Reception Year Classes - did you have a choice??

[3LittleMonkeys]

I would like some help in understanding the methods of establishing the Reception Year Classes. Did any parent complain at which class their child has been put in ie away from their private nursery friends/people that they most talk about? Are you given any reasons for placement?

we are given the chance to write down the names of 3 children that ds would like to be with. However, it is up to the school to allocate the classes and they try to balance the age, girl/boy etc. I know there were a few complaints in dd's year but once it's done, the school made it very clear that it wasn't going to be changed!

Have noticed that every so often they change around the classes from infants to juniors.

should say the 3 names is no guarantee that your child will be with those children - I think dd got 2 out of 3.

I have asked for DD to be changed but then was given reasons for the classes as my DD and another together did not make a positive learning experiance. The school after a lot of tears and talks have agreed that I can move DD, but now unsure if that would be the right thing to do. Not in the same class as any girls from her nursery that DD has been since 7months old. Can you believe everything they tell you about selection?

No we had no choice - DS only knew one person there anyway, didn't end up in the same class but we didn;t feel strongly enough to make a fuss. It didn't make a difference & he settled in quickly anyway

Not applicable for us. One class per year.

What does it really matter, I was thrilled to discover that DS was in the same class as N from Montessori , DS was horrified, but he is a baby Mummy, he cries for nothing.

DS has since made friendships that I have had no influence over and they are really really good ones, better than the ones I would have engineered.

Thank you for your words of wisdom, I will now go to bed and think about what to do!

Ours is 2 form entry and there is no choice. Perhaps it would be considered if a parent felt really strongly about it - I am not sure. In school where I work it is decided according to balance children's ability and social / behavioural issues.

Same as foxinsocks - unfortunately DD was put in diff class from her 2 best mates. TBH, I thought ok, well this is a 'life' lesson learnt early.

I will now go to bed and think about what to do!

There is nothing to do ...........They are in the system, you no longer have control, you either trust these people with your precious child, or you dont. If there is a major crisis or in a years time it is impossible, then you approach the school,but to try an influence the school in advance is IMO just a recipe for disaster.

We were asked to write down names of upto 3 friends we would like DD to be in class with. We wrote down a friend from nursery and her parents also named my DD. We find out next Tuesday who is in her class and who her teacher will be when we go to a new parents evening

At our school they do it by age (ie summer babies class/winter babies class, or 3 classes in current yr 1) which seems to work well.
Bit of a party-tastic nightmare now tho! (all b/days in dd's class between April 20 and August 25!!)
Some of DD's best pals from nursery/elsewhere pre-school are in the other class. That's fine tho - she still plays with them and as cat says, they still come for tea. And are coming to her b/day party too. why worry?

cat64, a very constructive reply, excactly what I have been thinking since starting this thread.

This issue wasn't the one child but all the children that DD has gone to nursery with. It would seem though from some relpies that some schools do at least ask for parents input - perhaps this is the exception though rather than the rule!

I know teachers get really hacked off with parents who "insist" that their little darling is with their best friend from nursery as they say that the chances are, a couple of weeks in, that the kids will have found new friends and moved on. Personally I think making a fuss about which class your child is in is a guaranteed way of getting yourself labelled as a PITA parent before your child has even started school - not that you would ever do that or course

At DSs school, the Nursery recommends groups of 2 or 3 children who work well together and then the head observes and either agrees, vetos or suggests otherwise :) Then the mix nursery with non-nursery and am/pm nursery to get a good mix of new and "old" children. DS2 was split from his 2 very close friends whic initially I was upset about but then I could see exactly why they had done it.

Generally speaking, the school knows what they're doing - they've been doing it for years!

We had the chance to list up to 3 other children as a friendship group, and I think the school tries their best with all their other information. They are also trying to balance numbers of boys and girls (in mixed schools), older and younger children (unless they split the classes by age, as they do in some schools) and children with special needs.

There is a tendency at the DSs' school to put younger siblings in the same groupings as older siblings, but they can't always keep them all together.

SoupDragon, good to know that I am not the only once who has got upset about their child bewing split from their friends. Although, at first I have been sure that this wasn't the best thing, I am now changing my mind and hope that this slip will enhance frendships

There were 2 boys that DS2 went to nursery with in his reception class. His closest group of friends in the class are all non-nursery boys!

We had no choice either - it's not something I'd make a fuss about. Partly cos I wouldn't want to make a name for myself! I'd only comment if I really thought the choice would have a signficant negative impact on my ds.