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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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.