Half days for ages!

[SunnySideDeepDown]

My child starts school in September and their school has sent an emailing outlining the first few weeks schedule, which includes a two week build up to full days. The first half week is until 11.30. Then a week or so of staying until after lunch and then a few days until 2pm.

I find it really tone deaf of the school to expect parents to be able to juggle this (we both work full time busy jobs and have 2 other, older children at the same school). Our annual leave is already stretched.

Are there any teachers here with insight on why the school would offer this?

My child is used to full time preschool and has older siblings in the school. They’re more than ready to jump straight into school life.

Our LA has told us they’re entitled to full time from day 1 on the offer email, shall I raise this with the school? I don’t want to be a trouble maker but I just can’t see the rationale. Isn’t it easier for kids to have a schedule and get used to it, rather than changing it every few days?

My school all start full time on the first day but I remember, when my children started , it took until after October half term before they were in full time!
They will say it’s to allow children to settle in smaller groups, because they are tired, because they have always done it this way, to allow for home visits, to allow the staff to get to know the children better- anything that they can think of! Stand firm, say you want your child to be in full time from day 1 and stick at it, legally they have to admit them full time.

The School Admissions Code was changed in 2021 and states that a child is entitled to a full-time place from the first day.

Schools should not be stating that there is part-time attendance unless it is by agreement of the parent.

Tell them you expect a full-time place from the first day.

Has it changed since your older ones were there? New Head?

If the LA said it, they know some schools are flouting it. Stand firm. You will help others.

It was one of the first questions I asked at open evening and I discounted any schools that had long settling periods. It is pretty well known that most schools have a settling in period of at least a week

This!

As a teacher of early years children I genuinely dislike how some schools think weeks of ad-hoc care, being in and then not in or having to go back to nursery is in any way helpful for a positive transition to starting school.

In full time from the beginning is definitely my preference, the children settle so much quicker if they know the expectation from day 1.

We rejected the staggered start - didn’t work for DT’s or DH and I. We notified the school that they would be starting full time from day one of the term. Many other families did the same and in subsequent years the staggered start was stopped and everyone started full time from the start.

If there was any evidence of it being necessary all schools would have similar. Yet some have none or a couple of days, some have about a week, some have 2 weeks plus.

Would be far better if it was optional part time until Christmas or indeed the whole year so parents could do what was right for their family.

As far as the Admissions Code is concerned, it is optional part time (or even complete non-attendance) until the start of term following the child's fifth birthday. Optional as in the parents choose, not the school. As @Charmatt says, the school absolutely cannot impose this. Tell them that your child will be attending full time from the start of term. If they try to stop you, point them at Admissions Code paragraph 2.17 which makes it clear that your child is entitled to a full-time place from September.

Is this the same for all schools? My son is due to start a VA church school.

My daughter started school in September and found it was so variable from school to school. Some of my friends had weeks of part time and others a few days.
My daughters school was the quickest. The first day (Thursday) half the class did morning and half did afternoon keeping kids from the same nursery setting in the same half so there were familiar faces. The second day the whole class did until after lunch then from the Monday she was in full time. My daughter is nervous around new situation but also benefits from being immersed in a situation so the two short days of learning the classroom but then starting the school week probably from the first Monday was the right balance for her.

I will say even though she had been in nursery 4 days a week 8.30-6 since 12 months she struggled with being at school and after school club for the same hours harder than being in nursery. She found school overstimulating but then after school understimulating and struggled with most of the children being much older as she had only just turned 4. It was a very long first half term! Her struggling with the hours was a surprise to me especially as they were slightly shorter than nursery 8.45-5.30

yes!!! My son is starting school in September too and they go back on the 3rd Sept and are doing 8:45-11:30 for 5 whole days then 3 days 8:45-12:15 (stay for lunch) then start full time on 15 September. I’m baffled and so annoyed by this. Currently at preschool 4 days a week 9-3:15 so fully used to it, After juggling the whole summer and then another 2 weeks of stupidly half days!

i feel it’s lazy teaching!

Do full time from day one instead

When dd started school, they had 90 starting in reception due to a bulge class.
Headteacher said everyone full time from day one. Up to half term, tell us if you want your dc to do reduced hours. Only difference was that they decided that 90 4/5 year olds in the canteen not sensible, so they had lunch brought to the classrooms for the first few weeks.

No, it isn't. And, as per my post, the school cannot impose this. Your son is entitled to start full-time in September whatever the school says. If you prefer, he can start part-time in September whatever the school says. It is your choice, not the school's.

But that’s going to have happened whether she had 2 or 12 shorter days. Some kids are fine with the transition, others struggle, I do accept that some other parents will prefer part time. But my child is the 3rd in the family and typically just gets on with things. I know she’ll be tired but she’ll be tired regardless.

Thanks everyone, I’ll let them know.

New (very awkward) Head - it’s their first Head position after an internal promotion and she doesn’t tend to listen to parents. But I’ll give it a whirl and stand firm.

I had this and it pissed me off no end and was super disruptive and more confusing for the kids in my view. I fed back every time in our survey and was clearly ignored as the school is sticking rigidly to it.

Now if everyone had a sahp and kids weren’t nursery I could sort of get it but I know so many people who had very ad hoc childcare during that period eg day 1, 1/2 day school back home for afternoon, day 2 back to nursery, day 3 2 hours school plus random play date, day 4 grandparents, day 5 school and kid watching tv while parent worked.

I fail to see how that arrangement is in the best interest of a child when they could be in school.

In a single mum and I’ve had this too this year - my twins are already at pre School full time doing 830-330 in a class of 24 what settling is actually required 🙄 - the reception class room is NEXT DOOR - I’ve held firm and said they need to be in from day one and school have backed down. I also work full time and I’ve had to beg and borrow and starch myself already to cover 6 weeks of school holiday - I’m not prepared to do it for another week!

I ruled out several potential primary schools for my DC for this very reason. The first school we looked at started out with only one hour a day and they didn't go full time until after October half term. Even more important than it being unworkable for most families who don't have at least one parent at home all the time I think it is anything but "settling" for young children. Fortunately I found a school that I loved where the children were full time from day 1. My children were completely settled into their new routine by the end of the first week. If they'd gone to the first school they'd only have been spending one or two hours in school at that stage and probably have had to have been passed from pillar to post for the rest of the time which I think would have been extremely disruptive for them.
I agree that part time should be an option for parents who feel their children would benefit but it shouldn't be enforced.

As a teacher, I would always recommend a few half days. We split the children so half come in the morning for 2 or 3 days (however long the first week is) and half come in the afternoon. This year the children start on a Wednesday, after 2 training days, so it will be 3 half days. Nobody stays for lunch for those 3 days, but then it's full time from the following week. This is so important as, even if children are use to full days from nursery it can be overwhelming to face a change of setting (remember they will have done settling in sessions before starting nursery, this is the same principle). Splitting them in half really enables the staff to get to know the children in a small group and really embed rules and routines before having to deal with the needs of 30 unfamiliar children at once. It means any distressed children can be given special focus.

However, we totally understand how inconvenient it can be for working parents to juggle a part time timetable. We would never ask for more than a few days. Our children start full time the following Monday, as long as they're ready. We do allow the option of remaining part time for another week if a child is particularly unsettled, but this would be in discussion with parents and it's rarely needed. Even then we don't like to keep it that way for longer, as children get too settled in that routine of "I go home after lunch", plus they miss out on lots.

This issue needs raising with the school. "I'm sorry, we simply can't do it as we both work and have nobody else to look after him". They need to find the solution, not you. I've known crèche type facilities to be set up in some schools. Does the school have a nursery attached? Sometimes they will take a few odd extras throughout the part time period to allow working parents a solution on a first come first served basis. You need to make enquiries.

A few part time sessions in a small group is definitely not 'lazy teaching'. It has been planned in the best interests of the children. It's incredibly dull running the same activities and having all the same inputs twice a day. We don't do it for fun! I totally get how inconvenient it is when it goes on for more than a few days though, that's an unnecessary overkill.

Your information is incorrect. They are entitled to education from day one, not a crèche or nursery facility. Neither is attending full time from day one on a first come basis.
I wish schools would present the correct legal information and not their own version.
Parents know how their DC’s will cope - DT’s did full time from day one with breakfast and after school clubs. Wasn’t a problem.

That’s quite standard OP. It’s to help your child settle gradually. Starting school is a big thing for your child.

I wish schools would present the correct legal information and not their own version.

I agree. It really frustrates me that at some schools the onus is put onto parents to make ad-hoc arrangements that are more disruptive to the children and they are made to feel an inconvenience just because they want what their child is actually entitled to.

Teachers will do anything g not to have the chn in won’t they? 🙄

No - they just have to follow the legislation.