School anxiety

Yes! My June 2020 baby is starting next week 🥹 I’m excited for her, because she loves school and she does really learn so much! She’s going to a tiny village school with only 20 kids per year group though so it does make me feel better x

Im terrified too, but also excited :) and how are they already so grown? 😭😭😭😭

My lg is starting school & is more then ready! If your child isn’t ready you know you can defer them from starting primary until their 5th birthday?! But these teachers are professionals & love the children as if they were their own! You got to remember for some children going to school is being fed, loved & looked after! You should have a home visit with the teacher to before they start xx

Mine too! I am worried about him not wanting to go as sometimes he doesn’t want to go to pre school. Totally get what you mean about more time with strangers - but it is really good for them. Mine has thrived in pre school it’s just hard if there’s tantrums about not going some days xx

Yeah but even more so because my daughter fell poorly in 2022 with RSV and was in icu in great ormond st hospital for 8 weeks. I just want to wrap her up in bubble wrap and keep her at home because I’m terrified of her getting ill like that again but she’s so excited for school

Yes my May 2020 baby is. He’s been at the pre school attached to the school for the last year and loved it and is already used to the uniform. He did 3 days so it could be a jump for him for the 5 days but he’s really excited and I’m looking forward to 2 days alone 😂🙈

Yeah my LB was born in june 2020 (born prematurely) he wasnt due till august 2020 but had different ideas lol. Im very anxious cus hes always with me and i find going all day is gona make me a bag of nerves im sure they will love it tho! Il be clock watching as per. Its normal to feel this way x

My oldest is already in school so it's a bit less terrifying for me, but remember that the kids will be just as influenced, if not more, by the other kids as by the teachers! And you have the opportunity to talk to them about everything they learn and share your family values. They're going to become different people no matter what because they are going to grow and change and question us and the world, but you're not losing all influence.

Yes my April baby too! I think I have cried everyday for the last 4 week. She’s still going to nursery at the moment and she’s on her last 3 days there. I know she will be fine and she’s more than ready. But I’m just not ready for her to leave us! 😭

My March 2020 baby started school today. A very emotional day but she was excited too. She's been going to nursery but only weds-fri while I worked so next week will be a tough learning curve for her. Still we will get an hour to spend together after nursery before we have to go pick her brother up. I try to focus on the positives of how much she will learn and have fun

Not irrational at all, I physically can't imagine sending my kids somewhere for half of their waking hours and barely getting to see them. Only getting breakfast and tea together with barely a few hours of play as they'll be exhausted just isn't for us so we've decided to home educate. They're only little for such a short time I want to fill our days with exploring, playing, making memories and days out. I've given him the option of school as we walk past our local ones often and he said no because the teachers are nasty when shouting and it looks like a jail🙈😂

I'd add that a really beautiful thing about school has been seeing my kid through other people's eyes. Her teachers tell me things about her that I didn't know, because I don't watch her interacting in large groups of kids, you know? It's so magical to see another adult take a real interest in and notice my kid and then tell me about them.

Same here! February 2020 baby who only started nursery at 3.5yrs old and just went for 2 days term time. Going to miss her so much for the 3 days a week I had her and wish she didn’t need to go in for 5 days. Feeling anxious for her as even until her last day of nursery, she’d get separation anxiety and it was so tough but she’s definitely showing signs of needing g to spread her wings. Think we’re in for a rough settling in period but she may surprise us! Good luck to all your little ones out there x

My son does, but he's been in nursery full time as I and my husband work, so it won't be a massive change for us.

My March 2020 baby is starting reception next week. He has been going to the school nursery for the last year and been full time since January and he's loved it but I'm still nervous for him starting reception and hoping he settles OK. He was very attached to his nursery teaching assistant so I think he'll miss nursery so much! In my experience school has brought my son on so much and they have been amazing with him especially as he has additional needs. It will be a huge adjustment for little ones if they haven't been to nursery but they will soon adapt x

Mine won’t start school till next year when she’s 5 (Scotland) but she’s been 7.5 hours a day at nursery since she turned 3 and it’s been so good for her! Of course you’re going to be anxious and it’s perfectly normal but he will be absolutely fine! ☺️

Yesssss! We are so anxious about this as our little one is a shrinking violet! And she goes to new school by herself as we moved houses lately. The end of era 😔 Need to be positive about that change though, our little ones will be fine and hopefully they will gain life friends ❤️

I am not frightened about it all but it just makes me really sad. I just don't want her to grow up I guess. I want her to stay my little baby girl for longer. 4 just seems so young. I know she will change when she mixes with the other children and I know this is a natural thing that all kids go through but I get really upset when I think about it. I just keep thinking next week it starts the road of when she won't need me anymore 😭😭😭

I’ve been working full time since my daughter was 9 months so it’s not going to be a huge change for us. It’s good for them to spend time around other people so that they can become the people they’re going to be. When we spend large amounts of time together I see her imitating me and that’s not necessarily what I want for her. It’s good for them to have outside influences, he’ll still be your baby at the end of it. My girl has really come out of her shell recently and she’s so excited for school, I know it’s going to be so good for her, I’m so excited for her!

Mine starts next week. He's really excited about it and I hope that lasts. He's been at nursery 4 days a week for a while though so it'll actually be an adjustment for us to not have nursery being able to keep him until 6 if needed. I'm not sure how we're going to manage school hours and holidays really. I don't know how they expect working parents to do it!

@Caroline this is the hardest part for me too! I don’t get back until 6 and after school club finishes at 5:30, I don’t know what they think I’m going to do about it!

Awwww my little boy is starting reception really soon too and I’m a primary school teacher currently teaching year 1. One thing I can tell those of you that are anxious is that Reception and Key stage 1 teachers are very special people. Not only do they educate your children but they nurture them and care about them like they’re their own ❤️ Can’t speak for all of them of course but I’m sure our 2020 kids will thrive xx

@Amy ahh that's really difficult! We're lucky that we both mostly work from home so the lack of commute really helps. But we have our youngest in nursery as well so have to do two drop offs and pickups. Lots of fun ahead! 🫣

@Amy we've had to go for a childminder on the days that we can't get back by the end of after school club. It's a bit more expensive but our kid loves her.

@Caroline it’s tough. We were half used to school holidays cos we used a childminder so she’d be off for some, but when we moved my little boy to the pre school school for his 30 hours it was a shock. We’re used school holiday club this summer and it’s been a life saver. Hopefully your school with have one? Ours is £30 a day or £105 for the week and you can use your tax free childcare account so £24 a day and that’s 8-5 and the school run them every school holiday - it’s a real juggle though still, I have a spreadsheet 😂

@Amy by Law you can change your working hours to accommodate this!

@Terri unfortunately I need the money! I can’t afford to drop my hours to work around her and don’t feel like I should have to honestly!! But thank you, I know others at my job have so I’m sure they’d be open to the conversation if I raised it

@Rachel it’s just not sustainable for us at the moment, I’m going to have to call in favours all over the place 😩

@Terri you can put in a flexible working request but they don't have to accept it!

@Carrie we're planning to use an after school club a couple of days a week and for the holidays we'll see how we go for the first year. We're lucky that my mum is hoping to move closer to us so might be able to help by having the boys sometimes. It's a constant juggle, isn't it?

@Caroline yes brekkie and after school club is great too. It is and it’s all the other stuff I found myself aware of this year that I’d never thought of - inset days, then booking time off work for sports day and nativity’s and special assembleys and afternoons to see your child’s work - and it’s just heavy balancing everything isn’t it.

@Amy ugh I'm sorry. We were lucky enough to find one who's affordable and takes TFC, so it's not sooo bad for us. But the childcare struggle is real, plus it always just bums me out when the days get shorter and it's just a blur of hustle the kids to school, work all day, pick up the kids at the last possible second, dinner, rush through bedtime. Like give me time to take a breath and enjoy them!

@Rachel I split with her dad at the end of the year so finances are still pretty rough until I can get some savings behind me 🥲 I know what you mean though, working full time I never see my kid, we wake up and get out of the house, then come home and do bedtime. Now she’s at her dad’s every other weekend it’s like I barely spend any time at all with her

I’m home educating instead ❤️🙏

The days are long and the years are short. They are growing up fast and some days are like swimming in treacle. They are anxious I think , but will probably take the first 6weeks to get use to it like nursery. Fingers crossed and wishing the best for all the kids starting this year xx

I have same thoughts 💭 😿

@Melissa Im thinking of doing this … how is going for you? Any website on tips&adviced that you could recommend?

@Melissa I have considered this over and over but I don't feel confident in my self to provide a decent level of education or socialisation 😪

Mine starts next Tuesday and I’m scared as she hated nursery and would cry on a daily basis. I’m dreading what she’ll be like on Tuesday, I’m used to spending the day with her too so will miss her so much it’s hard xx

@Helen my little ones the same some days she didn’t want to go to nursery and made her self sick so I’m dreading it xx