mixed reception/ year 1

[Mog]

My dd is a summer birthday so is currently part-time in reception. The intake for next years reception looks low and they are thinking of holding the summer birthday children back in the same class with the new reception intake. (I presume they will still be year 1 but in a mixed class). This worries me greatly - does anyone have experience of this?

Although one advantage I can see is that she'll be one of the 'older' ones in the class. This does mean a lot to them at this age.

Mog no personal experience but there has been a mixed class at DS1?s school for 2 of the last 3 yrs. As you say, they mixed younger yr1 and older reception children, then the same class moved up to yr2 and yr 1. I was told that it worked really well (tho in that case why not do it with every class?).
And of course lots of small village schools do it as a matter of course.
I think teaching a mixed ability class is such a challenge anyway, that throwing in a few of the younger ones from the year above might make it easier for the very able young ones.
Why not speak to the head teacher if you are concerned?

ds school had mixed class for reception, year1 and year2 (small country school). It seems to work well - they mix for somethings and are split into smaller groups for other things. I presume the mixed class will continue through the school with those 2 year groups ?

Is it for the summer only birthdays ? That seems a bit odd. I would talk to the teachers and head and find out what they are really thinking of doing and why - they should be happy to talk it through with you.

No direct experience of this myself, but a friend has a ds in a mixed R/Y1 class. On the one hand it's been excellent for him as he is well ahead of his peers and the opportunity to participate in Y1-level activities (particularly reading) has been exactly what he needs, but OTOH he will not go up with the Y1s to Y2 because he is not emotionally mature enough and they now have a potential problem as he will effectively be repeating a year.

So, mixed blessings.

What I'm concerned about is the level of play in reception and then trying to integrate more challenging work for the year 1. I have spoken to the head but the decision is not final until numbers come in at Easter. I'd just like to get others experience before I worry.

My ds is at a small village primary with P1-P3 in one class and P4-P7 in the other. No problem - there are 23 kids in his class (the P1-P3 one). They tend do do mostly group teaching anyway, and it seems that in P1 (sort of the equivalent to reception) they did more "choosing" time when they played with toys than he does in P2. I actually think composite clases are a great way to teach children as they can easily learn at their own level - and the older ones are much more appreciative / caring towards younger ones as they are with them all the time.

I think there is a thing called vertical streaming - based on grouping children on ability rather than age.

This sounds like a good idea for summer borns to me (DS1 is an August birthday and I would have jumped at the chance of something like this). It seems bizarre that summer born children have had two terms part-time while some of their classmates have been full-time from the start; then they are supposed to start Y1 with the double disadvantage of being younger, and having had less time at school - it has always seemed like a truly bizarre system to me. DS2 spent two years in a mixed Reception/Y1/Y2 class which I really liked - it gives children much more opportunity to work according to ability rather than age for different things. Anyway, remember whatever happens that children will spend the same time in total in primary school no matter how they group the classes so I can't really see that she can lose out.