To not want my DC to be the only girl in her year group within a composite class?

[Compositedilemma]

NC due to being very identifiable!

I don't have any objections to composite classes so this isn't about that.

However we have just been informed of the class allocations for next year and DD is being put in a composite class where her year group will be 5/6 boys plus her.

There will be girls in the class in the year group above but from my personal experience of 2 composite classes is that the year groups are kept very separate and don't socialise together at break/lunch.

DD knows but does not play with any of the boys who will be in her class. She is at that mid primary age where the friendship/social groups are very sex segregated ie parties are now single sex.

She is also the youngest in the class so will be almost 2 years younger than the classmates in the older section of the composite.

Aibu to want the school to reallocate her to one of the 2 non-composite classes of her year group?

Yes, I agree with PP - ask to change it. I was the only girl in my class for a while as a child and it was very stressful.

Good luck!

We're in UK but not England.

We don't have long to sort this, the end of term is Wednesday.

I've had a reply that my email is being passed to someone else.

It is a highly unusual situation but I can say that the reason for picking which DCs are going into this class is nothing to do with academics or friendship groups. I can't be too specific but there is reorganisation going on which lots of parents aren't happy about and some have talked about leaving the school over.

It's not going to be just this year, she will stay in this composite for the remaining 4 years of primary school.

If you are in Scotland they are breaking guidelines to do this so I'd go in strong.

Do you have a link/reference?

Our school (aslo Scotland) would never arrange a composite in this way. It's massively unfair on the pupils concerned. In our scholl composites are normally based on ability in some way - normally children are allocated to classes in their reading groups. Age doesn't come into it at all.

Composite, you can normally find details of your local authorities guidelines re composite classes on their website.

It hasn't been done by ability. DD says the others are further on in reading but she doesn't really know most of them as they have come from 3 classes of c. 25.

That's the end of the school day now and I haven't heard anything. School closes at lunch time on Wednesday so there isn't much time to arrange a meeting.

DD has come in today still rather unfazed by it all.

A quick google brought up East Lothian, West Lothian and Edinburgh, all of whom state they 'try' to balance genders. I can't find any national guidance but that must have come from somewhere...

Lonnyvonny, I'm not aware of any legislation about composing classes apart from class size etc. Also, Scotland does not form classes strictly by age, some areas of Scotland may but definitely not all. As I said before, I was depute head at a large primary school in Scotland and I've composed classes as part of my remit. We do, of course, try to balance gender. As well as friendship groups, ability, behavioural issues, age, etc etc.

Hi, I'm up early again. Not been sleeping due to worrying over this.

I've now spoken to the head. DP & I are meeting with her and the new teacher on Tuesday.

On the plus side the class will only have 18 pupils (maybe less if more drop out). This has reassured me quite a lot as DD has been struggling with reading & maths so more attention will be a good thing. There is definitely the potential for this to be better than the alternative class of 33.

I've also been told that overall the class is 'girl heavy'. They also intend to do more work across classes so she could do some work with the year below at times too.

I've also been told that her new teacher is very experienced and is the principal teacher in the school.

I have a list of things to discuss at the meeting but I'm wondering if there's other stuff I've not thought of yet. After Wednesday I won't be able to communicate with the school until they return after the holidays so I don't want to think of something later and be worried for weeks about it!

Bump

It is very strange that they would create one very large class of 33 and another very small one of 18 albeit composite. Why not just move another 3-4 pupils from the large class?

It's pretty identifiable anyway, but the school is being split.