New tutor group dilema

[ArtyDiamond]

Last week we found out what tutor group my dd will be in when she joins secondary school. Since then we have been hearing of a few other children who are in the same tutor.

So far all the children I've heard of are trouble makers. I have friends who's children attended several different schools and they have confirmed these children are disruptive and even have bullied other children.

Does anyone know why my dd would have been put with so many disruptive children? My dd is very quiet and everyone says how polite and friendly she is. The school she is going to has 9 different tutor groups so I have no idea why all the badly behaved ones have been grouped together.

Ur daughtervqull.not hsbr Bern putbwuth them.as a form.of punishment. There are probably some in each tutor group. I'm.a y7 form tutor this year, I think this is my fifth form- we take them.through from 7 to 11. Ur daughter will gravitate towards like- minded people.

Sorry about the typos

She probably won't have many lessons in her tutor group, especially after Year 7. Most schools try to make all tutor groups similar in make up, but some don't. Sometimes, a group of known 'characters' are put together with a particularly strong tutor. Another strategy is putting such children in a smaller tutor group with good role models. Or there may be a few such, um 'characters' in the other tutor groups, but they're from other schools.

I really hope it's not a case of the children being put with good role models! My dd has had to do this through primary.

She was paired up with a girl throughout year 4 who was very disruptive. I talked with the teacher who said that she hoped my dd would have a positive impact on the girl's behavior. She didn't and dd would come home crying because she couldn't hear the teacher over said girls talking and shouting.

In year 5 she was moved on a different table from that girl but on a table with a girl who had it in for dds best friend. She tried to make up lies about dd to upset dds friend. Friends mum asked me why dd had suddenly became so mean but it was all news to me and a load of lies. The other girl was just trying to ruin their friendship.

Year 6 residential she shared a room with her best friend and a group of louder girls. The other girls kept dd up all night for most of the trip. She came home miserable and exhausted.

Three of these girls will be in her tutor group. Dd does need to learn to stand up for herself. I'm worried she will either get bullied or end up acting up to try and fit in.

If there are issues after she starts speak to school. Otherwise YABU.

With 30 kids in a class every single class will have it's disruptive element.

It will have nothing to do with your daughter. It could be that the school wants to give support to one group of students so puts them together to make this cheaper and easier. It could be because of friendships. It could be that the other groups also have plenty of troublemakers in but people just don't know those kids.

With 9 form entry each form will have a few children with less than perfect behaviour records (putting it politely).

You don't know every one of the 270 children starting Year 7 so can't possibly know that all the "worst" ones are in DD's form.

My DD is just finishing Year 7 & her group is a "difficult" year in general apparently. Some are.

You could ask for your DD to be moved if possible as she has 'history' with 3 of the class. Let them know she would be happy to move to a class with no one from her primary if needed.

There will quite probably still be some movement in waiting lists so there may be opportunities, or just someone else asking to move.

Just ask politely, if you are willing to risk moving classes into the unknown.

My son's year is a tricky cohort, there are students with challenging behaviour in every tutor group. There is always lots of movement in Y7, if your DD is unhappy in the first couple of weeks ask for her to be moved.

As someone who organised tutor groups in the past, I can tell you that enormous time and effort goes into grouping the students. It’s based on attempting to balance each group with a mix of people they know, range of ability, information from primary schools etc. in a nine form entry school, there will probably be even more considerations.

The students don’t generally spend much time in tutor groups and will go off to different classes after a short session, or after an assembly.

I would let your daughter settle into school and see how it goes. If the group mix affects her negatively after the settling in period, I’d approach the form tutor, who will take it to the head of year, if necessary. It is possible to change groups, but not straightforward because it would have to be a tutor group in the same band, otherwise all lessons need to be changed.

I will give her a chance to settle in and see how it goes. For this first year they will have the majority of lessons with their tutor class so she will be with these children all the time.