Settling in for reception 2 weeks of mornings?!

[Sparky888]

Does anyone else find the varied and really long settling-in period at reception primary school in the UK in September so backward?

Ours don’t start in the first week of school. Then the second week they start on different days, in groups, for 2hrs, then a few days of 1pm then after that a full day until 3pm. They have been in nursery full days since babies. We need our annual leave to use in the school holidays. Why drag this out and use up annual leave of 2-3 weeks?

Does this burden fall (or is taken by) mostly women? Does anyone have any evidence this prolonged transition is better for the child then a few half days?

Lastly, why do we all put up with this ....?

Not in favour of just dumping them in a new school with no settling period. It’s just the very prolonged, and so different between schools, period which seems to take no account of most parents being employed now.

[drspouse]

The school have to do what's best for the whole class.
Which as PP have said is generally moving very quickly to full days.

[Catinthetwat]

The school have to do what's best for the whole class. Just because your kids are fine doesn't mean others are.

The sad thing is my local school has reduced their settling in period because of demand from parents who can't or won't take time off and it does affect the other children.

[elliejjtiny]

My dc's school used to do 5 weeks part time as standard and now they do 2. Then the teacher meets with all the parents to discuss whether their child is ready for full time. Usually most are ready. Ds2 was one of 3 in his class who went part time until Easter. He was officially full time after Easter but he was still being sent home because he was tired at least once a week during the summer term.

The thing is, nurseries and childminders are providing a service for parents and schools aren't.

[Jellycat1]

Yes 2 weeks of mornings here too despite the school's main intake being the Nursery year and as such, pretty much all the kids have already done a year there!

[Indecisivelurcher]

Good that you know what you're school does, ours hasn't told us yet!!! Based on previous years it sounds like there will be 3wks of randomness, I've got 2wks speculatively booked off and H will have to cover the rest.

[VashtaNerada]

I agree it is utterly ridiculous. Yes, there will be some children who struggle to settle for various reasons and the school should be accommodating, but most are fine to start straight away. It is so incredibly hard to find childcare to fit those kinds of starts when your child is used to nursery. You’d find it very difficult to get a childminder who’d be happy to cover just two weeks in September and nothing else! It really annoys me when schools assume that at least one parent is unemployed.

[stillworkingitout]

Ugh, I feel your pain. We went through this last September (and I’m not looking forward to repeating it next year). To make matters worse, our school changed the pick up time by half an hour or so from the published times, with no warning. I had to leave a client meeting part way through because of this and was very cross.

I know that the option to go full time from the off is there, but school were resistant, and there didn’t seem to be appetite amongst other families. I didn’t want to be seen to be a trouble maker before we had even started. It’s not just the settling period though - the number of things that happen during the school/working week (phonics workshops for parents, stay for the first half hour, spend a morning with us, assembly) make it hard to juggle, and actually make me feel like school doesn’t value working parents (mums).

[AJPTaylor]

When dd3 started there was a bulge class so 90 reception children. Sensible head teacher wrote and said that they would all start full time on first day on term. If parents wanted part time, just let them know. Happy to do mornings only etc. Only concession was that they had dinner in the class room to start. The principle that parents know their kids best was a sound one.

[FamilyOfAliens]

I agree it’s worth asking the school if it would be possible for your child to start full time from day one.

I’d avoid “demanding”, talking about your “rights”, or “pushing back on the school” if you want to have a good relationship with them for the next seven years though.

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

With the rise of 30hrs 'free' hours, I wonder how schools will be able to continue to justify long settling periods... ESP if the children are full time in their own preschool.

[Korvalscat]

Dgs school is full time from day 1. When he started in Sept 17, that was a Monday morning as inset days had been the previous week.
The school where he went to nursery had a staggered start - some mornings, some afternoons, some whole days with some days off all over about four weeks. It was a nightmare for the parents and the dc.
To be fair to the school they did a rethink as so many children were upset by the chopping and changing and this year the dc started on Wednesday and did morning only, same on Thursday and Friday except they stayed for lunch and then it was full-time for all on the following Monday. I think the previous year had been a trial of a new idea as schools in my area are mainly full-time straightaway or first few days of mornings only.

[Sparrowlegs248]

We have 5 1.5 hour visits to the school starting in a couple if weeks, ending with 1 half day at the end of June. Then full days 5 days a week in September. East of England.

[TTCVickster]

My school does a staggered start over 4 days. Often the children who have been in full time daycare are the ones who find it hardest, having come from a setting they’ve been in since babies and are used to staff who will pick them up, cuddle and kiss them. We will happily cuddle if a child is upset but only if a child is upset/asks. Also our feeder nursery ratio is 1:6. We have 2 adults for a class of 30 and if one child is particularly distressed/prone to toileting accidents (again common because they are out of routine/busy experiencing the new environment) this can often mean everyone else is left with just 1 member of staff. A few days of shorter sessions gives everyone time to find their bearings in a smaller group (15) before we start our daily routine of maths, phonics and literacy. Again my setting is very child led and in a school day these things take up 30 mins altogether in the autumn term but this can again be an adjustment for some children.

[didireallysaythat]

Definitely push back on the school. 8 years ago we had half days for two terms (sept to April) and the headteacher refused to consider anything else. I wish I'd had the balls to complain to my MP. I did write to the council and say they should warn couples to have ttc in August /September.

[MsRabbitRocks]

I am so pleased my DD’s school offers full time from day 1. Much easier to settle in, in my opinion.

[missmartini]

Scotland here...

In full time from the very start. I'm also a teacher and must say I prefer it to the old staggered start. It gets the children into a routine quicker and I can get started on getting to know them all properly quicker too.

[Attache]

Ours had staged starts over 2-3 weeks. My eldest is 12 and when she did it, parents were not aware the schools couldn't insist on it.

We all survived it with our jobs intact. I think there is something quite nice about taking a breather, for this one time in their lives, and work being forced to fit round the children's schedule to a degree.

Whether children are used to FT nursery or not, such a big change is a lot to process. It's like starting a new job - it's exhausting being somewhere new all day, with new norms, schedule, layout and people, even if you were happily working FT last week.

[Redinthefacegirl]

You're right, of course. It's hard juggling. We both work but are lucky to do long shifts opposite each other. This has its challenges but does make this sort of thing easier to accommodate.

But we've been given plenty of notice. Summer borns will get 5 short days before full time school and my confident autumn born will get 1 or maybe 2. He does 3x6hr days at nursery a week and I think he'll love school and settle well, but find it exhausting. Hell, I find the first weeks of a new job tiring. New faces, rules environment etc.

I personally think our school have got the balance right and they seem very approachable. They offer 8-18:00 wrap around care 48 weeks a year from reception and seem very supportive of working parents.

[Parker231]

@Redinthefacegirl - not reasonable if you work. I kept my holidays for school holidays so that it limited the number of weeks we used holiday clubs.

[Redinthefacegirl]

DSs new school is doing a week of half days from the 1st day of term (the 4th). But the children start in age order, the youngest 6 star 1st and will get 5 half days and the oldest just a single half day. They encourage parents to join the children for lunch on their half days. Then it's the normal school day from Wednesday the 10th.

Seems a reasonable middle ground

[Youngandfree]

@TooStressyTooMessy it can be a busy day if you have 2/3 kids that are between nursery (finish @12) infants (finish @1.20) and an older one that finishes @2.20. Although I am lucky that my school has an Afterschool setting that they go to until I collect them both at half 3 (I’m a teacher and my school finishes at 2.40)

[Parker231]

@stucknoue - all the children I know have been in full time childcare and had no issues with starting school full time straight away. School hours are shorter than nursery although mine did breakfast and after school clubs.

Staggered start for school doesn’t work if both parents work full time and confuses children who are use to a nursery routine. Thankfully you can opt for full time straight away.

[SarahTancredi]

But stuck

The option to defer or go part time etc already exist independently of staggered starts.

So any child who needs to have a more gentle introduction can do so.

[TooStressyTooMessy]

About half the kids in my DC’s class came from full time childcare. Mine weren’t but they didn’t find school remotely tiring. Not all kids find it tiring. Those who do may of course benefit from shorter days.

[stucknoue]

Mine started in mid September, half days first week, lunch second week full time 3rd week - they both are mid year so a batch of kids started the week before. It worked quite well but dd2 could probably have done with part time until Christmas because she found it so tiring, she would fall asleep on the mat! (She still naps given a chance as an adult!). School isn't childcare and it can't be rushed. Very few kids actually are in full time childcare - only one child came from full time childcare, wasn't that long ago