it is completely ridiculous to unsettle children like this.

I think we need to remember that school and childcare are two separate things.

This is all very well where it is possible to combine both childcare and school options, or be able to make a choice about what is right for the parent and child.

Not all childcare has the option of doing school runs and pick ups, and not all schools have nurseries attached that allow children to go into there when not in the school setting.

I would prefer it for all home visits were done in July and then the option for FT from September. But with the option for PT and flexi til the child is ready, or term after they turn 5 perhaps.

My school has reduced the transition time a lot over the years but still takes a week and a half (we go back mid week) - I'd prefer that reduced if it was up to me, but obviously it isn't and the staff in that department feel this works best for them.

Dd's school used to have 3 days transition when she started but got rid in recent years and went in FT straight away.

I don't think anyone is confusing school and childcare. Children are entitled to full time education in reception. I'm surprised by the number of schools who seem to be ignoring this.

Here is no reason why a full day in reception should be any tougher on a child than a full day at nursery. It's still the same Early Years curriculum and learn through play approach. What are some schools doing in those first days that makes 4 year old children, used to doing longer nursery hours often, so much more tired than before?

Not all childcare has the option of doing school runs and pick ups, and not all schools have nurseries attached that allow children to go into there when not in the school setting.

I understand that. No schools in my area have after school or breakfast clubs. But everyone manages because it's just accepted that that is the way things are and you have to find a way.

My kids' school had the perfect solution IMO: in reception they can do as much, or as little, as the parents want until term after 5th birthday.

For some (most) this will be full time from day 1, for some mornings only, for others it will be some full days, some mornings. The only stipulation is that you stick with it until the end of a half term. Everyone is happy in my experience.

Treaclesoda - I suspect as this it the norm in your area the childcare options exist to deal with it. As it's so hit and miss in many areas of England the childcare options often are just not there. Many parents already struggle for before and after school care as it i as many nurseries don't have the drop off/pick up options, and childminders are scarce in a lot of regions.

DS1's school do full days from the start. I asked the teachers about it when we were looking around schools (I'm aware of other local schools that have protracted transition policies), and they said that in their opinion the children settle in faster with full days from the start.

I think it's certainly better for DS1 than a few weeks with varying shorter transition days would have been. He doesn't cope well with changes to routine, so a transition involving a period of half days and shorter days would have probably made it harder for him to settle into school.

Tbh there aren't really any childcare options here either. No nurseries do pick-ups from most rural schools for example. And there aren't that many childminders about either.

People just have to deal with it by making sacrifices within their own family by having a sah parent or one person working part time. I don't know any families that have two parents who work full time once they have children of school age.

Glad we've got two days 8.45-1.30, then full time 8.45-3.15. He's been at nursery three days a week 8.30-4, so he's more than ready (and after six weeks at home, I will be too!). Spending half a term settling in is unnecessary for most. Should be an option for those that need it, but most children will be ready for full time very quickly, with many having been at nursery prior, often doing longer hours.

My DC will be going into the equivalent of P3 here in Ireland. This will be her classes first year of being in school til 3.00pm, she was at school 9.20 til 2.00pm the first 2 years.

Thanks so much for all your comments everyone, they have been really helpful. It's clear that a great many schools manage to offer a choice to parents for the first 3 weeks of the autumn reception term and I'm not quite sure why my one in Wandsworth can't (or has decided not to). I have however been advised by the department of education that a school is legally obliged to offer FT education from the start of term and can't refuse a parent that requests it. Obviously I have no wish to come into conflict of this kind with the school where both my kids will be going for the next 5/6 years, so hopefully the threat of enforcement might be sufficient to get them to reconsider. If anyone has experience of persuading their school to rethink policy, then I'd be grateful for your input.

Our school explained how their policy of a home visit and slow start is child-centred and designed to settle them in, in the best way they know.

It's school not childcare. Yes it's a pain but I'm delighted to support a school that thinks so carefully about the needs of the children.

There's no way I'd want to persuade them to rethink, even though it's inconvenient for me. They are professional who want the best for my child and if they say thi0s works then I trust them.

I would onky argue about it if I found evidence that it was a bad idea from.an educational and well-being point of view. Not because it inconveniences me.

Starting off your child's education with words like "threat of enforcement" is hardly ideal don't you think?!

Instead of trying to force the school to change a policy that obviously believe in, why not try to solve the practical problem of how to support your DC's first weeks there.

And FWIW I am on low pay and don't gave a nanny to pick up the slack!

But my attitude is I support the school.

I don't think it's in the children's interests to start school with a routine that changes from week to week or day to day even without adding in a hodge podge of makeshift childcare arrangements outside school hours. It's interesting that none of the teachers on the thread who've tried both have found gradual settling in to benefit the children.

We didn't have any settling in days and it was fine.
I think 1 is sufficient.
Kids aren't being sent to a gulag so I don't think it is necessary.