Starting School process

[IVFangieb]

Is anyone else frustrated by the introduction to school. Mine needs to do 9-12 for one week then 1-3.30pm then 9-1pm the following week and so on for four weeks. Plus home visit one day from teacher, extra 'tester days' and story times in school.
I work full time what am I supposed to do? My son has been at a private pre-prep for a year 3 days a week full time (including after school club) and then at a nursery the other two days. According to the school I need to rally round freinds and family, but don't have any family nearby and freinds have their own kids to worry about! They said can't you pick him up at lunchtime and then take him to nursery - uh No, I work 15 miles away and often travel in the day. I can understand that some children need a gentle introduction but my son is going to wonder what is happening and be messed around just at the start of his new school. Is this just me or do other people have a real problem with this? I want to feel happy that he is settled and in good care when I am at work and not being pushed from pillar to post. Surely other working mums find this difficult too?

I'm not in your position, but certainly sympathise. I really don't see why children need such a complicated introduction to school. If they need a gradual intro (which I do think is a good idea), then surely a period of mornings only, follwoed by the normal full day, is adequate - why jump them about so much?

although I sympathise as you work, its for the benefit of the children to be introduced to full time as easy as possible, its hard going for the children to be thrust from part time to full time. My daughter was ok for the first 3 days then the tiredness really hit her and the other children, there were tears all around for the first couple of weeks for the full timers.

I never had a home visit from the teach though and DD went full time after 3 weeks doing half days.

I'm a SAHM but agree that it all sounds complicated. I don't know yet what ds2 will be doing when he starts in September but generally the older ones do a week of half days and then go full-time in the second week, and the younger ones do 2 weeks of half days and then go full-time in the 3rd week. AFAIK there are no home visits.

It's unrealistic of the school to tell parents to rally round friends and family. Not everyone has those options.

It does seem that some LEA's make it very complicated, and down right impossible for many working parents.

Surely if it were in children's best interests, all LEA's and school would run the same system?

Also, not all children are the same. Some will need gently intros, some will be fine from the off, and it may not be dependent on age.

The situation the OP describes seems ludicrous to me though. My dd2 starts in Sept, and as a winter baby, will start fulltime from the word go. She will be fine. DD1 was part time for a while term, and got frustrated she had to go home at lunch (spring baby).I suspect my ds (summer baby) would be fine full time straight away too (although there are some in dd1's class (yr1), who could do with going home at lunchtime still...).

Finally, I don't think starting school is the best time to involve family and friends, I think having your mum or dad or other main carer there to drop off and pick up is the best thing for lo's when they first start, not being picked up by whoever has a bit of free time that day...

It does sound overly complicated TBH. My DC school is very straightforward and seems to work OK. They have an hour at the school in May to meet the teachers and visit the classrooms. Then start school about two weeks into the autumn term. This means the rest of the school is well settled before the little ones start. All children go full time from the start, but not much is expected of them in the afternoons, especially the younger ones.
Agree that it is better if a parent can be there at both ends of the day.

Have you thought about leaving him at the pre prep for a term until he can start full time?

That happened to a boy at my dc's school - he went into Reception at his private school for a term and then transferred full time to the State school in January.

Worked well.