To put my head in my hands at this letter home from school

[ChuffinAda]

We are in the last throes of primary education in our house. One more year and that's it done.

For the first time ever we've had a letter home -sent to all parents- saying the classes aren't chosen on ability they're all mixed ability classes that because a y 5 child is in a 5/6 class doesn't mean they're bright same as having a y3 in a 2/3 class doesn't mean they're less able. They also go on to say they put a lot of thought into the classes and ensuring they're mixed ability and dynamics between different children are considered.

I can't believe theyve had the actually send a letter explicitly spelling this out to parents. Aibu to be rolly eyed that some parents genuinely believe the children's classes are based on ability?

cactus I went to a primary school visit where a woman kept asking about g&t provision

When the head started talking about inclusion and sen provision she actually turned her back and sighed

She didn't even have a child-was just pregnant

Our primary school goes according to age and current ability, the younger ones do tend to end up in a mixed year class with the oldr ones in the year below. The line has to be drawn somewhere so friendship groups and prsonality are also taken in to account.

In my experience of (admittedly only 3) primary schools it has always been done on ability although of course the schools have sworn blind that is not the case.

Or amybe the school has decided to do it that way this year and are prempting the comments

Where would the sense be in putting a weak Y2 in a mixed Y2/3 class if theer was an alternative? And similarly a bright Y5 would be better stretched in a Y5/6 class than a purely Y5 or Y4/5 class?

My middle child is going into a mixed year class in September, chosen on ability. The other two classes of the lower year group will be mixed ability classes. So a bit of both. The small handful of lower year children going up are those who are most able and have been twiddling their thumbs most of this last year.

Hermione, Rachel, the issue is so many parents thinking their children are gifted and talented when most children, of course, are average.

DS school generally do the split on age but if a child would benefit from the other class they will. So even though DS is a November baby he is going into the straight year 1 class rather than year 1/2 class as it is the better setting for his needs.

I have never heard of composite classes. Is it done in smaller schools where they don't have enough pupils for each year?

It would be so much simpler if each child was purely in a class for their own year group. I only know of one primary with mixed classes and I wouldn't really like it.

My DD2 was picked as one of four academically able children to go into a Y1/Y2 class. I knew it was the wrong thing to do and made a huge fuss until they agreed to put another child up instead. She wasn't emotionally mature enough and really needed another year in the reception classroom. The teacher was gobsmacked that I wasn't flattered

There is an argument for grouping not according to age www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms 6.58 onwards

I know that's not exactly what's being talked about here, but if you think about it age is probably the least important factor when grouping kids.

Pixiestix - I asked about provision for bright children at school open days. I'd hate to think people were rolling their eyes and thinking I was a twat.

DS1 happens to be fairly bright (no value judgement there - he just happens to have a knack for numbers and reading) but even if he wasn't, I'd still have wanted to know.

Schools around here seem to be really good at making all the right noises about supporting children with SEN, but never mention bright children.

I'd hate to think of bright children being left to coast, or even held back to allow their classmates to catch up, and becoming bored, disengaged and disruptive.

I don't understand selecting by ability in primary school. How does it work if a child is, say, really good at maths but not so good at reading?

RachelWatts - you've not learned the first rule of parenting which is never ever consider that your child might be bright.... You are completely right by the way. I'm dealing with the fall out of a child who hasn't had the opportunity to learn any work skills because he was significantly brighter than his cohort so was left to his own devices most of the time.

I have never heard of composite classes. Is it done in smaller schools where they don't have enough pupils for each year?

It can be. It's also very common in Scotland because of the way the intakes are done (if the child is in the catchment area the school must take them) so you can have say 40 P2s and 40 P3s so you'd have a P2 class, a (smaller) P2/3 class and a P3 class.

For some kids it can work out really well, for others it doesn't work so much.

I know these letters.

I also know 2 primaries where it is def. the most able kids who mix with the year above, and the less able with the year below (would it otherwise make sense, even?).

If I received a letter like the one in OP, I would also roll my eyes, at the thought that the school would really think I was naive enough to believe that.

I hate how some schools take parents for fools, and claim there are no sets (it's "apples" and "pears" and "oranges", kids however know what the top, middle and bottom sets are) and no split by ability.

I am willing to believe your school is different, but it would make it a rare school IMO.

RachelWatts - you've not learned the first rule of parenting which is never ever consider that your child might be bright....

util of course you have such a child that actually IS bright and you see the fall out of not been given appropriate work

Most of the schools I worked in done the most able of the younger year group in a class with the less able of the older class.

Let's hope you weren't actually teaching!

Baffled by the attitude towards parents who think their child might be bright.

There is nothing wrong with being bright. Equally, bright children are not 'better' than other children.

There is no value judgement in acknowledging that a particular child is better at reading or maths or whatever.

In fact, I think being bright is sometimes a bad thing. Children who find school easy are often baffled when they find something they find difficult. They don't know how to apply themselves, and cannot deal with set-backs, unlike children of more average ability, who often cope better.

That is why, if you have a child you think may be bright, you need to know they will be challenged appropriately in the classroom.

I see no reason why I should not ask these questions in front of other parents, because being bright does not mean better. Any more than being blonde is better.

Well ~I do get eye rolley at certain parents assumptions that their should be on the G&T program because they are slightly above average.

Being the parent of a G&T child is fucking hard work! But there does seem to be a belief that if your child is G&T then thats all they need, everything else will come easy and believe me it wont. My eldest G&T coasts and is not performing anywhere near her ability and still gets great results so she doesnt see the issue. The day will come when suddenly it isnt coming so easy, and thats when the issues will start, personally I suspect at Uni when she has to be self disciplined and get on with it.

I have a child with SEN due to brain damage and accessing the right support for him was far easier than making sure the my G&T kids needs are being met. For the record, I have one SEN, 1 bang on average (but with a better work ethic than the rest put together) 2 G*T, one significantly above average but not G&T and one too young to tell.

Rachel I can guarantee in my DC's school, if you asked a question like that in front of other parents, it would be met with by other parents. Not because being bright is wrong, but because it would be viewed as stealth boasting.

Perhaps a question on a one to one basis.

Bogey you have six children?

I do and six children = mad! :o