Classification nightmare- AIBU to pull names out of a hat?!

[UtterBloodyNightmare]

Four weeks to go in Scotland, I'm not quite on my knees but I'm near it.

I've been fighting with my classification for our P6s and P7s. Unfortunately number have dropped and so we're looking at a P6, P6/7 and P7.

I can't even begin to type up anonymously the needs that I'm trying to balance here. It seems impossible to find a working group.

[PumpkinPie2016]

As in putting kids into classes? I'm not primary but do the setting for a key stage in my secondary subject which is core.

If by needs you mean SEND needs then I would just try to make sure each class has an equal number of pupils with needs so that they don't all end up in one class?

Can you make the mixed year class a bit smaller for those who may benefit from that?

It's tricky though! Ultimately, it may have to be a bit random - is there scope for moving kids around once term has started? We do that in secondary but appreciate it's different in primary.

Hope you get sorted - I will be doing mine over the next few weeks and I'm not looking forward to it!

[KneelJustKneel]

Id do 3 mixed. All the just plain p6s will worry their kids arent clever enough to up to the mixed class, the mixed year 7s will worry they're stupid.... etc.

[UtterBloodyNightmare]

Very scientific cantkeep

Mixed classes are legally capped at 25 here so unfortunately we couldn't run 3 of them. We've got 80 children and hoped to run 4 x 20.

If by needs you mean SEND needs then I would just try to make sure each class has an equal number of pupils with needs so that they don't all end up in one class?

On one hand we've got social, behaviour needs- X can't be in the same class as Y, Z winds up W- and then we have academic needs. I've never been so stuck before. And I'd not want to teach any of the proposed lineups.

[cantkeepawayforever]

Utter, it was the way out of a similar absolute nightmare dilemma when we were meeting starting from personalities as you describe, and tbh has been very successful. It's also wholly defendable to any stakeholders - X is there because he's a 7BLQNS and we can't put him in the other class because they already have 3 of that type of child...

[cantkeepawayforever]

[We did have a particular code D for Difficult one year....]

[UtterBloodyNightmare]

I've read it over again tonight and I'm going to try it cant.

They are both such tricky, tricky cohorts and there are so many variables with them.

[putonyourdancingshoes]

I'm in Scotland and in our council we have to classify them by age unless there are exceptional circumstances.