Literally couldn’t make it up! Any advice appreciated.

[LivingInTheTrumanShow]

DD not happy at current school - is an Estyn Outstanding out of catchment. Children are just miserable but the results are obviously great.

Decided DD happiness is worth more than anything so rang our catchment school agreed they had a place in reception. Great! Put the in year transfer request in, accepted the place.

Turn up at new school DD has been put in the reception/nursery class! Asked why this was and was told that the reception class was full!

What’s worse is the reception students in the nursery/reception class are summer born or less able!

My DD is a winter baby and very very forward, is reading and doing KS1 maths already. Is there anything I can do now? I spoke to the head who was adamant the reception class is already full, it was filled in September!

I want to move schools again asap AIBU?? or do I see how it goes and have faith that her class teacher will differentiate effectively?

LivingInTheTrumanShow
Why no response from OP!

“She came out of the new school saying mummy I absolutely loved it! It does feel like a really nurturing environment much more than the previous school but now I’m worried about the academic aspect.”

All you should care about is your first sentence.. she loved it! Academic performance at age 4 is hardly something to cause MORE disruption over! If you are that concerned.. work with her at home! Reception is about playing, making friends, learning the “rules of school”.. with a bit of literacy and maybe counting teddy bears.

You're worried about the "academic aspect" for a 4-year-old?! Children this age need to be nurtured, spend time in the company of other children, have fun, and learn through play - and it looks like the new school is doing it perfectly. As long as they realise in the early years that school and learning is fun, they will do academically well anywhere in the future. The time for academics will come in due course.

For now, you really need to relax, trust the teachers and your daughter, and remember that moving her from school to school does her more harm that any imagined "academic" shortcomings.

@Cocomarine

I was expecting much more for my money from a “literally couldn’t make it up” thread 🤣

What a disappointment.

Reception age child placed in Composite RECEPTION CLASS shocker 🤣

This is the best comment so far. What an absolute let down.

Didn’t you see her class and new teacher when you visited before moving her?
In what ways is she very, very forward? Most reception children are reading. They will be reading in her class.

Well now.
IF you have a reliable record of the phone conversation on which you based your decision to move DD, and IF that leaves no reasonable doubt that you were told she could have a place in Reception as such, then maybe you should have a formal go at the school. They can't magic up places which don't exist, but depending on space and circumstances there may be more elasticity than the head is presently admitting.

This is a good example of why relying on verbal communication is often unsatisfactory, without an immediate follow up in writing to confirm what was said.

But if you can't change it, I think you would be wrong to move your daughter again now. All sorts of unknowns are yet to play out in her schooling, don't try to second-guess them all now.

You don't need to worry about the academic aspect with a 4 year old. All that matters at this stage is that she's happy.

A teacher in a composite class will be well used to differentiating on the basis of ability so please just trust the school to get on with it and don't put your daughter through the disruption of another move.

I have never heard of such a thing, moving a four year old child from a very good school because they are unhappy??? They are four not fourteen!!! I'm sure the first school was fine and you jumped the gun. Is she particularly spoilt by any chance?

@FiveShelties

What’s worse is the reception students in the nursery/reception class are summer born or less able!

What?

Born 27th August, no-one sent me the Memo that I should fall into the less able group.

Also last week in August. Not even a stealth boast, out and proud - I was always top of the class. Maybe someone could find me a time machine and I'll go back and be less able so's not to disturb the OP's world view.

OP get over yourself and your ludicrous generalisations. Your DD loves where she is. That's priceless.

So you listened to your daughter when she was unhappy at the first school but don’t want to listen to her now when she tells you she is happy in the new one? All because of your perceived ideas about the ability of other children in the class purely based on their ages. Leave her where she is and get over yourself. She’s 4!

This is the ONLY thing that matters at 4:

"She came out of the new school saying mummy I absolutely loved it!"

A miserable child will not thrive academically, so as for this:

"It does feel like a really nurturing environment much more than the previous school but now I’m worried about the academic aspect."

Forget worrying about academics, focus on nurturing your FOUR YEAR OLD daughter. Do you REALLY give a fuck if she can balance equations or read at KS3 level before she's out of puddlesuits, if shes utterly bloody miserable while she does it?

If so, you need to take a long hard look at yourself.

@LivingInTheTrumanShow

She came out of the new school saying mummy I absolutely loved it! It does feel like a really nurturing environment much more than the previous school but now I’m worried about the academic aspect.

She is FOUR. Fucking FOUR. And you are "worried about the academic aspect".

Fuck me. Pushy parent or what.

What the flaming fuck. She’s a fucking baby. Leave her be.

God forbid your child gets put in a class with - shock horror - summer born kids

And when I started reading your post I assumed you were talking about secondary school - when the academic stuff actually matters.

I think you need to relax

Why did you move your child so soon? It is only November! It takes time for a child to settle in school! Try sit on your hands and trust the school. Leave it be and try not to transfer your anxiety to your child.

How do you know the children she is with are less able? Unless you're their teacher you have no idea!

Em - do they not just play at school at this age?

My son was in a composite class from p2 until p7 (Scotland) because he was one of the youngest in the year. Didn’t hold him back in the slightest.

Teachers are used to dealing with lots of different levels of abilities - even in classes close in ages.

It would be very unsettling to keep moving her. What didn't she like at the previous school? Did you try and address the issues with the school?

At DS’s first Primary school, classes were small and they mixed Reception/Nursery, Y1/2 etc.

Initially I was slightly as many of the nursery children were extremely upset those first few weeks, this rubbed off on some of the Reception children. After about a month though the chaos of those first school drop offs lessened.

The advantage surely will be that the nursery children will only be in until 12pm? That was the case at least when DS was in Reception, so your DD will have even more attention from the teacher.

You really do need to give this time. It will work out ok, the teacher’s will differentiate work and might even mix up the classes, move your DD if space becomes available as it often does.

First born child perhaps?!

My summer born sister never got less than an A in any exam and got a first from an excellent university tho k this summer born fuss is totally over done

You literally said in your OP ‘decided DD happiness is worth more than anything’, so just keep reminding yourself that when you start to worry about the ‘academic’ aspects

@LefttoherownDevizes

Did you not ask about what class she'd be in when you went for the tour before accepting?

How often to they mix the classes up (ie is she destined to be in that class ask the way through?)

Why would anyone think to ask whether the space offered was the most appropriate one for the child's age? Surely it is reasonable to assume that the available place is for the right age?

You’re making the mistake of assuming that summer born children are less capable than the others. I’m not saying that it never makes a difference because sometimes it does, but from working with reception and KS1 for many years, I know that there are many many summer born children that are middle to top of the class. Please don’t write them off as not being good enough peers for your daughter.

Presumably you knew that the school used composite classes when you applied and accepted a place, so you don’t get to complain that your dd is now in a composite class.

This is the ONLY thing that matters at 4:

"She came out of the new school saying mummy I absolutely loved it!"

^^
This!

As others have said she’s practically a baby. The academic aspect is not even a thing for her.