Mixing up the classes

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

Just found out that our school is mixing up classes this year (2 form).

Does anyone have any experience of this?

I have a few anxieties, DS1 going into Y1 has had a difficult time settling and only just seems happy and now it is going to change - although perhaps it is a positive in that he hasn't made friends well and maybe in the new set up will do. DS2 moving up to Y3 is doing extremely well and has a really lovely set of peers who he plays with and those who he works with.

I know that they prob put a lot of time and effort into doing this but am still a little worried.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

Ds is moving into Junior school now with year 3 and from reception onwards have been mixed up every time as there are 3 classes in each year group. They all know each other by the end of infants and it has been fine.

[mistlethrush]

DS was mixed from Reception to Year 1. He (now Yr 3, and post another change) is still not in the same form, but still plays with and is friends with children from Reception. I think it gives them the opportunity for a much wider number of friends, and being in separate classes won't stop them being friends if they are that attracted to each other's company.

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

Thanks. I have just seen there is another thread on this too. It will be fine I know but I know it is going to be a massive shock to all the parents that I know.

[MothershipG]

At the Primary my DC went to they mix them up every year.

I'm not sure it's really necessary but it does mean that after a few years they know everyone in the year, it gives the school a chance to break up unhelpful groupings without it being a major drama and it stops friendships getting too intensive/dependent.

Interestingly when they were younger they only really seemed to play at playtimes with other children in their own classes, despite the previous years friendship groupings, but this changed as they went up the years.

IME the parents tended to be much more anxious about the process than the kids!

[simpson]

Both my DC will be mixed around this year.

DD is coming to the end of reception and has been asked to name 3 friends she wants to be with and the school have said she will be with at least one of them. The problem we face with DD is that her best friend is leaving at the end of the year

DS (going into yr4) knows all the kids in his year pretty well so won't be bothered who is actually in his class. His best friend has not changed since nursery although he now has other friends too. Some years him and his best friend are together and sometimes not...

[Ilovesunflowers]

Not much that can be done about it really. Some schools have to mix children up as certain children are known to clash or some children begin to clash when they are together. To not split them would be detrimental to the learning of ALL the children.

Most children cope well with splitting classes after the first couple of days of it.

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

Our school has not done this before, well once last year but only for reception and it was presented as an anomaly for that year as it was not balanced in whatever way they wanted it to be. It was made pretty clear to parents that this wAsnt the "policy" if that makes sense.

It is of course fine, and there is nothing we can do but they are not even letting parents know until next week/week after.

[simpson]

Our school will be telling us on Monday.

The school I work in (reception) are mixing up the reception classes because there are kids who do not get on and also they try to have an even balance of ability, maturity, summer born, girls and boys so that one teacher for example does not inherit all the naughty kids and another the summer borns etc if they stay in the same classes.

[caffeinated]

Our 5 form entry school does this every year. With 3 children I have had concerns about this several times for very different reasons with each child and it has always worked out to be a positive thing.

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

I think the issue is going to be that currently no one knows it is going to happen at all, so it isn't a case of them telling us our classes but also of people finding out that mixing is the way forward.