How are your reception DCs taken into class each morning?

[luciemule]

Have just got home after 'the zoo'.
I heard 3 other women on their way home discussing the rabble-like way in which the teachers organise coming into recpetion class each morning. Even now, I'd say quite a few of the children still aren't settling after healf term and I'm sure it's due to the noise.
We take the children in, help put coats and lunch boxes away etc, then they have to put water away and book bags. Then they're supposed to choose a book from book bank and sit on the carpet or they sit at the writing table and draw/write. However, all the mums and dada remain until 9, there are people milling about everywhere and I find it really unsettling. DS never wants me to go, there are children sobbing here and there and it all seems like complete chaos!
Are there any of you who have a much more calm morning and are there any receptions where the staff lead the children in without parents?

we were allowed to take them in the first few weeks.

Now they go in by themselves and put their stuff away.

They go in by themselves when they arrive (not led in as teacher is already in the classroom, and parents don't go into the building after the first couple of weeks) and sort out their own coats/bags/etc.

We took them in, but they had different activities laid out, say five children to each. The children had to find their name and go to that place - could be writing table, drawing table, painting, building, reading, dressing up - they rotated it. Parents went in with children, but were encouraged to say goodbye as soon as the child had found their name. Seemed to work well as the kids all had some focussed task to do.

Parents could go into the building for the first week and a bit settling in period.
But now the children line up at the door when the bell goes, and go in themselves when the teacher opens the door.
It's not easypeasy, as they do sometimes have lots of bits to carry and think about - but, I think, much less stressful than having lots of adults milling about in the class.
That does sound unsettling for the children.

It's exactly as the op describes here but dc don't seem too phased by it. Most parents only go into the cloakroom (I do - still checking dd can deal with her stuff) but some do go into the classroom still. It's chaotic but cheerful and I haven't seen any tears for a long time.

We take them in for the first week, then after that they line up outside in the playground and the teacher or TA take them in.

We took them to the classroom door and the teachers took it from there. They hung up their coats and put lunchbags and water bottles in the relevant place themselves. There never seemed to be any chaos - but I never went into the classroom so have no idea what was going there, but there certainly weren't any parents milling around.

yup we still take them in and help them put everything in the right place, but then we leave - why would anyone stay?

it is chaotic but it's fun and means we get an informal chance to chat to the teacher/TA if we want to

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Enter through reception play area at 8.40, help them with coats etc, put their stuff in drawers or whatever, choose new reading book.
Can stay till 9 if you like, doing stuff with them, but DS kust want me to go so he can get on!

I am out by about 8.45, on my ear....

Last year in reception, for the first week ( I think) helped DS to the corridor outside of his class, put coat on peg etc and left him at the classroom door. It was pointed out that this was NOT a time to chat to teacher, if we had any concerns we could arrange a meeting at an appropriate time.

After the first week, they lined up in the yard when the bell rang. Each Class had a designated spot, the teacher would then take them into the school.

Worked perfectly well. The corridor (it's an old school) could did not cope with the heat and noise of all the parents !

x

Dd is in reception and we have to take them in, help them with their coats, lunchboxes etc. Some parents go straight after that and their dcs get their name card and sit themselves down on the carpet. Dd always wants me to stay until she sits down and the teacher is fine with that. There are only one or two who cling on to their mum/dad or cry (my dd included) sometimes. The only thing that is chaotic is that we all have to cram into an area that is far too small and we get in each other's way. No parents ever stay til 9. I don't think that would be allowed. A lot of the parents have to get to work or have younger dc's to look after anway.

Door to the classroom opens onto the playground.
Gate opened by head teacher, he says good morning to each pupil as they go through with their parent.
Hand DD her bag give her a kiss and she goes into the classroom , teacher is waiting at the door.
All parents have to exit by the other gate, so the one way system stops congestion.

Half a term in and I haven't seen a single child crying for about a month

Teacher and T/A greet us at the door at 8.55am. Children are expected to have hung up their coats, put away lunchboxes and be sitting on the carpet by 9am. Parents can shoot straight off once their children are in the classroom, or come in and settle them for a few minutes. The school also has an open-door policy, so theoretically, parents can come in and hang out/help out at any stage with prior arrangement.

It's fairly chaotic, but the atmosphere is always nice.

Same as lots of people - parents in for a few days then they say goodbye in the playground and sort themselves out.

As a teacher too this is what we did more or less although they used to line up in the playground at the whistle at the start of the day and I used to collect them from there. It gets too fraught with all the adults in, the children can't get through to where they need to go. I used to have a classroom assistant to help them hang up coats etc when they were first in but actually children do love being independent, and once they know the routine they manage very well on their own.

its fairly relaxed at ours. we only have half a class til after xmas though.

door opens, teacher greets everyone, dd3 puts her oat on her hook, then i hand her her bag, she gives me her glasses and patch to sort out, she puts her stuff away, i help her put her glasses on, a kiid goodbye and she gopes into class.

All children line up in the play ground at teh bell. Parents say goodbye and leave, and teachers and ta's leave the children in. No parents anywhere around, they just get on with it!

Works very well as everyone knows what is going on, and the children have a very strong structure to start their day.

Parents in on 1st day only. Teacher opens door at 8 50, children go in, put their lunchbox away, go to hang coat up and then put book bag in drawer.

Seems to work v well and all children seem perfectly happy.

So the majority don't go in - interesting. It's parents eve next week so might offer a few siggestions because it is a nightmare!
Our primary is still ok with parents of yr 3 going in to sort stuff out. I bet the teachers aren't very happy!
They have a huge playground so why on earth they don't all line up in each class group and then be taken in by staff is beyond me.

our (small) primary used to have children line up, but not for the last few years. Parents now take reception children into classroom where you can either help settle child, or just say goodbye, or chat to teacher/ta if necessary. All very relaxed and friendly. Children have tasks to do themselves - put their pictures on the "at school" board, and change their shoes. It is busy, but seems to work ok.
Also, lots of y2 and y3 still have parents take them into classroom also.
At the end of the day, all children are released in the playground. KS1 are brought out by teachers and wait until parents are seen.
As I said, it is a small school with only 5 classes.

they line up and go in by themselves, they have to sort coats, changing shoes to indoor shoes, book bag and lunch bag. they'd rather parents didn't go in at all, cloak room is small and it causes chaos.

Ds has just gone up into year 1 but in reception you take them into the classroom for the first week, therafter they line up in the playground when the whistle blows.

The doors open children go in we walk away. Its been like this from the second week after starting. It builds their independance as they are responsible for putting their own lunch boxes on the correct trolly, walking down the corridor, taking off and hanging up their own coat and going in to class. All done with no staff apart from on the main doors and in the classroom.

Took them in on the first day, thereafter the teacher leads them in. Children really reluctant to go in will have their parents take them in.

However IMO the passing the crying child to the teacher or the TA and beating a hasty treat seems to work better.

When dd2 was in reception their were parents waving through the window etc still in the summer term etc etc and they wondered why their dc didn't settle twas a nightmare.

I think often children cope better by keeping home and school seperate.

We go in and help hang up coats, put bottles/book bag away and say goodbye.

Although it is drilled into us that this is FROWNED upon and teacher would like us to stop asap. Children who go in on their own get a sticker