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We did this with middly. He was struggling to cope with full time school so rather than opt for half days, with the agreement of school we took him out every Wednesday. He could cope with two days at a time but not 5. This way it meant that he wasn't being hauled out of class mid way through the day (he didn't want to be made to feel different to the other children so this was important for him) and it meant he had a whole day at home with me just chilling.

Hi Freddie2My ad, aged 4 started Reception class in Sept this year doing half a term of 4 days per week, 9-1pm, ie to include lunch hours. This was Monday to Thursday. School said she found it harder to settle than other kids on the Monday, probably due to the long weekend.She has just gone up to 4 full days per week for this half term, with Wednesdays off, as per Donatella.It's only the first week, but given that she's more tired after full days, the Wednesday break is welcome. If she's not there for a day, other kids don't really miss her, whereas half days can be a bit messy.If the school are not keen on P/T, NB compulsory attendance doesn't kick in until the term after they are five. So the choice is yours, however awkward it may be to exercise it.... And yes, if you can, I'd give extra time at home. Staff said that there may be wobbles for all the Reception Year kids straight after the first half term holiday, as any routine is broken, so it may settle down, but rather than push her, I'd go slower and keep it safer for her. For anyone who asks, I say as confidently as possible, that she is just getting used to school, so is P/T at present. As my AD mdidn't go to the school nursery (emotionally delayed), this makes sense all round.Good luck. And the biting will pass, in my experience. I was unsure how much to tell off for my older ad who was biting me intially on placement, but I then did so, encouraging her to take out frustrations on other things (hitting a cushion etc, plus you can do a search on "biting" and you'll find plenty of other good tips, if this is also a concern.Best wishesBlueberry2

the whole day off on a wednesday sounds like a good idea, or even all day tues and thurs - we shall see...i got called from school today as my ad had bitten another girl (who TBH is equally full on), so they wanted me to pick her up.I don't really understand why they don't just deal with these issues, instead of expecting us to pick things up...having said that i was glad to have her with me - i think she needed it and she seemed more regulated this afternoon. School is really stressing her at the moment - it's not the right schoolWe are definitely changing schools. I was hoping to do so for next Sept, but am now thinking of doing so sooner. We are seeing ed psych end of Nov so was hoping for her input first. I doubt a new school will the answer to all our problems, but am hoping things will improve if i can find somewhere which is less pushy and truly more supportive thanks again xxx

Hi, blueberry 2 is absoloutely right about your child not legally having to go into fulltime school until the term after their fifth birthday. I knew my daughter wasn't emotionally or physically ready so i made the choice to delay her going fulltime. It was the best decision for her as we both enjoyed her time at home and when she eventually did start we didn't get any issues with behaviour or tiredness etc. Some of my friends children who started at four would still fall asleep in the afternoon at school. The school were not happy with my decision and it was never offered as an alternative. It really annoys me that some professionals don't tell us what our choices are!I'm a firm believer that children should be allowed to be children and four years old is too early IMO to send them off all day to school.Good Luck with your decision