Pissed off Reception classes being split

[Irritatedmum]

There are two classes in each year at my DDs school. She’s had her transition day today (moving to year 1) and has come home absolutely devastated that they’re mixing up the classes - and she’s being split from her friends. All of them. She’s devastated, I’m so upset her her. I don’t understand the reasoning for doing it (they didn’t when my oldest moved from reception) and why she’s being split from her friends. Is this a normal thing? I’ve emailed the school.

Plus my DS's class were asked who they wanted in the senior school mentor class so it can be done that way - and that's in a huge secondary school.

Your being very precious

She just needs to get on with it. They’re splitting up my son’s year 1 class after two years together in nursery and reception. They’re 5, they’ll live and move on and make new friends. It’s really not a big deal.

but at 5 years old it just seems so cruel.
They’re at the stage where friendships and playing is just so important, and after spending a year building relationships for them to be taken away, you know?

5 year olds make friends much easier then older ages.

Most bigger primary schools do this every year and I think it’s a good idea for them to mix up as it gets them used to making friends with new people and it really benefits them and their confidence.

I’ve always felt very sorry for children who go to tiny primary schools and then have to transition to massive secondary schools.
The one near me has 26 pupils in total so less than 5 in each year group and the majority have been there since reception and will finish in year 6 with the exact same children in the class.

I would raise it with the school. They may not be able to change it but could at least explain the rationale behind it.

They'll only be able to discuss it in the most general terms, because of pupil confidentiality. So OP will probably end up none the wiser.

Ds2 was one of six four year old reception children put in with the year 1 class from the word go after a months initial assessment to determine those most suitable. Lots of promises about how they would make sure this group would mix with the other 24 in reception to form friendships etc, in reality it never really happened and this small group stuck together and really missed out socially.
Interestingly, these six were among some of the highest performing academically at 16 in GCSE's, but it wasn't the best start to primary school.

I think it's a positive thing. There are some very tight cliques in my eldest DC's school. If they shuffled them around more they might be more adaptable.
My youngest DC's class was mixed last year and it's been really positive. They now have more friends because they've been given the opportunity to play and mix with different children.

This happens every year in my youngsters school. It never happened when my eldest was at school (there is a large age gap) I can see pros and cons. There were definitely some children I would have preferred my eldest not to be with all the way through school, but she would have been devastated if her boy best friend and her were split up.

I agree with @MisterMist - it’s not always a good thing!

What’s the point being in a 2+ form intake school unless they mix them up sometimes?

Completely normal to mix things up.

Not fair to remove a child from every single friend, unless there's some situation going on (e.g. terrible behaviour) in which case I'd expect it to be discussed with parents first.

I agree parents / carers should have been informed. They then could have started the ball rolling at home.

A friend collected her twins who are being separated, one is fine the other is so emotional, this could have been discussed, if the parents new.

My daughters school is mixed up every year, but they get to write down 2 friends they would like to stay with. Definitely speak to the school and tell them this has really upset her.

Our schools have always made sure they've got someone in the class, I'm not surprised she's upset.

This made me chuckle sorry

We had this in reception and year 1 going into year 2 again
They've had so much upheaval with COVID I don't agree with hair my child was separated from all of her friends so I was unhappy and then in year 2 as they move up to year 3 they get to choose 2 friends they'd like to be with and my child wanted her original best friend she still missed and the other one had moved on it was horrendous

It's normal!

My DC had this day today (are you at our school?!?), and got moved away from one person who in the face of it is their friend, but DC always reports that this friend is punching, punching and calling them names. I'm pleased the split allows them to be apart for more of the time.

The two reception classes at our school free flow in any case, so lots of the DC have friends across both classes. My DC has one friend they'll still be with, so was a bit anxious about losing the rest, however I reassured DC by saying they'd see each other at playtimes.

Yes this is exactly what they used to do in ds' infant and junior school and for the same reasons.

I've been teaching for nearly 25 years. It is very unlikely the mix up was random.

Omg I think this could be my friends child's school is it in a village beginning with the word "N"

Ours dont do it until year 3. But the classes all mix throughout the day anyway.

It’s the norm at our two-form entry school, I am against it in theory but my children have never batted an eyelid at being mixed up and are used to it so I suppose really I’m for it as it’s good for them to be used to mixing with different people, their resilience etc!

Where I worked we had a parent email in a list of pupils they wanted in their child's class, as you can imagine we ignored this. They were all the "nice" white middle class children on the list, surprise, surprise!

It does seem very hard that your daughter isn't with any of her friends, we always tried to split any friendship groups equally.

Makes perfect sense to me!