I told myself I wouldn't mind if it happened, now it has and I do mind.

9 replies

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 06/07/2007 16:06

DD(6) has got her class allocation for enxt year and rather than going up to a Yr2 class, she is been put in a mixed Yr1/Yr2 class. She's currently in a Yr1 class.

So she won't know 60% of the kids in her class, I don't know yet if any of her close friends will be with her. I hope they will. I'm bothered from a social point of view rather than an academic one. In her report they said she wasn't very confident speaking out, etc - well I don't think putting her with kids she doesn't know is going to help her confidence. I don't know, maybe they think her confidence will improve if she's one of the oldest???

OP posts:

annh · 06/07/2007 19:30

Were you aware that she could go into a mixed class? Our school has an intake of 45 so every year the classes are mixed. But the children all know that this may happen so are prepared. They also all play together and seem to mix between year groups anyway so there really aren't any issues with not knowing other kids. I would focus on the fact that she DOES know half of the class and that she will very easily find out who the others are - if she doesn't already know.

lilolilmanchester · 06/07/2007 19:35

you know, MNetter-with-too-long-a-name-to- type, this might actually help her confidence because she'll be one of the older ones in the class and the yr1s will look up to her. Maybe you focus on this over the summer and tell her how the younger ones will be feeling nervous going into a class with Yr2s and they'll need the big girls like her to look out for them?

Original poster

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 06/07/2007 21:14

I think thats a good idea about telling her to help the younger ones, she'll like that. Found out her best friend is in the same class so I'm feeling better now. Thanks.

OP posts:

southeastastra · 06/07/2007 21:15

i just posted the exact same thing tonight skss

WedgiesMum · 06/07/2007 21:26

Just to put in my two penny worth. My DD who is now 6 first went to school at a completely different infant school to the one we planned (complicated reasons!!) I was really worried as she knew none of the other children in her class (there were nearly 30 of them) when the others had been at nursery together, there were also another 2 classes in her year, and she knew none of those children either. She is lovely but can be very shy with people she doesn't know and was not at all confident about speaking up in public.

Reception went fine, then in Year 1 they were completely mixed up into three different classes and only with 1/3 of the children they had been in class with - and her best friend went to another class. Boy did I panic!!! Y1 has been a complete triumph! she has risen to the challenge, made friends with a completely new set of children and has completely bloomed. It has done wonders for her confidence and she is so much more self possessed and self assured. Now it is sometimes hard to stop her speaking up for herself!

I know it is not quite the same situation but I hope it helps how you are feeling. I'm sure your school have done it this way with the best of intentions for your DD and I hope that she has a fabulous Y2.WMxx

Christie · 06/07/2007 21:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

funkimummy · 06/07/2007 21:45

Hi Stripey, I'd speak to the school about it. If you're open and frank with them about your concerns, then they will either tell you why they've done it i.e because they think it will improve her social skills etc, or they will put her in the yr 2 class.

saadia · 06/07/2007 21:49

I know it's not the same thing but when ds went from nursery to Reception he was not put with his best friends and he cried a lot when we went for the initial visit to his classroom. Initially he was quite unhappy, the teacher even said that he always looks so sad and friends suggested that I ask for him to be moved. I didn't.

Anyway, now, at the end of the year he has settled in really well, is very happy and it has been really worth it. I think that with less confident children it might be better for them to be separated from people they "depend" on so that even though they might go through a sad/lonely phase, they do learn to open up a bit more. I hope that will be the case with your dd.

dayofftomorrow · 07/07/2007 09:06

academically etc make sure you know exactly what she is doing in class as it is all too easy for the teacher to concentrate on the younger children who she needs to get through the initial stages of reading.
You might find she is just repeating the year as DS seemed to do when he was in this position and when he returned to the straight y3 class the following year had missed great chunks of work that the other half of the class could do

With hindsight I would have just taken him out but I was naive then and didn't know who to ask

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