Parents Not Happy About Starting Part Time

[Guest Pebble123]

Hope someone can help or reassure me

 

I sent out letters recently to the parents of children in Sept to tell them that they would be starting part time-either a week of mornings followed by a week of afternoons or vice versa. They will all experience lunch time in the 2nd week.They could then all come full time (unless they were not ready.)

 

A group of parents are very unhappy and wanted them to start full time straight away

 

We always start them part time as we find that they find a whole day very tiring and it gives us a smaller group to get to know,observe etc.

 

Can anyone point me in the direction of any evidence that this is what most schools do and that is the best for the children. I do understand its difficult for working parents but it is only for 2 weeks.

 

Feel a bit stressed about the induction meeting coming up and feel they will all be up in arms about this and its not a very good start

 

Thanks

[Squinkeh]

I can't point you in the direction of any evidence but just wanted to say, stick to your guns!

 

We do a staggered intake exactly the same and always have parents unhappy at this decision (we have 3 intakes a year, so I get the regular moaning... no offence intended). Yes it is difficult for parents who work full time but like you said, it is only for a couple of weeks and it is for the emotional and social support of their children. It is normally these parents that realise how tiring it is for their children to come to school full time and say "no wonder you only have them in part time to begin with"!

 

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as the parents can see you have their children's best interest at heart, it will be a forgotten 'problem' after a few days.

[Rea]

On the other hand...my eldest started all day but with lunch at home. It was a nightmare dragging him out of the house after lunch. I know thats not what you're proposing but not all children benefit from having a staggered start. Friendships started have a remix when the whole class finally come together too. Some of the children of working parents will possibly have been attending full day care for years so wont need to settle slowly.

My youngest started full time from day one and I never had any trouble getting him to school.

I understand the benefits for the teachers to be able to observe and get to know everyone but I dont personally think staggered starts is always the best thing.

[Inge]

Must admit mine started full time from day one and yes was tired as the end of the day but coped and settled very quickly...but he was not in full time daycare before this so was changing from half to full days..

 

not all schools stagger the start and as a preschool setting we often had parents who asked us to have the children the times they were not in school as they really needed the childcare - children had been with us all day previously and parents became very negative towards the school concerned.. the other took full time from day 1 and coped..

 

to help parents understand why, I believe you need to have the answers as to how this will benefit the children by coming in part time.. and with plenty of positive reasons... Only 2 weeks sounds like a short time but to some parents who will already had weeks off for summer break could be very difficult.. (which is why we took them if we had room.)

[Guest Pebble123]

Thank you all, yes you are right I will have to make sure we have lots of positive reasons to give them.

 

None of the children are in full time nursery at the moment , most attend pre school in the mornings.

 

Just could do without this on top of everything else !

[Guest]

Hi I have had my induction parents meeting today and was pleasantly surprised at how well they took the part time at first scenario. (which we have done for ages) We have changed what we do a little this year but only told them the new arrangements at the meeting and then gave them out their packs detailing what their child will do in September and didn't have any complaints! I think because I talked about how we had taken on board parents suggestions from the questionaire from this year, they could see that we were condsidering the best option for their children and us. I also threw in the mix that we are the quickest locally to get the children in full time (by week 4) most local schools are at least week 6. At the start of this school year I went to a cluster meeting of local schools (about 30 schools) in October and I was the ONLY school with full time children in reception. I also told them that my daughter will start school in September and she will be part time for 5 weeks and as a full time teacher that is a childcare nightmare but I supported the school in the decisions they were making to do the best for my child and would find a way around the situation.

Stick to your guns and hget the backing of your head; we are not here to be childcare while parents work, we are doing what we think is best for the children. We want them in full time and all together but the children and us need a gentle start to the year- us to get to know them quickly and for them to have a higher ratio of staff to begin with. Why not play that argument that they will have had a ratio of 1-8 at preschool and at school that will be 1-15 which they will not be used to at a time when they need the most support in getting to know all the new routines.

 

 

Good luck and remember you will never please all of the people all of the time!

Deb

[juliewilk]

we do exactly the same as you 2weeks part time then straight in. Just remember that whatever you do you will never please everyone. As long as you you feel sure that what you're doing is for the right reasons you shouldn't worry. Hope it goes well for you.

[Guest]

HI

 

The first week we will ahve 2 days inset so we are going to have our parents meetings then we are having a staggered start second week all mornings only. Then the second week third half of week stay for lunch then home at 1 and then stay all day thur and fri.

 

My little boy starts september too different school same district but as he is summer born they have staggered it so he will start 19th september but straight away full time and the others would have started before. Another local school i know do the first week starting at 1 or 2 and finish at 3 then they go back wards so they then start say 1 until 3 then they stay for lunch and stay until 3 you get my drift until they are all in this i see as pointless and would not help parents but it apparently works for them and they got outstanding for their early years!!!!

 

everyone does it so different when i worked in a london borough they did all seem to be in straight away but then the school had a nursery attached so the children knew us already, knew the routines etc

 

you will never keep every parent happy my husband has taken all the 2 days i work off for the first half term to take our little one to school at first so he doesn't have breakfaast club on top of a long day.

[Guest tinkerbell]

All 15 (or 17 if appeals go through) start together in September.Most parents are happy with this but one would like mornings only for a couple of weeks...I don't think you can please everyone.

 

Tinkerbell

[Gezabel]

Some of our pre-school parents are happy with staggered intake in reception in September and others are not so I guess you can't please everyone all of the time.

 

However, in this day and age of flexibility and meeting individual children's needs I wonder why schools have a 'one size fits all' approach to starting school - NOT being critical of anyone in any way I just wonder.

 

For some of our parents the difficulty is that a) they genuinely believe their child can cope with whole days (we have many that attend 5 whole days) and can be tricky for working parents when they suddenly have a child to collect at lunch time

[catma]

However, in this day and age of flexibility and meeting individual children's needs I wonder why schools have a 'one size fits all' approach to starting school - NOT being critical of anyone in any way I just wonder.

 

 

I think you do have to factor in the enormous change children have to adapt to. In many respects it's not the same. Just because they were full time say in a pre school, doesn't mean that they will cope straight away full time in a completely new environment with different expectations about the day, organisational structure, different people, different children, new routines, managing different things for themselves, having to take a bit more responsibility for themselves (1:30 don't forget) etc etc. Unless the children have been in the school's own nursery you have no way of knowing how any individual might cope, despite their previous experiences. Children can easily be lost a little and not get the individual attention they may need if the teacher is swamped by sheer weight of numbers. With most children starting in Sept this will be particularly evident this year for many.

 

Just think what it's like when you change job - exhausting just remembering everyone's names!

 

I think a staggered start is to give everyone, children, families and setting a chance to adjust and get used to a new situation without it becoming overwhelming. It's almost too late once the child is becoming distressed and unhappy because it's all too much and was rushed. For every child that settles straight away I bet there is one who is very wobbly. Without the luxury of small ratios a bit of well spent time and space can help. The number of children who used to fall asleep in the afternoons in my schools' reception classes when they started never failed to push this point home!

 

Cx

[Guest thebirdistheword]

In my first year at the school I'm at now we had a staggered first two weeks as well which I thought was great for me - getting to know the children within a smaller group when they are brand new to you was really helpful. I felt like I knew the individuals a lot quicker than I would've done if they'd all started at once. On the other hand I don't think it was so great for the kids (at one point they were doing full days but weren't allowed to stay for dinners so they all had to be collected at lunchtime and brought back again...cue walk to the chip shop en mass!!) I felt that for the children getting them used to a routine and 'class' for two full weeks and then introducing not only a change to their routine but a brand new group of children as big as the one they'd already become friends with was hard...all of a sudden someone else was in 'their space' whose face they didn't know. We scrapped it this year and started all of us full time from the start of september including some children who aren't five until August 28th, and they've done brilliantly. There are 76 of us in our unit and ask everyone says, you should stick to your guns and do whatever works for you - for us we felt it was better to start everyone together. And even though you can't please everyone, remember you know best and tell them it all with a big confident smile and they'll have to believe you're doing the best for their children x

[Gezabel]

I think you do have to factor in the enormous change children have to adapt to. In many respects it's not the same. Just because they were full time say in a pre school, doesn't mean that they will cope straight away full time in a completely new environment with different expectations about the day, organisational structure, different people, different children, new routines, managing different things for themselves, having to take a bit more responsibility for themselves (1:30 don't forget) etc etc. Unless the children have been in the school's own nursery you have no way of knowing how any individual might cope, despite their previous experiences. Children can easily be lost a little and not get the individual attention they may need if the teacher is swamped by sheer weight of numbers. With most children starting in Sept this will be particularly evident this year for many.

 

Just think what it's like when you change job - exhausting just remembering everyone's names!

 

I think a staggered start is to give everyone, children, families and setting a chance to adjust and get used to a new situation without it becoming overwhelming. It's almost too late once the child is becoming distressed and unhappy because it's all too much and was rushed. For every child that settles straight away I bet there is one who is very wobbly. Without the luxury of small ratios a bit of well spent time and space can help. The number of children who used to fall asleep in the afternoons in my schools' reception classes when they started never failed to push this point home!

 

Cx

 

I totally agree it is an enormous change and children cope in different ways. I didn't suggest that attending full time in preschool automatically meant they would cope full time in school.

I guess there is no easy answer or indeed any answer that suits all settings and as many have said it's a case of going with what works for you.

 

It would be wonderful to have a magic wand we could wave to ensure a smooth, positive transtion for every child but with all the will in the world and irrespective of best efforts of all involved there will be children who get distressed whether they start full time or part time.

 

As for ratios that's been an on going debate and though it's a utopian idea I would love to see 1:8 remaining for our little ones regardless of the setting they are in.. in my dreams ... one day... maybe

[chocisgood]

I was told by a head that the law had changed recently and all children starting reception are to be full time from day 1?! Is this right ?, what Law?(am in Kent)

[Guest]

HI

 

the law has change in terms of hte children are given the right to start full time (f a parent wants to defer and start alter they can and a place needs to be held for them but needs to be taken before they go into year 1 i believe) but its not form day 1. Not sure what the cut of date is but think there use to be something where you did have to have all the children in by a certain date to get the funding?? I have heard so many different ways of staggering the childrens intake thre doesn't seem to be one universal idea but most seem to all be full time by the time it hits oct half term.

[catma]

The operational part of starting is down to each setting to manage as they see fit.

 

Children entering reception classes will have to have a place for sept but do not have to take up the pace until they are of statutory school age. ie the term after their fifth birthday. If parents wish they can in agreement with the setting defer the start until this cut off point and the school must hold the place within that school year. If they defer to year 1 the place is lost and they would have to reapply - a risky move given the fullness of schools everywhere.

 

If the nursery provision attended can give the child a place still then they can stay there under the 15 hours free entitlement. The funding follows the child.

 

Your HT has heard it wrongly! It's not law. Your LA may have given guidance but there is not a national statement (as far as I know................!)

 

Cx

[chocisgood]

thanks for the clarification !

[Guest]

I always find this a bit of a tricky one for parents too - we start all the children together in week one for morings + lunch, week - pick up 12.30 and week 2 we include the school outdoor lunch playtime - pick up 1.30, week 3 full time.

 

This prevents the shock of suddenly getting to know half of the class when they alternate sessions, we don't have a problem getting to know the children ourselves as they are in our FSU or are being involved in transition this term, It does allow the children to gradually learn new routines, take greater personal responsibility and get used to the school environment after a long summer hol.

 

It also allows us to support our children who've transferred to Year one in the afternoons which works well and to meet with parents of our new reception intake.