It’s illegal.
I know you probably don’t want to (I’ve been there) but please stand firm and tell them this or they’ll try it on for as long as they can.
I had nearly 2 years of this with ds school.
2 hours a day throughout reception, I kept complaining and he was upped to 3 hours and then 4 during the last term of R.
Year 1 came and he was still on 4 hrs a day but they didn’t listen to me despite me asking weekly for him to be full time. I had to phone the local authority in the end.
He eventually 3 months into yr1 did full time, 6 hours a day, but then coronavirus came and they dropped him to 4 hr 45m a day and those are the hours they wanted him to come back on for yr2 aswell until I said NO. 6 hours a day like the other children and I’m not accepting any less.
He had an ehcp from nursery age but it didn’t stop them taking the piss.
When does your daughter turn 5? It’s the term after they turn 5 that school is compulsory, I’m not sure if it’s legal if school can keep her part time until the term after she’s 5, but it’s certainly what ds school did with me and the Local authority (who are also bullshitters in my experience) sided with the school on that saying they didn’t have to take ds full time until term after 5.
Phone sendiass they are experienced with this and they will contact school on your behalf and keep them in line with the law. I know this because my sendiass worker does exactly that.
Deffo contact sendiass my worker fumes when kids are on part time and always liases with the school on the parents behalf.
I felt a pain in the arse constantly having to ask for my son to do the hours he’s entitled too and I hated having to keep complaining but your not in the wrong they are so get on their back and don’t get off until they do what they are supposed to do.
Ask for a meeting ASAP to arrange to apply for an ehcp and if they are unwilling to help, go ahead and apply yourself, sendiass can help with that also.