Are any of your PRIMARY school children being TAUGHT the work of the next year???????

[drosophila]

Just wondering how common this is. DS is being taught yr 4 stuff even though he is yr 3. It is one of those schools that has one mixed class per year. I am having some serious doubts about the school and wondered if this is something that I should value or not.

What do you mean by "one mixed class per year". Is his class a mix of year 3 and year 4 children?

I've taught mixed aged classes, and may be able to help, but could do with a bit more info.

Don't know how it works in England but in Scotland we don't have one set of work which is to be taught to one year group.

Here children are taught depending on their stage (and not on their age). So there is no such thing as 'yr 4 stuff'.

My kids have always been taught a year up for at least maths, if not for more subects.

I think it is a good thing - it is how the school differentiates. They obviously have to decide what they do when the child reaches the top of the school - probably a small break-out group.

I've has this all through the school years with my son and DD to some extent but it all stops when they go to senior school. My DD has had to repeat a lot of her work in YR7 so that the class were all at the same place!!

Yes, my DD takes most of her classes with hte year above.

drosophila, dd1 is in a mixed p6/p7 class (Scotland) and being taught p7 work - however this is a deliberate decision by the school and us as she outperforms most of the p7s! It suits her better as they are able to give her work at an appropriate level, and she won't be "repeating" it next year as the curriculum will be different (except perhaps for things like maths, where they will move her on to secondary stuff).

I would guess that if your ds is being taught yr4 stuff then it is because he a)can already do all the y3 stuff and b) can competently work at a y4 level. If this is the case, then I wouldn't see a problem; however if it is having a negative effect on him then I would be asking questions of the school.

Yes, every year there is one mixed class e.g.about 15 kids from yr1 and 15 kids from yr2 form a class and this continues all the way through the school. SO DS went from yr 2 into a yr 3/Yr4 mix. He had previouls been with the same teacher for 2 years in a mixed class. Initially as a yr 1 kid in a yr 1/2 mix and then as a yr 2 kid in a yr 1/2 mix. He has been in a mixed class for three years. The past 2 years he had a fantastic teacher so was quite happy. I have no opinion about this year. He has been with the same 15 or so kid all along so at least that is good.

Apparently he has been taught about a yer above for some time now which on the ewhole I am inclined to think is good but there are serious social issues in the school which is making me ponder.

I started to worry if he moved to a school that didn't have the mixed class scenario would he find himself repeating a lot of work?

But miaou, you don't get 'P7 work'. Children are taught according to their stage. And it perfectly normal that some P5 and P6 kids will be further ahead than some P7s.

No you are right pointy; but I was just explaining using the language of the OP - tbh I'm a bit fuzzy on how the English system works! It's shorthand for saying that she is working at the level of the p7s in her class (and sometimes above). The way I see it, she is fortunate to be in a school and an education system that allows her to work at her own level

I think the confusion arises from confusing age with stage.

Hi Drosophilia

When children are in mixed aged classes, they are probably taught on a 2 year rolling programme. This means that one year, the whole class will be taught the content of the Yr 3 curriculum (but differentiated up for the more able Yr 3s, and Middle to more able Yr 4s. The lower ability year 4s would sit comfortably within the normal Yr 3 differentiation.

The following year, the whole class will be taught the content of the Yr 4 curriculum, differentiated up for the more able yr 4s, and down for the middle and lower ability Year 3s.

Mixed age classes certainly give the more able children in the lower age group the chance to be stretched. The challenge for a teacher is always how to continue stretching those children when they are the more able children in the higher age group. It would depend entirely on the school you were thinking of transferring him to as to whether they would challenge him sufficiently. I don't think you can generalise.

I really enjoyed teaching mixed age classes because even though it can be hard work to get the differentiation right for a wider range of children, you have the added bonus of children with a wider range of emotional maturity and you tend to find the more mature ones (no matter which year group they are in), giving support to the less mature children.

I can honestly say that I taught to each child's ability and would have been hard pressed to say whether children were in year 3 or year 4. It just didn't matter.

What are the social issues that concern you? Is it thoughout the school, or just in Key Stage 2?

There is a large strict muslim population and one of his friends told him that he could never got to his home or vice versa as we are not muslim. He was very sad about this.

About half his class are strict muslims and if you factor in the he is only with 15 of his peers his friendship circle is tiny. Friends he made have left the school and other friends have their houses up for sale. He doesn't complain but when asked who he would invite over for tea he struggles.

Accademically I think he is doing ok but sicially I worry. I now have to weigh up the impact of moving him if I were to even get offered another school.

I think that's really sad and says more about the kid's parents than about being a muslim - It should not be an issue, especially at that age. Lisa x

dd is taught with the next year up for numeracy and literacy and then with her own year group for most other things.

I don't think mixed classes are that uncommon and not even knew, I was in a mixed year group 30 years ago.

That is sad.

DD2 is currently in a mixed Year 1/Year 2 class (she is Year 1) and seems to be enjoying it. We'll have a parents' evening after Half Term and I'll get the chance to find out more then. ATM I am wishing her teaching would be a bit less rigid about which work is for which year... So, eg, dd has to learn four spellings a week. The Year 1 words so far have all be CVC words, or words like 'it', 'is' and 'a'. DD2 knows these very well already and can work out CVC spellings for herself. I suggested that she also copy down and try to learn the Year 2 spellings (even if just for fun... not to do the test at the end of the week) but she insists she wouldn't be allowed to do that. (This could be dd2 looking for an easy life, though...!)

Hope you get things sorted out, drosophila.

I would talk to his friend's mother - I've never heard that muslims are not allowed to have non-muslim friends to tea. Is it possible that the friend is a wind-up merchant?!

There are only mixed year groups in my sons school and it works as Littlefish said. My son has really enjoyed the school and being with older children has been a good influence on some of his behaviour.

As every class is mixed they feed the older Yr1's into the next class up term by term. It depends a bit on how many are in the school, friend groups and how well the child is doing. Not just academically but how the child is coping with sitting down and listening.

'I've never heard that Muslims are not allowed to have non-muslim friends to tea. Is it possible that the friend is a wind-up merchant?!'

Don't think so. I invited him to birthday party last year and he didn't show nor did I get a 'cannot attend' note from parents.

His teacher told me they were very good friends too. Most of the Muslim people at his school are Somalian refugees so perhaps not as integrated as more established Muslims. It's very sad really. There are a couple of Somalian women who help with the PTA and stuff and they act as a bridge with the other families. Language is a big divider obviously.