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Original poster

Does your primary school do this?

29 replies

GDG · 02/03/2006 12:37

Ds1 is in reception at the moment - very happy with the school, very happy with his progress, got no issues with the school at all.

I've heard recently though that at the end of reception, the classes are mixed up again as they go into year one. Heard from a parent this morning that they do this at the end of every year!!

Now, I've got parents evening tonight so I can ask about this but just wondering if anyone elses school does this? I'd assumed they would just stay in their original classes (although I know they split them according to ability higher up the school because we live in a grammar/11+ area). Ds1 doesn't like 'change' that much - he always settles and is fine but hates the upheaval. The good thing is that he has a wide circle of friends and gets on with everybody so it's not as if he has one special friend that he clings to and then may get split up from.

I also don't know, yet, on what basis they split them up - I guess it must be ability, why else?

Anyway - just wondering if anyone has any experience of this and how the children find it.

OP posts:

bundle · 02/03/2006 12:39

yes, ours did this and I was quite glad...dd1 actually has settled better into the "mix" in her current class (it's 2 form entry)

Angua · 02/03/2006 12:40

My ds primary di it every year, they say they do it to stop anti social behaviour(cliques) and to teach children how to cope with this sort of situation for Academy where there will be different pupils in every class.They also like to put a 'high achiver' next to someone who does not as they believe that it encourages them a bit.

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 02/03/2006 12:40

Yes they do it at DS1's school (he's in Reception too) each time they move up a year. nothing to do with ability, I think they just feel it's good to get a new 'mix' of people. They still get to see their friends in the playground, and, in DS1's school, lots during the school day too.

hana · 02/03/2006 12:41

I've always thought it strange that a class would stay the same all the way through primary school

WigWamBam · 02/03/2006 12:42

They do it at dd's school - not based on ability (they split each class into ability groups), just so that the children get to know others in their year, and so they can split up children who are prone to cause friction when they're together. There are three classes in each year, and they move a third of each class, so that the children still have some continuity as well as some fresh faces.

They change from Reception into Year 1, again from Year 1 into Year 2, and the groups they're in in Year 2 are the groups they will stay in throughout the Junior school.

Original poster

GDG · 02/03/2006 12:42

Really? I'm sure my primary class stayed pretty much the same right through, that's why it surprised me. But it seems it's not that uncommon! It must be hard for children who form firm friendships though?

OP posts:

wordgirl · 02/03/2006 12:44

That's interesting. They stay in the same class throughout in my children's school. I didn't realise that not all schools do this.

Bink · 02/03/2006 12:44

In any school that has more than one class per year group I think it's the norm, rather than the exception, to mix them up each year. Ours does it on a kind of alphabetical basis - ie if there are to be three classes and there are three children with surnames beginning with "B" one child goes into each class - or something else random like that - though they do take other things into account - eg, for us, which teacher they think will best cope with ds.

I have no problems at all with it - in fact I specially like it - eg friendships getting re-discovered a couple of years down the line.

LadySherlockofLGJ · 02/03/2006 12:54

I panicked when I saw this, as DS would hate that, rang the school and spoke to the lovely school secretary and she said, "absolutely not" it upsets a lot of the children and Mr "Smith" will not have his children upset.

Made me lol at "his children", I know he really loves the children and they are his vocation but it is so lovely to hear it.

Original poster

GDG · 02/03/2006 12:55

Did you LGJ?! Ha ha - didn't mean to scare you!!

That's what I thought though - thought it would be upsetting but nobody here seems to think it's a problem...

OP posts:

drosophila · 02/03/2006 12:55

Yes my school do it as well and also have a mixed yr group just to make it more confusing.

Original poster

GDG · 02/03/2006 12:57

Ours has a mixed yr group as well as the intake is 70. There are 2 reception classes that are solely reception and then 10 reception aged children go in with a year 1 class...or something, I'm not sure as ds1 is in a full reception class!

I know he'll be fine but he may find it unsettling to find new faces in his class! Mind you, he'll be unsettled by a new teacher too and I can't do anything about that!

OP posts:

LadySherlockofLGJ · 02/03/2006 12:57

GDG

I am off to our Parent Teacher Meeting tonight as well.

How goes it with the PTA. ?

Twiglett · 02/03/2006 12:57

yes ours does it too

I thnk its a good idea

Original poster

GDG · 02/03/2006 12:58

Loving the PTA!! I'm a nosey old cow so like to know what's going on and I like getting involved. I really want to go in and do reading but I can't cos I've still got ds3 at home! Will be able to help from September so can't wait - ds1 keeps asking when I'm going in as all the other mummies do it (they don't - lots of them work!).

OP posts:

Feistybird · 02/03/2006 12:59

yes ours does.

WigWamBam · 02/03/2006 13:00

I don't know about anywhere else but at dd's school the children are asked who they would particularly like to stay with from their class, they try hard to keep friends together, and very close friendships aren't split up. Each year works closely together, so the children still see a lot of each other.

I actually think that splitting from their lovely teacher will be harder for the children in dd's class than splitting up the class will be!

gladbag · 02/03/2006 13:13

From my experience it's very common to mix classes after the Reception year in a 2 or 3 form entry school - schools usually use a mixture of reasons - social, behavioural, SEN, academic etc to ensure the classes in an age group are fairly equally balanced. Some then mix again as they go into Y3. Mixing every year is less common though. I think a lot of schools have it in their literature that they keep the option of mixing classes open (just so that parents are aware that it could happen later on), but will leave classes alone if they stay well-balanced.

I think it's usually a good idea for all the reasons given below . The only time I've known it go wrong was in a very socially mixed London primary where for various reasons (children leaving/joining) one class over a couple of years predominantly filled with a larger than normal number of children with SEN and educational issues, while the other stayed very settled and (dare I say it) predominantly middle class. The decision was made to mix the classes as they went into Y3, and the parents of the settled class put up a huge stink as they were happy with things as they were. The school stuck to their plan, and quite a few of the middle class children left. Very sad. And the problem would probably have been avoided if the classes had been mixed up every year. But that's another story (see on-going thread on 'middle-class' schools )

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 02/03/2006 13:17

I don't personally believe friendships are formed on the basis of people who are in their class.

DS1's "best friend" isn't in his class. Yet they get along brilliantly (shame his mum's a stuck up cow though, thankfully don't have to see much of her LOL).

poppyknot · 02/03/2006 13:40

dd's school has a composite P1/2 and others right up the school, although this year she is in a straight P1 (there is another one). They are chosen for the comp class by age and the other two by the nursery class there where in with newcomers allocated to balance the numbers. As she is one of the youngest in her year she might be in the comp class next year (if there is one). I can see many advantages - the age spread of the class is actually much less (bottom two months of the older year and top two of the younger). And the ability spread is of 'straight' class is huge anyway as there are 30 children.

THe Head pointed out that sometimes it is BETTER to split up children who are too close to each other anyway! Relationships are very fluid at that age anyway. A friend says that at her school things are done alphabetically so that the W's will NEVER mix with the A's and only the L - M's might shift!!!!!!!!

Jennypog · 02/03/2006 17:01

My daughter's school did this and although I didn't like it in reception, by the time she got up to the older years it was brilliant. The whole of year 6 used to be friends. If someone was off ill, it didn't matter because there was always someone else to play with.

Now at secondary school she has been mixed up again because of subject choices, etc. Her attitude has been - oh well, I will see my mates at break (others cried!) and she genuinely isn't bothered because she is used to it. She also doesn't care about being solely with friends in her subject choices for GCSE which is great because I thought we would have a battle.

Go for it, it is a good idea and has made her more independent. You will get used to after the first couple of years.

LIZS · 02/03/2006 17:14

ds has always been remixed but that was in an International school where children came and went(up to a 1/3) every year so the class was never going to be the same anyway. He also isn't one for change but has happily accepted it as they tried to keep smaller groups of about 3 together and it has really not been an issue. At their current Uk school they reserve the right to remix but infact don't seem to do so very often. By not doing so it becomes quite difficult for new children to assimilate into an established class. By all means ask what principles they apply when remixing - it may well be as much social and to maintain a balance of children by sex/age/ability/sn as purely academic - but try not to get hung up about it or it will pass onto ds.

foxinsocks · 02/03/2006 17:35

ours doesn't but has the option of changing the classes around when they go from infants to juniors (yr2 to yr 3). I think there have been rare occasions when changes have been made earlier but I think that may be largely to separate trouble makers!! Ours is 3 class entry so probably more of a pain to change all the classes around.

roisin · 02/03/2006 18:38

One local (infant) school (3 classes per year) partly feeds to a one-class per yr juniors. In order to avoid pupils being with the same children for 7 years they mix the classes every year.

Our school is a primary school, and they choose to re-mix only once at the end of KS1. They use the opportunity to re-create balanced classes if necessary (completely mixed ability). But they also think it encourages children to have wider friendships in the school, and in the playground, not just their classmates. And that does seem to work to some extent.

In our school in yr2 they are asked to write the name of a few best friends, and they try and ensure that children have some close friends in their class.

cheltenhamgal · 02/03/2006 19:32

at my DD's school there is only one class per year(well in the infants anyway not sure about the juniors)so they all stay in the same class, I too didn't realise that other schools had a different system. I am glad they get a different teacher each year tho

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