DD been kept back a year

[Scrapbooker]

Despite discussions with my DD teacher and her school report saying she is exactly where she should be she is being kept back this year whilst her best friends are all going up. Last year her best friend at the time was kept back and it took her a term to settle due to this and now she is going to be in the same position again! I am annoyed about this and also the fact we have been told her work is fine so have an appointment with the head tomorrow - does anyone have any advice please? One set of parents going through this have demanded to see the records kept on their child and found them to be totally different to the report we got last week!

My DD is the youngest in her year and feel she is being kept back due to this but have no proof - what I am really after is advice on how to approach the headteacher please!

[melissa75]

My first question would be Why! If the report shows that she is doing fine, then I would ask the Head to show you assessments to justify the reason for this. I find it really surprising to be honest, although you do not say what year she is in? Any good school should have reams of paperwork justifying their decision for this, as obviously it is not something to be taken lightly. I personally have never come across it in my own teaching career in England, children being held back, but obviously it does happen, but I would assume they have to prove to the LEA what their justifications are? So they may be another person to speak to, and again, assumedly your DD has been involved with extra support, meaning the SENCO has been involved, so I would ask to speak with them as well. I am just so surprised that you were not consulted about this...obviously the school can make the final decision, but to just be told this is the case and with no reasoning behind it is really shocking to me.

[sarararararah]

Are these mixed age classes by any chance? And some children staying with their current teacher for another year and others moving up to another mixed age class? Or is she really being kept back a year?

[Clary]

Yes scrapbooker, do you mean she is staying in the same mixed-age class?

You surely don't mean they are insisting she repeat yr2 (or whatever) with no consultation. That would be extraordinary.

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

I don't get the idea of being kept back a year. they can't expect her to just repeat all the same stuff. doesn't the teacher teach according to ability to some degree?

Do they do mixed age classes? DS's friend is being "kept back". In that he'll be in a class which is part year 4, part year 3. He's one of the cleverest kids in the class, it's no reflection of his ability. He is one of the youngest though. But the school does this regularly and it's clearly not a problem given their last Ofsted report as "Outstanding" all round.

[othersideofthefence]

How many classes are there in your school?

Where I teach we have 5 classes, and as children are in school for 7 years this means they will remain in at least 2 classes for 2 years.
All our classes are mixed year group.

Every year I have to talk to parents who are furious because there child is being 'kept back'.

I'm not sure what parents think we should do - if the children automatically moved after one year they would all end up in the 'top' class for 3 years and the class size would be 50-60.

[othersideofthefence]

their child

[Clary]

lol otherside, and then presumably in yrs 5 and 6 they would just pop right out of the top and leave schoolaltogether!

[othersideofthefence]

I think schools can be in a bit of a no win situation.
As a staff we agonise over the class lists. However you do it academic/social/age the parents of the children 'being kept down' are affronted.
SOmetimes I think we should just pick names out of a hat!

[dee0468]

It can work the other way too. Parent of the younger ones going into a mixed age class also have concerns. Especially when your summer born dd who has only recently turned 5 will be in a class with children about to turn 7. However, the school has to do it to keep class numbers at the right level. It must be a really tough decision and I am sure they think very carefully about it.

[Scrapbooker]

Apologies for disappearing off like that - sorry should have made things clearer in that the school does only have 5 classes and the way it was put to us was that she was repeating the year BUT after a meeting with the head we have been reassured and her class teacher has made a special effort to find me at home time to reassure me that DD will be challenged next year. Also having spoken to another parent I am glad that she will not be in the next class up cause I have not heard good reports about the teacher and the way in which she handles the class - know that she would really terrify DD

Thank you for all your help and advice.

[katiestar]

Still I am no wiser scrapbooker.Is it a mixed year class she will be in ?