Where is the logic in this???!! I'm astounded!

[Cazzr]

DS (summer born) starts year R in September. Just found out his hours for the first term... I was expecting mornings only but this is just nuts!!!

FYI: term starts 6th Sept..

14th September-1st October afternoons (12.15-3.15)

4th October-30th November mornings (8.45-11.45)

1st - 2nd December morning + lunch (home at 1pm)

from 3rd December full time.

Don't they know kids, especially young kids like routine?!

How is anyone supposed to manage this and keep some sort of routine??? Are there kids doing the opposite of this - so only half are in at any one time?

Am vvvvv worried now as DS starts in September and haven't had any information yet. Is this normal???

DD's school is doing a similar thing but only over a couple of weeks. That seems an awfully long time to help them settle in!

I only got this info when emailing the school to ask as I knew i'd need to get arranging childcare. As far as I know, Autumn kids go full time straight away/after 2 weeks.

Thing is. Surely the younger spring/summer kids will find the erratic routine harder?!

God knows how childcare is going to work.

Mercedes519: is your child autumn/spring or summer?

I agree with nigglewiggle, and what a nightmare if you are a working mum.

It might be an ideal lead-in for some children, but others (even summer-borns, like my DD was) are more than ready to get stuck-in, especially if it is a child-centred, play-based curriculum. As it should be!

If its a childcare nightmare for you and older children are going full time sooner approach the school. You never know they may be happy to take him in with the older lot.

That sounds normal to me.

In fact we only have 2/3 weeks of arsing about like that before they go full time.

cazzr - i think it's hopeless. My dc went full-time immediately (I told school dc was in full time nursery so used to that, and I was a ft working mum). Otherwise, nightmare.

at my dc school, they go full time from day 1. Much better for all IMHO. A local school does the staggered start and no one knows what's going on at all. The children don't settle any better either, so who is it in aid of?

My DS will be the youngest in the year and yes I am working and it means I would need to arrange childcare around without having a consistent timing.

I'm hoping Cazzr is right and its a couple of weeks which we can manage. He goes to nursery so school - especially foundation - isn't going to be that much of a shock.

And his school has two reception classes which are structured by age so it can be more appropriate activities for the younger ones. He'll spend a lot less time in school than he does 4 days a week in nursery.

I gather others in the past have tried to get out of it without success.

yes I work ft, I have to and I'm not ashamed of it, but I am lucky that work is flexible but trying to arrange this with a childminder is going to be fun..

Wonders if deferring start till Jan might be better after all, but DS wouldn't be chuffed.

that is absoluely ridiculous and I would complain.. a week or two fine but to go on to December.. total madness!

DD is summer born and will be doing:

13-24 September: 9-12
27 Sept - 1 Oct: 9-1 (staying for lunch)
$th October: full time

I think I will compose a reply tonight, when I have hopefully calmed down.

This has to be making it easier for the teachers/school than the kids, right?!

LilRedWG: That sounds soooooo much more sensible. That I wouldn't complain about.

Ours is the exactly same, you're not in a Cambridgeshire village are you?!

It is ridiculous, I was expecting perhaps mornings only for a week or two then full time, I couldn't believe it when we got the schedule, where we used to live there was a September/January intake but full time from day one,

I don't understand how chopping and changing can be beneficial to the children and how working mums are supposed to cope I don't know!

Might be worth raising with the PTA, I'm a bit scared of the head of our PTA though!

Oh and DS will be 5 when he starts (2nd Sep birthday) there's no differentiating for age which I also think is a bit silly, for the sake of two days he could have been going into year one in September!

We ahd at old school alternating AM / PM gfor first half term

Huge % of SAHM (poor area not yummy mummy's iykwim).

here, week of AM, then if all OK kids go to FT; if tehys struggle it's delayed. Staggerd intake so they deal with kids in 3 batches.

Not full time till December? - how on earth do they expect working parents to cope with that.

Mine were in full time after 2 weeks and that was bad enough. They were more tired and fit for nothing after 4pm for a couple of weeks but they soon get used to it (disclaimer: September born)

Summer born children do mornings only here too. I actually like it. Working parents usually get a local childminder to collect at lunchtime.

The children all learn what needs to be learned together. If half the class starts in Jan it means the younger ones get less time in Reception and less time to learn everything whereas they often need more time.

Full-time from day 1 for all here, no arsing around with mornings/afternoons/lunch etc. Kids and parents happy.