Settling in - how long?

[echinaceadreams]

Is 3 weeks standard for "settling" in to reception? It would be half days then half days and lunch then a bit more then the whole class in at once

It used to be and for some schools it is still common but it's thankfully getting less common.

Honestly as a former reception teacher I find it very unsettling for the children and am glad lots of schools are moving away from such a model. In my opinion straight in from day and setting the expectation of what to expect from the get go is a much better strategy.

I could understand half days for the first week

You are entitled to full time education from the first day of term.

Direct them to this ruling of the School's adjudicator: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a75bd87ed915d506ee8122c/ada2479_st_marks_primary_bournemouth_16aug13.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwin8tWEsOyBAxX3gv0HHVWGDBoQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2E-Gmyu34rqknWR02x95cO

Furthermore, Para 2.17a of the School Admissions Code 2021 states,

'that child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following their fourth birthday; '

This was made clearer in the 2021 changes to the Code.

My oldest started this year. He had a morning on Friday, an afternoon on Monday (no lunch either days...) and then full time. He'd been in nursery 4 full days from 5 months so wasn't a huge thing for him - he's loving the shorter days and 1on1 time with me, but last weekend he was still suddenly more worn out than I've ever seen.

2 settle sessions seems short for non childcare children. 3 weeks would have been problematic (but manageable) for us, and probably him as well.

My recent experience was much quicker than that but another nearby school was slower like you've highlighted so it really depends on the school and their preference. Dd was 4 days on week 1, one without lunch and 3 with staying till 30 mins before normal time. Then second week in normal hours.

She was settled after those 2 weeks, knew the routine, the teachers, and she loves it. She was only just 4 as well.

thankfully no staggered start here. Full days from the beginning which is much easier to manage work wise and they get into the routine much quicker

Why would I do that? I'm not saying I want my child in full time if they thing a staggered start works best. It just seemed a bit extreme but I was wondering if actually it does need to be thar long.

Schools shouldn't be making it the only option to have a staggered start - it's against the changes made in the Admissions Code.

If they aren't following the code, then what other legislation aren't they following?

I don't know if it's the only option. It's just what they said they do. There must be a reason for it.

Honestly the reason they do it is because it's become the norm for them. I never understood why it became commonplace to start with to be honest. In my experience it's never helped settle in children and for the majority it leads to more disruption and many kids feeling more unsettled. Very few children need staggered starts and for those who do this should be a specific adjustment for the individual child.

In my opinion the more parents who know full time from day 1 is an option and utalise this knowledge to help remove staggered starts the better.

Any school that does it is not progressive and IMO, it is symptomatic of being behind tge times and not focused on development.