Anyone else annoyed at the excessive 'settling in' period for reception in primary school penalising the least well off? Post Reply

[nuttymummy]

Not a lefty by any means but......what about those on zero hours contracts with no holiday or sick pay allowance?! Am sure there are very few btc, but prob more as you head out.....and I'm sure a proper 'lefty' might provide the stats as to how many there are countrywide - too many is the honest answer.

[chezbubbles]

Unfortunately schools aren't there to make things convenient for parents. They do this because it works for the children and gets them all settled. I would suggest that you're off to a bad start if you're already sending emails out to all the parents and then planning to start a campaign against the school policies.

Also it's all very well you mapping out how long you think school visits should take but it rarely happens that way. Inevitably people forget and so are not home when the teacher knocks on their door, or they start the visit but it is extended because of some unexpected event.

Maybe give the school a bit of credit that they actually know what they are doing.

[dudette]

Since when have schools been about childcare for working parents? Schools are there to educate your kids - not for your convenience! I'm afraid you just have to fit in with them.

[Teacherlady]

All lots of good points.
As a teacher myself who has worked in reception for 3 years, I believe that a good settling in period is really valuable for the children - it helps children to build friendships easier and helps your teacher get to know your children better. I understand (as a parent myself) that it is difficult to organise childcare (for me, my partner can ask for flexi time, so we mostly are able to sort it out) but ultimately schools do this for the children's benefit, not parents.
I'm my ideal world, we would do half the class in the mornings (eldest), and half the class in the afternoons for a week (youngest), then do all the class together for half the day for a week and then full days for everyone with an optional half day on Fridays for the rest of the term.

No matter how the school does things they have a reason for doing it the way they do!

And Guy? Giving the parents a choice to pick and choose when and if they do half days always ends in disaster! I am am speaking from experience! Do keep lines of communication open with the school - let them know how you feel and ask if there is anything they can do to accommodate you. Most schools want to help, but if you are rallying round the parents with a call to arms, you are more likely to **** the school off. Do you have class reps? Can they meet/liase with the Class teacher/Head? I think that's the best way forward.

[Shamummy]

I don't think for one minute the primary focus of school has been questioned but a significant proportion of families have two working parents, or a single working parent, and it is not unreasonable to expect that schools can accommodate this dynamic.

Many school processes are geared towards having a SAHP, and I'm afraid in this day and age that is not realistic.

[Teacherlady]

Many school processes are geared towards having a SAHP, and I'm afraid in this day and age that is not realistic.

Does your school not have early room for early drop off, or late room/after school clubs?

My school accommodates working parents in a number of ways - I once met parents for a parents evening chat at a Starbucks at 9pm because they came and asked me politely to accommodate them as working parents.

[runningmummy]

IMO it's definitely the right thing to do. I've had 3 kids go through the system this way who are all very confident. It enables great 1 on 1 time with the teachers and meant settling into reception was a breeze. Yes , I was working so it was a major pain in the but, but worked around it with a lot of shifting around at work and nanny time. It's the right thing for schools to do.

[runningmummy]

Oh and believe me, once your kids start school this will be the last thing to worry about.... soon you will be juggling nativity plays, assembly. Sports day, xmas fete, summer fetes, Halloween , volunteering ....its goes on and on . And very few out of school hours. A half day is just the start of a long line of commitments. Its not just about whether one child in the class is capable of doing a full day (as many are), it's about what is right for the whole class. And for you attending, It's just about what you can manage and cannot manage and not beat yourself up about what you can't. Choose the events that matter to you the most. The schools have so much to juggle and can not accomadate every need. There are much more important matters to discuss with the head teachers. This is obviously what works for them and in my experience not done just because it always has been done. If you can work with them as much as possible life at school will become a lot easier.

[liverbird in london]

Oh and believe me, once your kids start school this will be the last thing to worry about.... soon you will be juggling nativity plays, assembly. Sports day, xmas fete, summer fetes, Halloween , volunteering ....its goes on and on . And very few out of school hours. A half day is just the start of a long line of commitments. Its not just about whether one child in the class is capable of doing a full day (as many are), it's about what is right for the whole class.

Exactly, which is why having two parents at work and children in primary school is an absolute headache. Not everyone has a job where the employer is happy to let their employees have ad hoc half days for sports days, assemblies, nativity plays etc. Sadly at our primary school it's usually those parents who are low earners whose big bosses won't let them have these random days off. My cleaner (a single mum herself) told me the other day that she had never once been to her daughter's sports day or been able to help out on a school trip. Why? Because she can't afford to take time off work. I feel for these low earners who do not have the money to procure expensive childcare at a rate that is probably on a par with their own earnings.

As I said before, I also do not think it should be necessary to have protracted start dates that go on for the best part of September. Perhaps parents themselves could do more to help get their children ready for Reception. I was really shocked two years ago that there were two children (not with SEN, I should add) starting my daughter's Reception class who were still in nappies.... But that's another debate.

[Mummymummymummy]

I think you're confusing education and childcare. The school is only concerned with education and what enhances your child's experience of it. They are not there as free childcare for parents. Yes they do happen to serve this purpose for many weeks of the year, but that is not their remit. A surprising number of parents are unable to separate the two.

[GuyD73]

Well, it’s great to get so much engagement, thank you so much everyone. This response is exactly what I hoped it might be and gives me some great material to take to my school’s leadership. Shamummy, you make a really important point about burning leave, cheers and Abbeville Mummy, thank you too, heartening to hear that parent consultation has produced some better outcomes. Liverbird, thanks a lot, interesting to hear your experience. I find the uncritical acceptance that, in all circumstances, 'schools know best' an interesting viewpoint, but more on that later...

[parsleysong]

I can't wait Guy Please spare us!

[GuyD73]

Livegreen, your post is just so wrong-headed I struggle to agree with anything you say. Just because lots of primaries do this does NOT automatically mean it’s a fair solution for working parents or works well for EVERYONE (it clearly doesn't)

This notion that just because a school is a school, they know better than everyone else is nonsense too. If you were to apply that logic to a hospital for example, it might go something like – ‘It’s mid-staffs hospital, they’re, you know, full of managers and medical professionals and stuff, they know what they’re doing right? – numerous dead people later…. Ok, outlandish example perhaps but the fact remains that institutions do not always act in the best interests of the people they are supposed to serve and to believe that is naive in the extreme.

I do not ‘think I know best’, just that a better, fairer system is possible within the constraints of resources and should be looked at in more depth. It’s also not about being inconvenient to ME - as you see from the other comments on this post, it’s inconvenient to lots of people. And frankly how dare you suggest I’m undermining the school – I’ve donated prizes to the raffle, volunteered to help run an after-school sports club, paid out of my own pocket for DBS clearance to facilitate that – all the things that an engaged parent supportive of their school would do – so that’s more, offensive this this time, nonsense.
And just to shoot down your assertion that this system always works brilliantly, we have Liverbird’s testimony that it didn’t work well in her school at all.

Look, people who want half days for the whole of September can have them, I just don’t see why the school can’t deliver full time school for those that want it from, at the very latest, the second week of the school term?

Teacher lady, thanks for your comment, I was hoping a teacher would contribute to this discussion.

I appreciate that a complete free for all would be challenging administratively for any school but after the initial settling in period of three days, we then have 2 full weeks starting 11th and 18th September, it shouldn’t be beyond the wit of the school to have 30 kids doing half days and 30 kids doing full days within that period, if that was the split of parents’ wishes, don’t you think?
And finally to respond to the somewhat weird posts about confusing education and childcare – I’m not at all, I just want full time education for my child and myself and other working parents for whom this is a real struggle, should be entitled to it.
So thank you to Shamummy who correctly spells this out for everyone’s benefit in her words below – absolutely agree, it’s not unreasonable.

I don't think for one minute the primary focus of school has been questioned but a significant proportion of families have two working parents, or a single working parent, and it is not unreasonable to expect that schools can accommodate this dynamic.

Thanks for all the supportive and constructive comments everyone, they are much appreciated.

[livegreen]

Guy - I think you may have read my post but unfortunately it appears you did not understand it or the others that disagree with you.
Firstly I assume you are sending your child to a good or outstanding primary so not sure about your failing hospital scenario, however even if it were apt I do not recall the Mid-Staffs being rescued by a new patients parent with no medical or hospital background - they accepted help from experts.
It is great you have donated raffle prizes etc but it is not relevant to this discussion - unless u expect the school to treat you differently as a result.

Why are you undermining the school ? No-one has asked you to represent them in this or asked you to present anonymous posts as evidence of support back to the school - but this is what you are doing to support your own case as it is you who is complaint of being slightly inconvenienced.

In my experience if a family is struggling with an issue individual schools will bend over backwards to help and most of the local primary schools do so on a daily basis - especially when children are settling in.

Like many others I do think you have confused education and childcare.

My conclusion from your rather long posts are that you are seeking justification to complain about something that is a problem / inconvenience for you - everyone has to deal with inset days, holidays, parent evenings etc. A couple of weeks of half days in September for a 4 year old will soon be forgotten as they embark on a minimum of 14 years of education - best build a strong relationship with the schools rather than wasting the time of the head and teachers with your personal crusade.

[liverbird in london]

The "first day at school" is not a concept that was invented in the 21st century. It has always been "traumatic" for some or "eagerly awaited" for others. I think Guy was trying to point out that the staggered settling-in process is too long and unnecessary for lots of children - many of whom have already been to nursery for three to five terms and are more than ready to start school. You say school is about "education not childcare". Well not as much "education" is going on in September for those children whose first full day at school doesn't happen until almost October.

I don't think anyone has an issue with an anxious child being allowed to do half-days until they're ready to go full-time, but does this format have to be inflicted on everyone?

Having said all this Guy, you are probably wasting your energy trying to get the school to reconsider its stance on this issue. You asked for opinions and I and others have given you ours but it may just be a case of agreeing to disagree agreeably.