ds starts Primary Sep 08. But he is p/t for 1st 6 weeks. How do I negotiate with employer ?

[Oblomov]

Just got details of Ds's Primary. Am very pleased. But becasue he is Feb - Spring baby, he starts in Sept, but only part time for 1st 6 weeks - oh god why is my school 6 weeks rather than a couple of weeks part time ?
9 am - 1pm
I can't ask my work to allow me to do that for 6 weeks ?
School said there is no negotation on him going full time.
How long daoes it take to drop off and say goodbye so that they feel secure ?
If I leave at say 9.15 and travel to work, I may be in work for 9.45. Then to get back for 1 I would need to leve at 12.15-12.30, so it just over 2 hours at work
Thats only 5 days x 2 hrs = 10 hours.
I am contracted to 20.
And when he does go full time it is only until 3.15, right so I might just be able to fit in 20 hours if I work 5 days, right ?

Do I need to give up my job.
It all feels so hopeless.
I was hoping to drop him off and pick him up and do all the school gates thing. Was hoping that I might need the after school club once a week or so. but I just don't think this is manageable.

Is there an after school club at a nursery or a childminder that could pick him up for you?

I dealt with this by taking 2 weeks holiday (all in half days) speard over 3 weeks. dh had to cover the rest.

Could you have another mother pick him up for an hour or so?

could you work at home (avoids commuting time and you can do some in the evening).

Its a nightmare, I whole heartedly sympathise.

Does he currently attend a pre-school or go to a childminder?

Could you see if they've got any afternoon sessions say 1pm to 5pm and you could collect him and drop him off there, go back to work for a couple more hours and return to collect him after work ?

If he doesn't currently go to pre-school or childminder it might be worthwhile lining one up now as it would then give him some continuity in September.

This is really tricky Oblomov.

Focus on the long term first - 20 hours sounds perfectly do-able once he is in full time - 10 - 2.30 with half an hour lunch, or 9.30 - 2.30 if they insist on an hour lunch. Loads of time so no need to give up your job.

SO, your problem is the 6 weeks part time and you have 2 options really -

1. Negotiate with work to use a combination of holiday / parental leave, or work reduced hours for 6 weeks, or take a 6 week sabatical.
2. Find childcare to cover the afternoons - either a childminder or nursery.

Great that you are pleased with the school he's got.

Just had another thought.

Are you able to build up any additional hours over the coming months and take them as time off in lieu during the six week period.

How are you planning on covering half-terms and other holidays ?

I think this is SO shocking. How on earth is any set of working parents meant to manage for SIX WEEKS? I would seriously phone up the LEA and ask them how they intend this to work, they seem to be discriminating against working parents.

I can understand having a short day for maybe a fortnight, which is something you can cover with holiday (grudgingly), but nobody can cover for 6 weeks on holiday.

I'd seriously make a written complaint. And either get them to reduce it to 2 weeks, or tell them that you will start your child 4 weeks late, so that he only has 2 weeks of short days.

I really think it is crap

What a nightmare!

Do you know any of the other parents of children at this school who will be doing the same as you? Are any of them in the same boat, i.e. working? Could you set up a rota with them and combine that with taking some half days off?

I'm just thinking that you can't be the only one with this dilemma.

What will you do in the summer holidays then?

I thought that some of the summer holidays to after school club - they have a fantastic one attached to school. And thus I was happy for him to go there in the morning or afternoon, but I wanted that say a couple of times a week, niot all the time. I wanted to be able to drop him off, pick him up, chat to some of the mums, maake friends for me and him and so as to have people who I could cal upon in emergency.
My mum and sil make take him for a week, in goliday time aswell, possibly. Plus soome as a family holiday say a week. Plus dh and I take a week off here and there.
I was hoping that we would be able to manage.
He is at nursery 2 1/2 days, at my workplace, so 1/2 hour away from home/school - so I don't know any mums as yet. And this wouldn't help me - I mean I couldn't drop him off, go to work, go back and get him, and then take him tommy workplace nursery anyway, so thats no good.

My application to work at home was denied last year. Maybe I should appeal.
I love my job and it is very well paid, bvery relaxed. But it is not the be all and end all. Do you think this is all going to be unmanageable ?
I mean I only have one son (one PFB
If other mums can manage, surely I can ?

it is hard when they start school, you suddenly realise that actually nurseries are quite accommodating. i was lucky that ds went fulltime straight away, but loads of children i know didn't.

i work 14 hours a week, & for ds's reception year did 3 short days (9-2) so i could shoot off & collect him at 3.15. he's in year 1 now, & begged me to go to afterschool club, so i do 2 days, 8.30-4. i have a 2 year old who's in nursery too. i am lucky to have super-flexible employers.

i'd make a fuss at school frankly. how about starting in january, fulltime from the beginning?

Not suggestions I'm afraid - hope you can work something out.

Very common round here to have 6 weeks (often right up to the first half-term) of all the children going part-time....though

DS#1 and DD were part-time for 6 weeks. Alternately mornings and afternoons. People complained so by the time DS#2 started it was all either mornings or afternoons....for 11 weeks! Yes, that's right 11 weeks. For all ages not just summer babies.

First time I used up all my leave in half days . With DD and DS#2 I worked from home more and relied on GPs to drop off one day a week. But it was a long juggle and a total pita. Sorry you have to go through it too.

Once your DCs are at school you realise just how easy life was when you only had to deal with nurseries and CMs

they alternated OI - that's ridiculous!

It is inconvenient but it's there as a concession to the fact that we're starting them at school at 4 now instead of five. A full day for many reception children would be way too much (those delicate souls who haven't done full days at nursery, anyway!) Of course you know this Ob. Doesn't change the fact it is almost impossible, does it!

at our school they were part time for the whole first term.

I think you should approach your employers and explain the situation. It's only for a very limited time and they may agree home working for this small amount of weeks. It's got to be worth asking the question, surely; then life is do-able for you if they say yes.

And 20 hours a week over five days should be ok shouldn't it, when he does go full time.

Good luck

Erm, my DD is still part-time - two whole terms of part-time - she gets so upset at her (autumn/spring born) peers being able to stay for the whole day, so I know the 6 weeks is a hassle but it could be a lot lot worse!

if i were you id go see the head see if theres any bend to the system if not maybe she might know of a mum who can help out? it is a bit unfair to working mums.

yes - we will have a whole term of half days (just 9-12!) to deal with too. When my ds started 4 years ago i had a neighbour with ds at same school who picked him up and dropped him 3 days a week while i got into work as early as possible and whizzed home for 12.30. Then i did the same for her on the other two days.

i talked to my boss about this only yesterday. I've suggested that i work from home, or take some unpaid leave, or do one long day a week with a childminder to collect and keep my kids and make up the rest of the hours at home. i suggested a piece of work i thought i could tackle sensibly at home for the 3 months involved which seemed to go down well with her.

good luck - hope your employers are considerate. they'll need to be once you start dealing with holidays, illness, inset days, special assemblies etc. it's agony at first especially if your colleagues don't have kids but you get a very thick skin very quickly.

I think its ridiculous. How does the school expect working parents to manage?. My ds was 4 at the end of August and started full time in reception straight away. I am in Wales though.

I'm really suprised so many posters are shocked at this and suggesting going to the LEA and headteacher!
It's standard rouhd here. It isn't anything to do with the children not wanting to be aprt from the parent all day it is to do with how tiring it is for a 4 year old to start a full day at school. It is a completely different environment than nursery and is much more stressful for them at the beginning.

I agree it is hard with work etc but you have to get dh/dp on board, maybe get grandparents to come and stay for a week that sort of thing

oblomov it's not all hopeless! Very inconvenient this half days for 6 weeks nonsense though. There isn't any reason you can't ask your work to let you do that for a very short time, either temporarily reduce your hours, or combination of holiday, time off in lieu, working at home or whatever works best. It doesn't have to be a formal flexible working request to ask the question if you have a sensible, workable proposal.

I don't know how you work your 20 hrs at the moment, but it does sound workable doing 20 hours around the school day long term once this 6 week thing is out of the way.

Oblomov, I went through this last year. Not only was dd part time for the first six weeks, but in the end it was afternoons first week, mornings second week, then 9 to 12 third and fourth weeks, then 9 to 1.15 (stayed to lunch) fifth week then fulltime (hooray!) week 6. This was for all of them, regardless of their birthdays. They were split into two groups for the first two weeks, one group mornings the other afternoons, and then swapped the second week, just to make it even harder!

I was contracted to work three full days.

Have you spoken to the after school club that's attached to the school? Are they open in the daytime for things like toddler groups and pre-school? If so, they may be able to help you. We managed to cover all our childcare except for two days, mainly by me going in very early five days a week, so I could be back to pick her up at lunchtime. Anyway, we were really stuck for the last two days. I jokingly mentioned it to the after school club, not expecting anything, and they said yes, not a problem and they picked her up from school at lunchtime for me. They did it for a few children, but didn't advertise the fact, so they weren't overrun. I would ask there first, they may be able to help.

We have just had this for a whole term with dd!

I agree it is mad
Nearly all the kids had been at a nursery before so they were totally bored by only being at school for 3 hours a day.

We cobbled together some p/t help from dd's old nanny, my mum and us taking random bits of time off.

If they are going to make it compulsory to do this then they should give parents guaranteed time off to deal with it IMO.

DD's nursery were quite happy to take her for the afternoon btw. It's just they wouldn't pick up from her particular school so it was impossible as one of us would have had to travel home for an hour, drop her at nursery then travel back!

My friend at work, commented that once ds starts school then the fun really begins. She said I would look back with longing for his happy days in convienient nursery.
I am frightened at th changes.
Adn I knew I would ahve to change my current 2.5 days to fit school hours.
But this first bit has been a right scarey introduction !!

Can you increase your hours now (and ds's sessions at nursery) to build up extra time to be taken off during the period of part days.

Isn't it worth taking an hour out in the middle of the day to transfer ds to your workplace nursery for the afternoon so that you can do another 2 hours before going home ?

It's a pain in the bum, I went through it last Autumn and used up loads of my annual leave moving ds from school to nursery for the afternoon. It worked well in that he got to relax with his old pre-school chums and the lovely staff who made allowances for the fact that he'd already done several hours of school before arriving, in fact he had quite a few little mid-afternoon naps on the beanbags in the quiet corner during that first 6 weeks.

It's been a tough 6 months but we are now settled into the school routine