To be worried about Y3/4 class

[Dizzylin]

My DD is currently in Y2. DH has just returned from a parents meeting at school where he was informed that next year Y3 and Y4 are going to be merged into 3 classes as the numbers are too low to have 4 classes.

Currently in Y2 there are 2 classes each with 28 children in. I'm not sure how many there are in the other year group.

AIBU to be concerned how this would work, DD does well at school but I'm concerned by being with an older year group that she will struggle. How do mixed year groups work?

It’ll be completely fine. Many schools have mixed classes. Please don’t worry.

My Dd was in a mixed yeargroup class in reception. She was in the class mixed with Y1. They did the split based on ability/current attainment so that it was easier to teach them together. The most able in the lower class should be able to do similar work to the less able in the higher yesrgroup is the plan, I think.

My kids went through a small primary with mixed classes and both flourished.

Teacher here. I worked in a school that had all mixed year groups, apart from reception. It worked extremely well, but the teachers made sure to plan thoroughly. The curriculum worked on a two year programme for most subjects, with English and maths pitched appropriately for the individuals (so year 3s wouldn't miss out building blocks and year 4s moved on).

Please don't be too worried; it can work amazingly well.

Thank you, DH thinks it will be fine.

He did say they were doing the split based on their abilities, just hope she's not split up from her friends. She has a lovely group of friends and will be really upset if she's moved away from them.

Vertical learning can be great, there's more of a spectrum for all of the pupils to have work set for their level, so if they are doing well they can do the work above and if struggling in the older class have access to repeat more of the foundation, it also has socialising advantages. I'd actively seek out a primary school operating this way, I had such a positive experience of it myself and so did DB.

At DS's school they did this. As one of the youngest in the year he was 'kept down' in YR (as he saw it) when his friends went up to Yr1 with a new teacher.

He did finally make it back with his friends in Year 4 for just one year before they all went to Middle School.

When it was DS2's turn he moved up being one of the oldest in the year so it worked better for him but did say that Year 4 was a bit the same as Year 3.

It was a very small school though and let's just say they were not that open to any suggestions! And both are teens now and absolutely fine.

Dd is a mixed year and it’s really great allowing all the children to stretch to their ability and particularly for topic work giving wider perspective. The school has a two year work programme, so that nobody is doing the same topic twice

My kids have been in composite classes on multiple occasions. The first time it happened to my DC I was a bit apprehensive, but they did brilliantly. IME, the teachers who take these classes are chosen specifically for their ability to handle the mixed groups.

One year my DC2 was the youngest in the class by two years, due to the way birthdays fell with these particular students (and DC2 was the youngest in his year group all through primary anyway). It wasn't a problem at all, and I think that was actually his best year in primary overall.

I went to a school with 5 years across 3 classes back in the day. It was really nice as you got the experience of having older kids in class and then being the older kids the next year, so a lot of learning and teaching of social stuff occurred due to this.