[Closed] My son's primary school is run by idiots.....

Sounds about the same as the school ours are going to. Not much we can do about it, so not intending to get stressed over it.

Back in the day we were straight into 5 full days if I remember the dim and distant past correctly.

With a name like yours, it doesnt surprise me that you're complaining though.

But I guess they plan it for all parents / children not just to reflect your circumstances?

WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN

SBZ - aye, it were all in black and white when I started school too!

We are getting stressed about it as for the last 3 years the school have ended the year with some stupid plan for class/year/pupil moves that have then been reversed after complaints from the parents.

The "reality check" part of the decision making process seems to be missing.

MF - did you need two weeks of half days to start school without being traumatised? Wait till the twins start!

Her brother started 4 years ago and only had two half days, last year it was three, now it's suddenly two weeks?

Seems to me the teachers are wanting an easy start to the year, and tough on all us parents who need to find some extra leave or some extra child care to fit in around them

It's a full term of half days here.....

Rational head on - with new sprongs on two weeks of half days and a bit of careful management so that some are in of a morning and others of an afternoon, you get two weeks of half class size for intensive high pupil to staff ratio sessions to get 'em kicked off in a positive way.

Sounds like someone is thinking of the children, but maybe not of the parents; you are after all the important element in all this....

Sounds perfectly normal to me. As a Governor of my son's school (I am prepared to put something back instead of just moan) it is something that I agree with, the transition to school is difficult for many children, so the more we can do to make it easy...the better.

Well said SBZ.

What were they doing for the 4 years previous to this? Can't you continue to do it on a half day basis for another two weeks?

Yep - who the [i]hell[/i] does that school think you are? The responsible loving parents of a small child or something?

oooops...

Seems to me the teachers are wanting an easy start to the year, and tough on all us parents who need to find some extra leave or some extra child care to fit in around them.

Troll.

If not, you're a bloody idiot. Do you truly think the teaching staff have any say in what happens? Really?

same at ours school last year.. so i strode up to HM told him every school day was preciuos and that my kid would be there all day.. and she was..

I thought there was a minimum requirement of sessions (half days), if some schools did a full term of half days they wouldn't get near it. a quick google suggests around 190 days or 380 sessions is the norm, was reduced this year for extra royal wedding day off. In any event it isn't great for a parent looking to get closer to full time work once youngest is past nursery years.

Seems excessive!

Our daughter did 2 half days before the summer holidays so she knew what to expect, and then went straight to full days when she started in the September.

My wifes chair ac govs for our girl's school, apparently 2 weeks is the norm these days. For bristol anyway. Theres schools that do longer!

a quick google suggests around 190 days or 380 sessions is the norm

Yep : [i]"Any school in England must by law provide 380 half-day sessions"[/i]

So unless the school is flouting the law, which I suspect they're not, then the children won't be missing out on their education.

And of course it means that MoreCashThanDash with have a further 8 half days, which he didn't expect to have, when he won't have to worry about looking after his kid.

Seems to me the teachers are wanting an easy start to the year, and tough on all us parents who need to find some extra leave or some extra child care to fit in around them.

Seems to me the teachers might have to make more journeys into school than they would otherwise have to - you could say "tough" on them.

I am more than happy to look after my kids when they are not expected to be in school, but I will criticise when I think the school are acting unreasonably - it's called freedom of expression.

Actually the teachers are in school anyway as the Foundation clsses are mixed with Year 1 - it's the parents with two kids who will be making four trips to and from the school each day.

And rather than me just moaning, last year the school implemented some changes to the proposed class/year structure that I suggested, which the governors and management had not even considered when drawing up their original plan

And I'm waiting for a vacancy on the board of governors so I can put something back on a more regular basis, thank you very much.

I just think that two weeks is excessive, given that the first half term is (rightly) way more play time than hard graft.

However, I apologise for suggesting that the teachers might be looking for an easy life, while my wife and I jump through hoops with our employers to accomodate them. 🙄

.....my wife and I jump through hoops with our employers to accomodate them 🙄

So you still think this is purely to "accommodate" the teachers then ? You don't think the children's needs are being considered here ?

Why do you think the employers and governors are so keen to accommodate the teachers ?

BTW, RE : [i]"it's called freedom of expression"[/i]. People not agreeing with you is also called "freedom of expression".

However, I apologise for suggesting that the teachers might be looking for an easy life, while my wife and I jump through hoops with our employers to accomodate them

the school does not exist to provide free childcare

If only you earnt enough that one of you could stop working to look after your children. Problem solved 🙂

MoreCashThanDash - Member
thank you very much

You're welcome.

When I started school, we started school. End of.

My daughter starts primary school on the 6th September. Full days from day 1.

Become and Governor and help run the school and stop whinging on here!

Are you worried because the missus's x5 will be used more frequently to ferry tarquin to his short school days and then to pret a manger for lynch rather than to the au pair for afternoon tea? Maybe just maybe the school understand kids in general more than you and want to make the foundation year as enjoyable and stable as possible. Or maybe they are just trying to piss some ****er off?

last year the school implemented some changes to the proposed class/year structure that I suggested, which the governors and management had not even considered when drawing up their original plan

[img] http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQw8t3VhwIfSzznLA6pBMSWpr_sSkEk9ZyyOA5vdfqO9fUz4FEQnQ&t=1 [/img]

MoreCashThanDash - Member
MF - did you need two weeks of half days to start school without being traumatised? Wait till the twins start!
Her brother started 4 years ago and only had two half days, last year it was three, now it's suddenly two weeks?
POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Can I just stop you right there and show you where you are going wrong.

while my wife and I jump through hoops with our employers to accomodate them.

Any employer worth their salt would not have you jumping through hoops. The circus trains chimps to jump through hoops. Surely you are more than a trained chimp, no?

I enjoy time with my daughter and wish that I could spend more half days with her not less. Do you have kids to enjoy or endure?

Am I right in saying reception yr is not compulsory and therefore the usual number of full days does not count??

By the sounds of it they are stumbling through life with their eyes closed.

Two whole weeks equates to ten days, not much imo. Is she having lunch at school?

iirc -wrightyson is correct full time attendance is not monitored until the term they turn five. Children under the age of 5 only get 1/2 the funding from the LEAs - so they encourage a ramp up / staggered start.

wrightyson. you are kind of right, a child is not of compulsary school age until the term after the fifth birthday, so they legally don't have to be in school.

the school can organise how they like, although the children have to be full time by census day if they want the money......

stuey beat me to it

Our primary for the first time is only doing the one intake for the new term years. Normally September for the older kids then another in January. Personally I think that puts the younger ones at a disadvantage from the offset. Anyhow kids is kids, they soon adapt and take it all in their stride eventually!

Look for a positive morecashthandash, can you not get some rides in on those mornings and spend some time with your child in the afternoon? Is rather they were eased in than chucked in at the deep end. Def sure they haven't done it to annoy you.

It's a common complaint for a single September intake, the summer born kids a so young compared to kids who can be almost 5. On the other hand, where kids join in the Spring term or Summer term it can be difficult to break into established social groups.

There's always gonna be folk who complain.

Is the half day thing for all the kids starting in September? Mini-aracer starts off doing full days, but those who weren't 4 until after Easter start a week later doing half days for 5 weeks! Seems fairly sensible for the kids, though I can see how it is difficult for childcare (will be an issue for us when littlest one starts). Strange thing is, even the youngest kids (some of whom are only 3) have already had a full day visit (and 2 half days) - though I guess that's somewhat different to 5 days a week full time.

So OP, any change of heart from your assertion in the thread title that the school 'is run by idiots'? Or that the teachers 'want an easy start to the year'?

As a teacher, I could tell you the reasons why the school has started your kids on a part time basis, but your posts suggest you know better,so no point. I will just suggest that you are an arse and if you transplant your obvious contempt of the education system and what you see as your entitlements from it on to your kids, then I pity the teacher who has them in their class. You are an arse and.....etc.

A solid jab...a swift straight right... a HUGE left cross.

AND THE OP IS DOWN!!!!!!!!!

Can he recover???

*fight to recommence at 0800 after the OP has had his toast*

So here's my pennies worth.... flame me if you want. But I'll still sleep well tonight.

1. I think MoreCashThanDash has made a valid point on the start of school for his child on the two week's point. It was a handful of 1/2 days for my children, only a few years ago. However the wording may of been better worded.

2. MoreCashThanDash is getting unfair ribbing for his user name and some stereotypical comments going out. I don't know him, but if he's really that more cash, he'd be going private. Trust me, I'm looking closely to pull mine out of state school because me & my wife (and my children) are not happy with a number of different things .

3. There's a huge variation of schools and quality of teachers out there. Some, frankly in the private sector wouldn't get past the front door - others I have the utmost respect for. E.g. For the junior school my children went to the new head turned up with a new personalised number plate X5, then sets about trying to encourage them to walk to school. Funnily enough she couldn't get to school in the snow. A few other things too and you get the gist.

4. As next week is the last week of "teaching" for most schools - how many of you will have your children come home and say they watched videos all day? I experienced that last year and was not impressed.

3. There's a huge variation of schools and quality of teachers out there. Some, frankly in the private sector wouldn't get past the front door - others I have the utmost respect for. E.g. For the junior school my children went to the new head turned up with a new personalised number plate X5, then sets about trying to encourage them to walk to school. Funnily enough she couldn't get to school in the snow. A few other things too and you get the gist.

You give the headteacher driving to school as an example of the [i]"quality of teachers"[/i] ? ......how does that work then ? 😕

And btw, I expect children to attend their local junior school. However I do not expect teachers/headteachers to teach in their local school - why would they ffs ? It seems therefore perfectly feasible to me that many, if not the majority of urban children, should be able to work to school. I suspect that only in very rare cases is it feasible for teachers to walk to their workplaces.

haha. life's a ****in bitch no sh*t. isn't the above stuff just normal life crap that people get on with? interesting mumsnetstw..

Our lad had 2 and a half weeks of mornings or afternoons, his seemed to be the only school locally that had this amount. To be honest it was a right pain covering the difference. Thank god for granparents

I do pity the staff and head when someone who thinks that children spending a couple of weeks with 15 kids (albeit half days) so the teacher can do proper assessments of each childs development (and thus ensure that they develop a plan for that child which is appropriate to their development and prior learning) whilst introducing them to school in a controlled manner is a waste of time becomes a school governor.

I do pity the staff and head when someone who thinks that children spending a couple of weeks with 15 kids (albeit half days) so the teacher can do proper assessments of each childs development (and thus ensure that they develop a plan for that child which is appropriate to their development and prior learning) whilst introducing them to school in a controlled manner is a waste of time [b]becomes a school governor.[/b]

I've had several of these types in my time as a teacher. They're usually the same folk as those who, after you've excluded their offspring for something serious, walk in to school with all guns blazing demanding to know [i]what you or your staff have done to make their precious defenceless little one react that way[/i]...

Clowns.

Surprise surprise, OP makes a point and gets shot down in flames. Welcome to STW.

Surprise surprise, OP [s]makes a point[/s][b]comes on here whining about everyday issues, blames the wrong people because he hasn't thought it through, then gives it billy big-balls about how he's effected change through intellectual superiority and then[/b] gets shot down in flames. Welcome to STW.

FTFY

EDIT: Come to think of it, he's the average STWer! 😀

[i]OP makes a point[/i]

[i]My son's primary school is run by idiots[/i]

I think the point is that that the OP hasn't bothered to find out why the school works this way and has assumed it's so the reception class teachers get a gentle start to the new school year.

Posting;

"[i]Why is my son only doing half days for the first fortnight?[/i]"

Might have gained a less critical response?

armchairbiker, you were doing ok until point 3 🙂 That just showed you to be a bit silly 🙂

I agree with everyone who has posted on this thread..
Wholeheartedly..
and I would fight to the death to have their ideas implemented in our local primary school..

that is all..

Bullheart, you are a wee bit too smart for a drillie 😀

my sister is an idiot, so the following information is most likely completely wrong. i'm in no way interested in checking out if this is remotely true as i dont have kids, and i dont own a school... more importantly its friday so screw you hippies.

doesnt a child have some kinda legal right to a full time education?

*backs quietly out of the thread'*

(as i said, she's an idiot.. but when she was told her kids had to do half days she started a mini twitter campaign amongst local parents and as a result no more half days i've been told)

(as i said, she's an idiot.. but when she was told her kids had to do half days she started a mini twitter campaign amongst local parents and as a result no more half days i've been told)

Lord, I'm so glad I'm secondary not primary. By the time they get to me the parents have had a chance to stop giving a ****, mellowed a bit and maybe learnt that they don't automatically know what is best for everything to do with their offspring just because it fell from between their legs.

they don't automatically know best about everything to do with their offspring just because it fell from between their legs.

convert wins the coffee/keyboard interface award for most salient point made with comedy effect...

It's like this for all the purveyors of urban myths on here; hard as it is to get your heads round. A school has a duty to educate you child a certain number of days a term (key err...term there)Some very clever people get together and decide when those will be, based on the needs of pupils and schools. Schools do not add days to term just because somebody starts a twitter campaign,that would mean they have to cut the days elsewhere.So please stop prattling about how you did this and that,and a school had to do what you wanted.Some of the posters above actually crow about it,is that your attitude?
One last wee q,then I am off on holiday. I take it nobody going on about the half days would ever take a kid on holiday during term time?

Look on these half days as a warm up to next winters strikes.

Bullheart, you are a wee bit too smart for a drillie

Just faking it... 😉

philconsequence - your sister is right but as has been pointed out elsewhere, this only applies after a child has reached the age of 5. The vast majority of children starting school have yet to reach this age.

we expected her to have a couple of half days before doing a full day, so we've planned some leave from work so we can work round it ... last night, at the new starters parents night, we were informed that the half days thing will run for two whole weeks

Some might argue that you're the idiots for making plans based on an assumption that turned out to be incorrect ...

😈

But I do agree, 2 weeks to get used to going to a new school = ridiculous & unnecessary ...

But I do agree, 2 weeks to get used to going to a new school = ridiculous & unnecessary ...

For the record, so do I.

[i]to get used to going to a new school[/i]

It's partly that but mostly it allows the teachers to spend 1 to 1 time with each child and establish a relationship and do an assesment of them.

By splitting the class it allows the teaching assistent (which all reception classes have) to manage the rest of the pupils whilst the teacher is doing this.

it allows the teachers to spend 1 to 1 time with each child and establish a relationship and do an assesment of them.

That sounds like the sort of nonsense they do in private schools. If MoreCashThanDash had wanted that I'm sure he would have paid for his kid's education.

philconsequence - your sister is right but as has been pointed out elsewhere, this only applies after a child has reached the age of 5. The vast majority of children starting school have yet to reach this age.

Meanwhile, on the continent.....
My youngest starts school in September and we have been told that for the first few days it would be better for her to come home for lunch to allow her to adjust.

She is 3 years old.

It's partly that but mostly it allows the teachers to spend 1 to 1 time with each child and establish a relationship and do an assesment of them

yeh, that's what my sons school said... but that's just posh waffle for "we must spend two weeks delicately tip-toeing around your precious bundles of joy, generally namby-pambying around the poor ickle darlings otherwise they absolutely definitely will be traumatised for the rest of eternity and grow up to be axe-murdering psychopaths."

followed up by "now, please can someone come and help me wrap these children in cotton wool"

Whoah, some right b*stards on this thread! Glad you lot are not in charge!

"posh waffle" - you should get that published as you seem to be on to something here that these highly trained educational professionals have not realised...after all you have children what do they know about education that you dont eh.
It is terrible when people are concerned and try and help your children settle in and adapt to change in a positive way. Like you I wish they would just not care and just throw them in the deep end and see if they can swim ...can I just say it must be PC gone mad as I feel it is time we discussed this in this context

Why aren't the children tending looms or up chimneys? What do they need education for anyway?

[i]tending looms or up chimneys[/i]

surely you need to drop the 'or' 😉

so i strode up to HM told him every school day was preciuos and that my kid would be there all day.. and she was..

gosh you sound soooo tough I think I am in love

yes lefty liberals eh limiting our kids free choice to work two jobs at aged 5 🙄

Kids ability/level of development varies dramatically between individuals when they first start school, hopefully a responsible school will ensure that they'll all progress at a simular rate. Just as an example, 40% of children in London schools speak English as a second language, this will have serious implications for their reading ability. Plenty of other issues have to be considered - personal ability, home environment, etc. Without a pro-active attempt to identify issues, kids can and do fall behind. Whilst others might be held back.

an ex-gf taught reception for quite a few years in a school where that term's starters did a half day.
A lot of them could barely stay awake in the afternoon when they moved to a full day.

Mind, that was an inner London primary with kids that understood just about every language except English.
It's probably a lot different in middle England.

The wee dears start school too young anyway imo- our oldest will be 6 and a bit when she starts, and will probably be the better for it. Just means we made a different set of compromises in life to morecash..