to be secretly glad...

[twolittlemonkeys]

... that so many parents are up in arms about changes to classes in the school next year?

DS1's school is oversubscribed (DS2 can't get a place for Sept! ) so next year they are splitting Year 1 & 2 up into 3 classes instead of 2, so there will be a mixed-age class. I think I'm the only parent who is perfectly happy with my child being in a class that's half his year and half the year below. The teacher is excellent, good at differentiating etc. All the other parents of children in the mixed-age class are beside themselves huffing and wanting to speak to the head etc and spouting all sorts of arguments about how the children will be held back.

AIBU to be secretly pleased and hoping some of them decide to move their kids to another school as loads of them have one child in DS1's class and another due to start reception at the school in Sept! I feel guilty for hoping this, as actually the parents and children are lovely, my motivations are entirely selfish (getting DS2 in!!)

This has happened at my childs school too. The hysteria is incredible!

Parents are threatening to pull their children out and the poor head teacher is getting so much grief. Its bizarre.

YABU I'd be secretly pleased too. I bet you get a place for your son!

Sorry I meant YANBU! Whoops!

My primary school taught years 3-6 together as it was so tiny and rural. I loved it and was well prepared for secondary school. Can't see any problem at all.

I love mass hysteria in any situation, so YANBU.

My dd did a couple of years in split classes and I was happy about it. I thought it was good she got to mix with older children.

I never understood the uproar it cause either.

Haha - good one - hope you get your place now. Multi-age teaching/learning is old hat for small rural schools.

Mixed year group classes are very often a real positive for the Holden inv

Oops iPhone!!

Very positive For the children involved, my kids have really benefitted. It only becomes a problem when people are worried about being 'held back' which really just shows they don't understand the system.

I've taught mixed age classes most years for around 12 years. Imho it is no problem at all and is, in fact beneficial in many ways. I don't think more than 2 year groups works well though, the planning is very difficult and you always feel as if one group is missing out. 2 year groups though is a piece of cake and when you think that many of the children will be only months apart in age anyway it's really not that much of a stretch.

I'd be really happy if I found this was happening in a school near us - DD is an August baby and so I think having her in a combined year group (If I understand correctly) would be great for her. Unless of course she is the youngest of two years when it might make me more worried

and no YANBU - I used to work on school catchment mapping & deal with admission - bloody nightmare and the lengths people go to in oder to get into certain school is insane!

My DD is in a mixed year class and will be for the whole time at Primary. Seems to work perfectly well if you have competent staff.

YANBU,
I can't work out how you can have DCs at two different primaries unless on catches the bus or goes to breakfast club.

Two lots of satchel post and, no doubt, myriad clashing events.

Thinking about it UADNBU

Good - glad to hear so many other positive experiences of mixed-year classes. The head has just sent out a letter clarifying the situation, need for an extra class etc, though I'm not sure how much it has pacified the parents. Fingers crossed a few of them decide to withdraw kids - I'd love to get to DS2's appeal and find it's been cancelled because a space has magically appeared in reception!!

starball that is my point exactly - which child should I send on a bus - the 4 year old or the autistic 6 year old? It's madness. And yet I bet at the appeal the LEA will say that it's my problem and I should stick one of the children in a taxi if I'm unwilling to uproot DS1

I think you are being a bit horrible. People are only concerned for their children, and if there are a large number of parents freaking out about it, that woudo suggest to me that the school has done a shit job of explaining how it will work and reassuring parents that their children won't be held back.

My kids go to a small school, so all classes are mixed ages. I don't see it as a problem thought I've plenty of other issues with the school. You're lucky if the teacher is excellent.