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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

If you work, how did/do you plan to settle your child into starting school (Olive plans ahead)

52 replies

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 10:36

Dd1 will start in September but I don't have any hols left this year (inlaws swanned off on holiday for a month in March and I used mine all up) so I may have to beg for some unpaid leave so need to plan ahead.

I work 3 days.

If you work, what do you plan to do/did you do?

I am presuming they do half days initially or something (am waiting for info from head soon)

MIL could do it but over my dead body, this is my milestone thank you very much.

OP posts:

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ScummyMummy · 04/04/2007 10:39

Check what the school do first. Mine pretty much went for dump and run as the main strategy after the first day, afair.

ScummyMummy · 04/04/2007 10:40

And full days from the start in reception. Or is she going into nursery?

fennel · 04/04/2007 10:42

Mine started on full days from the first day. We could choose which day, as they started a few children every day for a couple of weeks.

marialuisa · 04/04/2007 10:43

Could you do extra hours and then take off time in lieu? Do you want to be there for the first day, first week or what? DD started full-time straight away and I dropped off, went to work and left early to pick her up at 3.20 on the first day so it was very easy, not least because DD had been at the nursery so it was a non-event as far as she was concerned.

Think you have to be there for the first day. My goddaughter's mum had to leave it to dad because she'd just started a new job and they wouldn't let her take the time out. Friend is still upset about it and her DD is in Y5 (and remembers nothing at all about her first day at school)/

Soapbox · 04/04/2007 10:44

You can put in a request now for unpaid parental leave - which you are statutorily entitled to. You must take this leave in chunks of at least one week up to a time - and up to 4 weeks in any one year.

I would book a weeks parental leave for her first week. Even if she ends up doing full days it will be nice for you to do the afterschool pick-ups and here all of her news, straight from the horse;s mouth so to speak

Original poster

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 10:46

she is the most sensitive little flower in the whole wide world so will need a lot of cuddles I think

reception I think last year did a week of mornings and then went into full days

Obviously I am more concerned than she

OP posts:

bozza · 04/04/2007 10:49

Can't you get in touch with the school and ask them so it can help you plan? With DS's school they staggered starts - youngest first (it has two intakes and with 20 Feb birthday he was youngest Sept starter) and DS ended up starting on a Friday . He did til 11.30, then til 1.30 Monday and Tuesday. So I just had to take the Tuesday afternoon off work to do his first few starts.

Don't you work 3 days? Could you do flexible hours first week or two, so that you worked your hours over 5 days? A PITA re travel etc but only short term.

Bucketsofdynomite · 04/04/2007 10:49

We just got the list of dates/times for our DD starting Reception in Sep. Because she's summer-born it's all very complicated, don't know what I'd do if I were working! One taster morning, then 2 wks of nothing, then one week of mornings, next week of afternoons, next week of mornings plus lunch then full days (then half term fairly soon I should think). If I'd known that I could have booked our holiday later and half the price!
If your child will be under 5 I think you can get unpaid 'Parental Leave' but don't book anything until you've got the details from the school.
Good luck.

Original poster

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 10:51

she is October so will one of the oldest there

the letter I got last week to confirm her place said the head would write so will await that I think

work are very flexible but thanks for that parental leave info Soapbox, may keep that one up my sleeve

OP posts:

ScummyMummy · 04/04/2007 10:58

She may surprise you, Olive. My sensitive flower sailed in and got on with it. My more sociable flibbertigibbet was not so happy for a few days.

Original poster

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 11:06

yes, she may surprise me but is scared of bizarre things so I am wary

but she goes to the playgroup attached so will be going with a group of maybe 10 people she knows so it will not be all new

my little baby at school

you do realise I am going to bore for england?

it is MN lore to pick over the following over numerous threads as you reach them:

Sleep
Weaning
Walking
Tantrums
Schools

and to say "boring!!!" and "search the archive fgs" if you have been there and done it

OP posts:

northerner · 04/04/2007 11:09

My ds did half days for a whole term. Nightmare.

As soon as he started school I changed my hours so I could take him and collect. What hours will you be working?

Original poster

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 11:10

I normally do 9-4, Tue-Thurs

BUT my commute is about an hour each way

OP posts:

northerner · 04/04/2007 11:11

So will you use breakfast club and after school club?

Original poster

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 11:13

no, MIL can do the drop off pick up when I work normally, but I want to do it at the start when it is all new

I will wait till I hear from the head and stop boring you all I think, lol

OP posts:

HuwEdwards · 04/04/2007 11:14

Olive - they get so tired too - not that the mites do any work you understand, it's just so tiring doing something different.

Luckily I worked from home (and wasn't overly busy) when DD1 started but this year with DD2 it will be different - have had to reserve a shitload of hols to cope with the half-days.

Oh and this was the only time I ever voluntarily got info out of my DD about what she does at school. As soon as full days started she zipped it.

northerner · 04/04/2007 11:16

Ok, if I were you I would do the first two weeks.

TRy not to fret. She'll be fine.

My ds started last SEpt, there is still 1 girl who hollers for her mother every morning.

Original poster

oliveoil · 04/04/2007 11:19

that will be dd1

it took her about 3 months to settle at playgroup when she was nearly 3

OP posts:

twinsetandpearls · 04/04/2007 11:20

I teach 3 days.

dd went straight into full time, she had already done a few half days while atthe attached nursery.

I upped dd nusery provision in the last half term before the school holiday so she was used to doing something like a school week away from me.

I was lucky thatmy school had an inset day on her first day and the let me come in a litle late and leave early for her first week so thatI could pick her up and drop her off at school and not use after schoolor breakfst club.

Dp then had a week of so he could do the same and then the third week my mum took some time of she she only had to do two days after school club which she enjoyed. She never liked breakfast club and luckily we have managed to make arrangements so we don't need to use it. Dd into her last term in reception and has no problems, other than the odd day she comes home and falls asleep and she gets a bit whingy at the end of term - but so do I

CloudCuckooLand · 04/04/2007 11:24

if you can get her first week off, that would be great (also, if she's doing mornings then, you'll have the afternoons together)

but wait till you get the letter - my eldest did 2 terms of part time (arrgghh) because she was one of the youngest, my other one did one term of half days. It differs everywhere.

1dilemma · 14/04/2007 21:18

cricky this is all so new to me, some of you guys are really lucky being able to chop and change your nursery hours. (I'm feeling a bit sore about the whole subject tbh) I must say if school said half days for the first term I'd have a fit I think the headmistress was a bit put out by my face when she said it would be half days for the first week. (I have a Dec baby). I'm taking ann.leave for the first week (prob split between me and dh)I know that's not an option for you but thought I'd answer the question.

islandofsodor · 14/04/2007 22:40

In my area a lot of primary schools have nurseries attached where the children go half days the september after they are 3 (and in the case of the neighbouring LEA full days the half term after that. Therefore school pretty much starts off full time.

At dd's private school there was optional half days for the first week (no-one took that option) then full time.

arcticwind · 15/04/2007 19:56

One child at my dc's school continued in the Reception class of the school attached to the nursery he had attended for the first term until the State school would take him full time!!

Chipstick · 15/04/2007 22:04

The schools near here do half days until October half term! Its a bloody nightmare when you work.

The afternoon session is 1-3:15 - my daughter who had been used to 8+hrs at nursery was bored senseless.

I'm now on the board of governors and need to get it changed before my youngest starts!! One school less than 2 miles away settles for 2wks and then full time.

1dilemma · 15/04/2007 23:37

1/2 days until October how do they get away with that?
Don't want to turn this into another teachers hours thread but I have noticed lots of early finishes on the timetable, don't know why I'm worrying we wont find out where until the end of the month, could have no school to go to!!

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