Delayed school start?

[zigzag]

What are everyone’s thoughts on the Education experts thoughts about delaying the school year?  This was from Nursery world.

 

The proposals for children return to settings and school in the autumn term 2020 are:
 

1. In September children will return to the year/age groups and adults they left in March to re-settle, build on their current starting points and re-establish where they are in their learning and development as well as in their relationships and routines. This will be a time to consolidate prior learning, including the learning gained during lockdown, and to build on any positive practice developed through new ways of working with families.
    
2. Children who were due to start Reception in September will remain in their nursery setting, pre-school, nursery school, or nursery class. They will start their transition visits to Reception classes including a settling-in period in partnership with their parents, with plenty of time to build relationships with their new teachers and develop their self-confidence.
    
3. Children due to start in Year 1 in September will instead return to their Reception classes. With a curriculum focused on crucial aspects of recovery, such as rebuilding relationships and reducing anxiety, and an emphasis on promoting/stimulating their physical, emotional and language development, they would fulfil EYFS expectations and ultimately be ready for the Y1 curriculum.
    
4. Children due to start in Year 2 in September will remain in Year 1. This will help teachers and children secure the foundations of the Y1 curriculum. Any attempt to ‘catch up’ what is seen as ‘missing’ in order to achieve end of KS1 targets would simply result in (a) leaving out chunks of the curriculum or (b) rushing children through the curriculum. Both would result in vital connections not being made between new and prior learning and, consequently, knowledge and understanding being weakened, standards falling and a pervading sense of failure impacting negatively on children’s wellbeing.
    
5. Spring Term 2021: All children will transition to their next year groups and new children will start in Reception. In effect this will be the start of a shortened school year.

[zigzag]

Whilst I think in theory it’s a good idea, there is no way I can keep my small group of six school leavers with us as I have no space for them and if I had to keep them I would have to turn away others who have been expecting to start in September.  Let’s hope the government do not decide to adopt this at this late stage!

[Stargrower]

I agree.  It sounds perfect...but too late!  We can't keep our 28 leavers!  I think it would be good for some children but would create a massive logistical muddle.

Edited to add:  And what about the children waiting to start at an early years setting?  They then lose a term!

Edited July 8, 2020 by Stargrower

[sunnyday]

I think that it's a really good idea and with some creative thinking I could manage to keep my 'leavers', however, this is not happening at our local Primary school.

I do have some real concerns for the children who will have been out of school for six months by the time September rolls round

My youngest granddaughter was in Reception and when she goes back (after six months) she will be in Y1, she will cope, she will have to, but it would be great if she could have a few weeks back in her familiar classroom with her usual teacher

This was a point of discussion on 'mumsnet' a few days ago, it was not at all popular with the mums who have children waiting to start reception

I do think that women/mums have been hardest hit by this situation, I wonder how many will have lost jobs 

I don't think that the proposed 'staggered starts' are going to be popular either, but then I have no idea what else the schools can do really

 

[sunnyday]

1 hour ago, Stargrower said:

I agree.  It sounds perfect...but too late!  

 

This is it - too late - plans should have formulated back in March when we went into lockdown

I am so aware that September is going to be here before we know it 

[Panders]

I love the way they have assumed that the nurseries can just accommodate and that they wouldn't have already "moved on" with their newbies booked in.     This is just typical of the usual non-understanding of the sector and assumptions made.  Of course everyone wants to do the best thing - and the usual words can be trotted out, i.e, challenge, unprecedented blah blah   blah.

Goodness knows how they will end up sorting it all out, what a mess!

[sunnyday]

37 minutes ago, Panders said:

I love the way they have assumed that the nurseries can just accommodate and that they wouldn't have already "moved on" with their newbies booked in.     This is just typical of the usual non-understanding of the sector and assumptions made.  Of course everyone wants to do the best thing - and the usual words can be trotted out, i.e, challenge, unprecedented blah blah   blah.

Goodness knows how they will end up sorting it all out, what a mess!

Truth is Panders - as per usual they don't actually care about what nurseries/pre-schools can accommodate 

As I said these are the plans that should have been in the making back in March

[louby loo]

We'd be stumped!  I have not spaces left now 😳

I'm just annoyed about the £1,000 bonus's to employers who furloughed staff .  I guess there will be caveats - well I sincerely hope there are!

[Mouseketeer]

47 minutes ago, louby loo said:

We'd be stumped!  I have not spaces left now 😳

I'm just annoyed about the £1,000 bonus's to employers who furloughed staff .  I guess there will be caveats - well I sincerely hope there are!

Me too, there’d be no way we could accommodate them unless I cancelled the new starters and the increased sessions for returners, as much as my heart says “ahhh that would be lovely” my head doesn’t agree, I’m not about to risk losing chn who will likely be with us for 2 or more years (many of who will be paying the going rate rather than funded for some time) to keep our leavers for a very short time, I think it will be down to the schools to step it back for maybe half a term for them to find their feet again, I really think the best option would have been to make the May half term the first week of the summer holiday and started back at the beginning of August, all could have returned to their existing classes for a catch up half term (or few weeks) and then kicked off September as normal in new classes/years or just moved up and spent a few weeks re-adjusting before hitting the ground.
 

I wonder what the criteria will be for the furlough bonus, there will need to be something or what is to stop businesses putting staff who have been furloughed previously but now back at work back on furlough to then claim the bonus when they bring them back off furlough 🤷‍♀️

[Froglet]

If it’s of any reassurance to people all the schools I know are planning ‘recovery’ for September with children in their new year groups largely focused on emotional and social wellbeing.

[Mouseketeer]

That’s good Froglet, they will just need to adjust to all being back together to start with 🙂 

[sunnyday]

36 minutes ago, Froglet said:

If it’s of any reassurance to people all the schools I know are planning ‘recovery’ for September with children in their new year groups largely focused on emotional and social wellbeing.

That is reassuring, thank you young Froglet 

[finleysmaid]

it wouldn't work with social bubbles either as it would end up with pre-school and school mixing at some point

[sunnyday]

1 hour ago, finleysmaid said:

it wouldn't work with social bubbles either as it would end up with pre-school and school mixing at some point

🤣🤣 could we put that B word in the same category as the C word please 

[zigzag]

1 hour ago, sunnyday said:

🤣🤣 could we put that B word in the same category as the C word please 

Yes, I vote yes!

[thumperrabbit]

1 hour ago, sunnyday said:

🤣🤣 could we put that B word in the same category as the C word please 

It's a yes from me too! 😂

[mundia]

Parents have had the option for a good while, to delay school entryuntil January or even Easter, and in our LA we have a growing, although still small, number staying in their nurseries, especially those summer born.  Are others not finding this? We've also seen a small increase in those wanting to remain next year.

 

[sunnyday]

49 minutes ago, mundia said:

Parents have had the option for a good while, to delay school entryuntil January or even Easter, and in our LA we have a growing, although still small, number staying in their nurseries, especially those summer born.  Are others not finding this? We've also seen a small increase in those wanting to remain next year.

 

No not here mundia, although I do know how anxious some of my 'leavers' parents are, it is hard when there has been none of the usual transition procedures, I just keep making all of the right, comforting, reassuring 'noises' - I do have every faith that our local Primary will put every effort into making their start at school as positive as possible 

[finleysmaid]

2 hours ago, mundia said:

Parents have had the option for a good while, to delay school entryuntil January or even Easter, and in our LA we have a growing, although still small, number staying in their nurseries, especially those summer born.  Are others not finding this? We've also seen a small increase in those wanting to remain next year.

 

We have always done this but our local primary is now fighting against it...apparently it is still at the discretion of the school....it is awkward for them and costly so they won't agree.

[Stargrower]

We don't have anyone doing this.  I think since it's been an option, we've had one child who had additional needs and deferred until January.

[finleysmaid]

so we have had a breakthrough today. I have a little lad who was born 10 weeks early and has ASD and possible cerebral palsy. His mother wanted to delay his entry to school but because he was born 24 hours before the cut of date of the first april he was refused. We have just been told he is bale to stay with us for another year and enter reception next year! very pleased to be able to support this family for another year😊

[finleysmaid]

that is supposed to say ABLE ..sorry typed quickly!