Ability grouping in primary school

[blackandwhitecat]

Just interested in whether and how your children are grouped in school from reception on. If they are grouped are they aware of where abouts they are in terms of rank? Are they given separate work?

Ours have coloured tables too. They have groups named after writers for Literacy, after shapes for Numeracy and the colours themselves for science and project work.

At our school children are fairly quickly sorted onto different 'tables' for differentiated work. Tables usually have names such as colours, animals, football teams or whatever. Usually different tables for literacy and numeracy work.

From Yr3 children are set for literacy and numeracy - two classes in each year group so one teacher takes higher set for literacy and lower set for numeracy, other teacher has lower set for literacy and higher set for numeracy.

I've seen the statistics, but based on my own observations as a student (long time ago) and a parent of a summer-born boy, I really don't think the age thing is as significant as many people think. I've helped out in classes with all 3 of my children over the last 10 years, and honestly the 'top' tables seem fairly mixed as to autumn, spring and summer birthdays.

My youngest (July birthday) is on the top tables for both literacy and numeracy, and those on the same tables as him include 2 June birthdays, 2 April, and 2 in the autumn term. My other children are Feb and March birthdays, and again there seemed no obvious correlation in their classes, both in terms of academic ability and emotional maturity.

Funnily enough, the 3 children I can think of who really really struggled with the whole settling in process were September birthdays, but I think that was just the way they were. Similarly, there is one girl we know who is an Aug 31 birthday and she has always seemed much much younger than everyone else. Again though, I think that is just her and her personality, not particularly the age thing. She is just a very 'babyish' girl in almost every respect, whereas other children born only a week or 2 before her seem so much older.

Hydrophobia, why does your child have to wait for others to catch up? Any decent teacher teaches to the child's ability not year grouping. All my children have at various times been doing work 1, 2 or 3 years ahead of what year group they were in, and that's not unusual, it often happens.

Older children, indeed any children, should not be held back.

I wouldn't put up with that Hydrophobia. My year 1 ds and one or two others have been getting their reading books from the year 2 shelves for a couple of months now. I think that's the norm in most schools. I would talk to the Head if you're not getting any joy from the class teacher.

Hyrophobia, def have a word with the teacher...ds 5 in reception has just leanred all the words for reception, Y1 and Y2, and is now moving onto his spellings...there is also a boy in his group who is doing YR2 written work (very bright boy), and a couple who are at the same stage as DS...

Ds1 is in whats called the 'blue' group- as far as I can gather (as the teacher doesnt really explain it much) it is the group with the highest ability in the class and they have extra work set for them. At parents evening we were told that academically he is a year above where he should be. As far as I am aware- the children in blue group are all pre-xmas birthdays- ds was already 5 when he started school.- so I take the teachers comments with a pinch of salt as Im sure by the age of 7/8- those younger childer will have caught up academically.

Ds2 however turns 4 next week and starts school this sept, therefore a year younger than his big brother- I honestly dont feel he is ready for it

Mine is in year one and they are grouped by table colour. The teachers have never told me where he is in the classs and my son doesn't seem to have any idea. Don't think he's interested LOL

He was put onto a different table recently, I have no idea if it was up or down. His take on the situation is it's interesting to be with different children

have been there before with DD(not quite such a problem as she is summer born and girls can cope with it more) teacher does what she can but limited as he is one in nearly thirty.

Apart from having his birth certificate changed to an august birthday there is probably not a great deal possible but will try teacher again for september as he also need to learn how to learn rather than coasting all the time

As for the table groupings the kids know exactly why each child is on a certain tables so giving them strange names doesn't hide anything

miljee you have hit the nail on the head. ds is 7 and in Y3. He will be 8 at the end of August. He is the only boy from Y3 left in Beavers.
Our junior school stream them for maths and literacy into top, middle and bottom groups. (3 classes per yeargroup so can stream into 3 levels)
Ds is in bottom stream for both. And on extra help for literacy.

No matter how hard I work with him at home, he always struggles. (it does not help that our Junior school is an outstanding one with very high levels being attained by the majority of the children)

Dd however is December born. She is 4 and will start reception in Sept. She is currently in nursery and has taught herself how to write her own name, and various other words. She is beginning to put letter sounds together and has started to read. She will be a 'top of the class' girlie. This is due to her birthday I am sure.

I don't think ds will ever 'catch up', because the rest of the class moves so fast. Just as he has caught up, they have moved on.

Sorry, have lost point of thread now, will stop rambling on

At my boys' primary they group them in tables according to ability from reception. In some classes they are colours, others they are dinosaurs, etc. They are very pro-active in providing differentiated work, in every lesson: so different tables will have different targets, and sometimes different worksheets, etc.

DS1 was blissfully ignorant of the nature of the different tables until well into yr2! (He was very inward looking at that age, and not very socially aware.)

DS2 had it all sussed out within a couple of weeks of being in reception

Tbh I think ds2 told ds1 about it!

Anecdotally I've just never experienced the summer birthdays thing: It's obvious in social things, but not academically IME. My boys are both summer birthdays, they've always been on the 'top table' and there's always been at least 1 if not 2 other summer birthdays there too. (Most often 50% of the 6 children on the table are summer birthdays).