Does anyone else think the 2020 reception intake might be delayed?

[Zogsbigsister]

Just that really. I just can’t see how schools are going to cope with the new little ones starting in September as well as settling all the older children back into school. DD is due to start but I just can’t see it happening. Social distancing would be a nightmare for a start. I’d quite happily delay her start till Christmas or beyond but realise this might be complicated for others.

I don't think they will make dramatically different arrangements to the rest of the school, other than to give a few extra weeks for transition stuff. Most of those starting in Reception will have been at nursery and then stopped. If they have tp wait until January (assuming everyone else went back in Sept) then that would be 10 months out of education/socialisation. Presumably there would be no nursery places left for them. It would also be a logistical headache for working parents.

DD is also due to start Reception although already at the school nursery. What I don't think is feasible is to send them back with social distancing expectations. I don't want my 4yo to be told all day to stay away from her friends and basically play alone. That seems worse than not going to school at all.

I hope so, as an EYFS/KS1 teacher I have 3 year groups. Managing the transition from EYFS to Y1 is tricky for some without this and so I will have 3 transitions to make on the same day which could cause problems. I think it needs to be staggered whatever gets done.
At the moment I am thinking of potential issues with new receptions and how to overcome these.

Just getting some in the building will be an issue if we can't take their hand and take them from their parents especially if they haven't had the opportunity to visit the school or meet the teachers and haven't been in nursery for months I assume we will have more upset children on that first day than we normally do. We won't be able to comfort them either.

I have put it to my head teacher we allow them to come one day at a time to reinforce the rules with 1-2-1 before letting another child come the next day or two days later. We normally just get them all in on day 1 and roll with it but this year I assume it will be different.

Some siblings we have coming I assume will be fine as they are familiar with us and the school so I'd rather have those in first 1-2-1 and then bring in the others with the less confident in last when the others are settled.

I also would like to know what will happen with the new baseline testing if we need to stagger or adapt the EYFS as the timing is quite tight.

Our school won’t be doing that. They’re a private school and can hardly afford to mess parents about like that.

Ugh I hope not. DS is raring to go already and DH and I need to go back to work.

Frankly I would rather keep him out and find alternative childcare than a ridiculously staggered start.

Walker what you describe is similar to how my DD's school nursery did it. They had a stay and play with parents (obviously that wouldn't be happening now) and then had a few start each day, 15 mins after the normal start time. DD was one of the later ones to start, I assume because she hadn't been to nursery before, or possibly they went on age.

I hope not. Plus I personally think schools will reopen in June.

I very much doubt it. I think September is the worst case scenario, and schools are more likely to go back after May half term.

I don’t think Reception will be affected - but ds3 is due to start nursery in September and I had wondered if they might delay those until after Christmas.

I think it's a possibility tbf
Fully accept that it would be very tricky for parents to manage but ..

They may well need classrooms and teachers to support social distancing and cover for those teachers who are sick.

An autumn lockdown is also reasonably likely - so you could start kids and then have them stop very abruptly.
EYFS and reception could be covered by nurseries (fully accept that won't always be possible).

As I said many parents may hope that this might not happen - and it would be hellish - but I think there is a massive difference between wanting it not to happen and it being considered

I like the idea that the schools/ nurseries could go back in Aug (we are in Scotland) but stay in there current year groups until the Oct break. This would allow children & staff who are familiar with each other to get used to the new ways of doing things. And give a decent transition for children moving from nursery to primary, primary to secondary etc.

No I think all signs are pointing to a 1st June reopening of schools in UK so September should be relatively 'normal'. I similarly do not see any scenario where social distancing works in a primary and as such it will be on a best efforts basis. My prediction only. We'll see in due course.

We already have a staggered start for our new starters, so if we are back in proper, then that will still happen I'd have thought, with maybe an extra week if needed.

Our staggered start is:

Week 1 (often a partial week due to INSETs) - home visits by reception teaching staff
Week 2 - PT, half classes (groups a and b)
Days 2.1/2,2 - group a/b children are in for about 1.5 hours in the morning only and an information meeting in the hall for parents during that time.
Days 2.3/2.4 - all children in for full morning. On each day one group stays for lunch and goes home after that, other group goes home before lunch
Day 2.5 - all children in all day

Although I could see schools going back before the summer at present, if we still have social distancing, I can't see how that can be for all children full time. If we follow other countries it will be PT school for a while and maybe only certain year groups too.

Belgium schools are planning to return soon, for example, but with classes of 10 pupils. For us in England that is very different to normal.

Flippin heck that's a complicated start! Is that for Reception ?! That would drive me mad! Our school has something similar to that for week one of the Nursery year but Reception is everyone in from the start but early finish for the first week.
I've got one going into Reception and one going into Year One and can't begin to think how disruptive part time school would be on top of this year's abrupt halt.

My DD is starting reception in September and at her school they split the kids in half and they all do every other day, but full days, for the entire first month.

Wow @Oysterbabe that seems like a huge headache! So one half of the class doesn't meet the other half for the first month?! Is that a private school?

A staggered start in Reception isn’t compulsory. We sent our DC’s full time from day one. Messing around with odd days and hours would have confused them as they were use to full time nursery and wouldn’t have been feasible with DH and I working full time. (Most of their class did full time from day one). However this year the world is very different.

I think the last 2 Fridays of the month they are all in, but yeah apart from that it's just half the class at a time all month. It is going to make juggling work a headache and they have acknowledged that it is a bit tricky for parents. But they are convinced it's a good way to settle them in without overwhelming them 🤷‍♀️

And no, not a private school.