Reception - full or part day?

[wools]

Ds2 is due to start reception this coming September. He is a July birthday so will have just turned 4. The school have offered the option of full days (9 to 3.05) or short days (9 to 12). My instinct is to go for the longer day but just wondered what others think/have done?

Start with the short days for at least a few weeks. Dd is an October birthday so did short days for 2 weeks, really helped her settle in and they get really tired when they first start school.

Thanks Shannara. DS1 wasn't given a choice -his school only offered full days so this is new to me.

I would do short days and when the tracher feels he is ready they will suggest long days
ds did 3 weeks of half days I think it was
some do half days until the first half term

Thanks Bigchris.

You are lucky you have the choice!

Fabulousbakergirl - yes I know. I'm not used to it.

Has he been at nursery and if so what hours there? I'd say if he's happily used to being away from you for a long-ish day, he might cope, but if not go for the shorter days.

Thanks everyone.
Smee - he attends nursery for 2.5 hours a day at the school he will be going to.

DS1 had to do full days from the beginning (different school)and he is an August baby.

It will be a big change for him then, and if he struggles it could put him off, which is the last thing you want. Why not do the first half term on short days and build to full if he's thriving? DS is a summer baby and he's still struggling over a whole week. By Thursday is on his knees..

My DS's school offered this (He is a November birthday). We started on half days and just stayed in discussion with the teacher and added full days as he was ready.

He went up to five full days at his own request, a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Depends on child and circumstances. My DS is a Feb child, so not one of the oldest or youngest children. He has been going to nursery for half days 5 days a week for more than a year and his nursery is attached to the school he will be going to (in fact, reception are in the room next to him a and they share a playground) so when he starts reception I think he'll be ready for longer days (he already asks why he can't stay for lunch!). If you're talking about a child who hasn't been to nursery or is just about coping with half days, or a child going into a totally new environment, I would say stay with the half days initially.

DS2 did a full day after the first week along with everyone else and although I worried he was fine.

He's also a July baby and if he'd started the year before when DS1 did he would have been part-time until after christmas. I don't know the reason for the change but it worked really well actually and Ds2 has never had a problem with tiredness.

School also has lower staff ratios that nursery, so less attention per child. Far more is expected of them so it can be a lot more tiring than nursery which mine found/find fun.

I would start with half days and then see if you can work up to a couple of full days a week. At my DS1's school, they all go part time until just before half term (a bit tough on working parents, gulp, as I may be one by the time DS2 starts). They encourage one of more half days a week for children before their fifth birthday. So my DS1, with a December birthday, had one afternoon a week off until Christmas.

The school prefers them all to be full time throughout the summer term but they cannot enforce it as full time education is not compulsory until five. The numbers of children having half days has gradually decreased during the year. At least two children in my son's class (late August born) are still having two afternoons off a week all this term.

While not all schools will want to take this approach, they cannot prevent you taking your child home early a couple of days a week until next July if your DS finds it is too much of a struggle.

I have a July baby too - we did half days for a while and then switched to full days but not every day. He didn't go full time until nearly Easter.

He was totally exhausted by school and going longer sooner I think would have wiped him out. He may have seemed ok at school to the teacher but we had to cope with exhaustion tantrums after school for quite a while.

I would go with half days and increase as you and teacher feel appropriate.

dd's school had half days for everyone for a full term. Summer babies did afternoons, which were 2.25 hrs, whilst the older ones did mornings which were 3.5 hrs.

My dd was an older one, but definitely benefitted from the half days - not least because she got to play 1-1 with some of her new classmates in the afternoons; she knew no one in her class when she started, but was very confident by the end of term. That said, I was at home with smaller LO so not a problem for me - was harder for some of the working mums!

Thanks everyone. I do appreciate your thoughts.

DD started school at 4y4m and did 4 days part time (2 days finishing at 11:30; 2 days finishing at 12:30 after lunch) and then FT thereafter.

her school now does FT from day one, although if parnets feel their child is tired they can take them home earlier if they like.

DD copes perfectly fine with FT. Infact she was not happy about having to come home early at all.

have to say that FT was easier for me anyway as i was working PT but full days myself then. So half days was a pain childcare wise.

Reception is mainly play anyway and IME the schools tend to gently ease them in anyway, even if doing full days - lots of free play inthe afternoons,. etc.