not happy with the mixing of classes...

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

Our school announced last week that some of next years yr1s would be mixed with reception.

There was not a welcoming response from parents. DD3 has been allocated to this class and I am more than happy with this decision and am probably happier than the straight yr1 option because of preference of teacher.

Head put a LOT of effort into reassuring parental that the mixed class would have no disadvantage...that jerking them with friendship groups was top priority...

When I found out class allocation I was happy and was one of the few parents that didn't go running to head to complain. As I said I don't actually want her moved.

But...have flu d out today that there are none of her close friends in the class. NONE of the 14 children she chose to invite to her party. Spoke to the teacher about concerns, and there argument is that she plays with all the children. That is probably true, she is very sociable but I think that frompast experience the transition into yr1 is one of the hardest within school, so this lack of immediate friends will be very harsh on her.

Probably is I don't know what to do about it. I have raised my concerns with teacher, and a big art ofme would like to review decsion. Big part of me wants her to stay with my preferred teacher. If and I know of is a big if they offer to review it which would be more important...peer group or fantastic teacher.

And I guess am I being unreasonable to have expected at least some of the peers she regularly talks about at home to be in her group when they have themselves emphasised the importance of keeping peers together?

I have older children who have got to yr6 and have never had to raise this issue before so I don't feel like it is me just finding fault. I am genuinely concerned that this has been overlooked.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

Sorry about typos...am obviously posting from phone.

*jerking should read keeping in third paragraph. I think everything else can be deciphered

[redskyatnight]

If school thinks she plays with everyone then it sounds as though she has no real preferred friends (and the children she picked for her birthday were probably the current ones in favour).

DC's school also mixes classes. I've been very unhappy with some of the mixes but the DC have basically got on with it - they've made new friends in their current class and kept playing with the old ones at playtime.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

I'm bot worried that they have shuffled classes.

I am not worried that she is in a mixed yeargroup class.

I am worried that the 6-8 friends she consistently talks about at home have been overlooked.

And tbh as the teacher went down the list to identify those she felt she plays with she was clearly grasping at staws and it came across that she come see the 'mistake' for want of a better word.

I just feel let down. I have never had concern over class allocations before. But I have seen problems moving into yr1 before when individual children have been isolated from their direct peers.

[clam]

I've been teaching for 25 years and have never heard that the transition into Year 1 is supposed to be one of the hardest.
That said, your concerns sound measured and fair enough so, if everyone else has been beetling in to voice their concerns to the Head, then why not you too?

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

My opinions about yr1 transition are from experience of my older dcs and their peers. It is certainly the one that I have seen most problems with with them.

I could go to head - and probably will I am just need to work put what if anything I hope to achieve. If there is nothing to be achieved then is there any value in me wasting his tome IYSWIM.

[skybluepearl]

They should have considered friendship groups i agree. They did with my son.

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

Clam, I'm surprised you feel the transition from Reception to Y1 is an easy one. From my own experience, significantly less than yours, it's always quoted as a difficult transition. From lots of free play to much more structured work. Children with SEN struggle with it more than any other transition until starting secondary.

[Lonnie]

No clue what to do with regards to your situation OP but just wanted to add that with 4 children all bar 1 were the situation was very different (as we had just moved) also found the transistion from reception to year 1 the hardest to deal with.

[clam]

I didn't say it was an easy one. I said I hadn't heard it to be one of the hardest.
Year 2 to 3 is often quoted, as well as Yr 6 to 7. Reception to Yr 1 is clearly a change too, although my own children barely noticed it, and they're both August birthdays and therefore very young for the year.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

Tbh I was thinking within primary - so I was taking it for granted that going into reception would be hard and going up to secondary would be hard.

I have also heard that changing any ks has been hard but I was commenting on.my own observations.

[carocaro]

It will be great, it does them the world of good to mix, work on their social skills, deal with change, get used to new routines, how to do things, great for confidence etc. Both mine have been through this experience and there have never been any issues, there were with people, mainly parents, moaning and complaining and making issues where there are no issues to be made beforehand, but when they are started back at school it was all plain sailing with no problems at all. Mixing is a good thing and do not listen to all this guff about hard transitions when they move up, what matters if your child and your child only and not what everyone else says or does.

Concentrate on that and not what self induced stress that can really rub on off children when their really is no need. Point out the positives to your child of which there are many and stop catastrophosizing about it.

"Children with SEN struggle with it more than any other transition until starting secondary" - eg: this is the sort of statement that is totally stupid; it's a blanket statement and cannot possibly be ture as has the person contacted every SEN child at primary age and done a survey to prove it? I doubt it. It also paints all SEN children with the same brush which is quite frankly, utter bollocks. Playgroun hot air - ignore it.

In my experience, SEN kids I have dealt with have sailed through any changes, it's the prima donna little princessess and their mothers who have the hardest time because they like to make a fuss over nothing about every little detail.

[carocaro]

"Tbh I was thinking within primary - so I was taking it for granted that going into reception would be hard and going up to secondary would be hard."

Negativity galore in the staement above!!!!!! Why anyone would describe it as 'hard' is totally beyond me. Get positive woman and stop the worry.

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

Carocaro, why so bitter? Why so rude? I speak from experience about SEN, my DS has ASD, I'm currently a TA and have supported 3 children with SEN through the past few years in MS. Before that I was a governor at an early years special school and later a TA there and have supported quite a few children with their transitions from pre-school to Reception. They have, without exception, found the transition from play-based reception classes to Y1 difficult. Teachers often have little training of SEN, it is now optional to study it during their training.

I'm sorry you saw it as a blanket statement, but I can assure you that I'm writing from a position of experience that your two possibly NT children may not have given you. Are you a year 1 teacher by any chance?