Does this happen in all schools?

[spangles]

There was a meeting last week at DS school. He is in reception class and due to the low number of children starting in Sept... not enough for 2 classes but too many for 1 class, they are going to keep back 5 children who havent reached their targets and put them with the new children in reception class. When they have reached their targets they will continue to be taught in the reception class to "make up numbers. This is also happening in year 1 too. Does this happen routinely in schools... I just wondered because I havent heard of this before.

We have something similar happening next year for the first time at DD's school. They will still have 3 classes in reception, but haven't got enough children for three classes in years 1 and 2. It's ended up with there being 2 classes in year 1, two in year 2 and then a mixed class of years 1 and 2. DD will be in the mixed class as one of the year 1s.

We've been told that 70% of the local primary school have to do this, although it is the first time for this particular school. We were also told that it is normal to have a wide span of ability within any single class, so a teacher is usually teaching and trying to accommodate children working at 3 different levels.

I guess we just have to wait and see how it pans out. They have taken the most 'mature' children from reception to be in the mixed class, which has meant they are all girls, but the older children will be a variety of abilities.

One of our local infant schools operates mixed Reception/Year 1 and/or Year 1/Year 2 according to intake numbers. Not sure how they select who is in which though. Initially I think on age or where in school year they start/go full time.

Our school also operates this policy, reception classes are smaller and made up of only reception children but from year 1 onwards each year has a single class and a mixed yr1/yr2 class. They do not however chose only on academic ability but try to have a mixture in each class of boys and girls, older/younger children and they also ask the children to write the names of three friends on a piece of paper and they will ensure they are placed with at least one of those friends. Academic ability probably comes into it somewhere. DS1 has to date always ended up in a single year group, ds2 will find out on Friday which Yr1 class he will be in. Think there are advantages and disadvantages to both classes tbh but it is certainly common to have mixed classes.

It does happen in a lot of schools now. Because there are legal limits on class sizes, small schools no longer have so much flexibility if they have a large-birth-rate year to accommodate, then a smaller one.

My boys go to a large, over-subscribed primary school. One of the (many) advantages is there are no mixed-age classes: two full classes (30) per year right through.

I am worried by this set up but dont really know why I am worried IYKWIM. I suppose its because it wasnt like this when I went to school (same school as DS) He is a bit of a handfull and every teacher/ nursery nurse thats ever had anything to do with DS agree that he does much better when he gets one to one attention. Think I am worried that he will get less attention than he is getting at the moment and therefore will be able to run riot in the class room.

I too will find out on friday which class DS will be in

DDs school is mixing classes this year in the infants.
She is going to be year 1 in a year 1/2 classroom.
As well as having 2 teachers this will interesting!

Had a meeting about dd2 starting school and for the first time there will only be one reception class (intake gone from 55 this year to 33 in September) apparently local schools are all similar .
So they will be combining Nursery with Reception and 2 1/2 teachers + support staff and will spread over the 3 classrooms and other areas so from this POV combinining should work.
I'm not that comfatable with yrR and Yr1 sharing though as they are such different years.

I've not heard of nursery and YrR combining before Nikkie, but I agree that's a better approach than yrR and Yr1.

Having 33 in a year sounds like a bit of a nightmare though, as they'll have problems with "the 3" every year all the way through.

Huge falling rolls atm here though, from current yr6 down every year is much smaller than the one before. Have you seen the figures? Scary!

From DD1 (will be yr2)at 60 in the year to dd2 (will be yr R) at 33 MASSIVE drop in 2 years.
Dd2s playschool very nearly shut over this and is at risk in September again

I hadn't realised there were four primary schools there. Do you think one will have to close eventually?

They've promised an announcement about secondaries in September, which is sorely needed, as the uncertainty is apparent when working in school.

Are you still at the school you were at before?

We have mixed classes but it's because the intake is 70. Because in infants you can only have 30 in a class there are 2 30 children reception classes and 10 receptions go into a mixed reception/yr1 class.

After reception they can go into either reception/yr 1 class, a straight yr 1 class or a yr 1/yr 2 class. Then in yr 2 they can go into one of two year 2 classes or the yr 1/yr 2 class. Then from yr 3 onwards there are just 2 classes.

They've always operated this way so it must work for our school anyway. It's a very good school with outstanding results so it's not worrying me.

Ds1 is in reception now and we'll find out on 17th which class he goes into as a yr 1 - the yrR/yr1, the yr1 or the yr1/yr2. I wouldn't be happy if he went in with yrR but I don't think he will - happy with either of the other classes.

Roisin-Yes still working there, at least we are safe.I think the primarys near us are safe as one is catholic, one includes sn and the others are too far apart to combine.I think secondary wise ours is safe too as we are too far from the next one (AB-think that will be the one to go though )