Is this standard in secondary school these days?

[Windsor1o2]

DS has just started year 10. He'd managed to make a great bunch of friends over the last 3 years. He's come home today really upset which isn't like him so I know this must be troubling him.

He's been switched to the other 'half' of the school. He only has 1 friend in some of his classes and none in others. He's with a lot of people he really doesn't like (he's says they're not nice lads).

He's doesn't want me to contact school about it. I just wondered if this is standard for year 10, obviously they're having to fit kids into their option choices. It just feels really disruptive to move him into completely new groups for his core subjects.

It will be because of his option choices. Sometimes there is only enough uptake (or staffing available) for one class of something like Business or Sociology so everyone who wants to do that is put in the same half of the year. It might be worth him speaking to his head of year or whichever assistant head sorts options out.

He might have to make a decision about what is more important to him, his friends or his chosen options, if push comes to shove. I’d get in there early with an issue like this, much easier to sort the first week back than when he’s 3 months into a GCSE course he wants to swap for one he is now 3 months behind in.

It wouldn't work in DD's school as the school is divided according to the MFL they start with.

Unless there is a major issue they don't even try to change houses/forms.

Our dcs secondary doesn't have 'halves' (heard of it for others and the secondary I went to was like that) but certainly there was lots of movement for Dd in y10. I think Dd had to find new friends in many of her classes and now in Y11, still complains of some classes being too quiet or not having people she likes in. She had to change one subject early in y10 as she just hated it. Perhaps speak to HOY or pastoral support but I think it is quite usual and lots of Y10s will be feeling a bit out of sorts, probably for the first time since y7.

Our dcs secondary has a deadline to change options and the dc has to talk to the teacher of the subject they want to change to to see if it is suitable first, before they approach the HOY. So do investigate and make those decisions early on if it's what your DS is looking to do.

Thanks for all the advice.

I'll have another chat with DS and see how he's feeling at the end of the week.

He will be in option groups now. That's par for the course

"Halves" of the school seem to have disappeared now we are Y10. DS has some kids from the other half (other GCSE language) of the school in his lessons now.

Are breaks and lunches at the same time? So he can be with his mates at social time?
We did get DS moved from his teaching group at the end of day 1 of Y9 as he'd been moved into a class where he knew very few except for the kid who had been bullying him (school aware - school heard the worst bit).

I'd talk to him at the end of tomorrow, and if things are going to change, get them happening this week.

Yep, standard. Accommodating option choices.

Sorry, yes. It will be due to options. Not much to be done except a gentle reminder that he’ll be working much harder in lessons and won’t have time to chat, and will still see his friends at break and lunch.