Classes being mixed up - would you give your child a say?

[Ifyubrgku]

Classes in DCs primary school are being mixed up for next year and she has a choice which one to go in. Coincidently one of them is going to be academically quite a lot stronger than the other but the other one has more of her friends. Would you give your yr2 kids a say about which one they can go into or not?

At that age, not where it made a difference to their education, which it sounds like this might.

No.

Academically stronger? In year 2!? Ffs. Let her be with her friends.

Coincidently one of them is going to be academically quite a lot stronger than the other but the other one has more of her friends.

How would you know that, if they are at the stage of "offering them a choice" ?

I’d be leaving a school where one class is deemed ‘more academic’ than the other and/or complaining to the board of governors or head teacher. Even in a private school there should be no streaming at that age.

No absolutely not.

I am torn. She definitely does academically better when with other girls who are academically advanced. At the same time, those girls are also a lot more outgoing and stronger personalities that DD and she feels a bit intimidated by them. She used to be friends but drifted away and is now closer to some of the quieter ones.

They are not streaming them in yr2, they are mixing them due to personality clashes but in her class there seems to be a correlation.

School makes the choice which class a child goes in not the parent.

Are they all being given a choice. Seems a bit weird if your child is being allowed to choose and others aren’t?
Her teachers should be making this decision, taking into account her friendships and where she might thrive best.

So, how come
a) a lot of the children (according to you) have been allocated a class, but your dd can now 'choose' one
and
b) the school have told you ?

It doesn't work like this, I feel info is missing. Have the teaching staff at the school said that children can choose? What if they all choose same class?!!

I'd absolutely discuss it with her, and intend to put her with her friends.

I'm not convinced being in a stronger set at that age will impact her academics, but having a strong group of friends will make a huge difference.

How can you possibly know that one class is academically a lot stronger?

I appreciate that some of the info is missing. But that would be outing. We are not in this position by choice but we are where we are and now have to make a decision.

This isn't a choice you need to wrangle over - friends come and go, she'll adapt even if she goes through some bumps along the road. Put her in the academic class and do your bit to encourage her without falling into any ensuing drama it may (or may not) cause.

Thank you. I feel like I do, it's hard to decide which would be better in the long run or what is might look like by year 2 or 3.