Y7- mid term form group shuffles

[AiryFairy1]

Three weeks into the second term of Y7 the head of ks3 has shuffled a few kids between the form groups, my child being one of them.

I just want to ask how usual this is to happen 3 weeks into the term? We heard via the grapevine that some movement was happening and we wrote to the head of ks3 on Wednesday to say our child is settled, performing well and has friends in the class so please take this into consideration. Got an email back to say they won’t move him but some of his friends might be moved.

Found out yesterday, HE’s the one being moved and his best friend is not- literally the worst outcome!

There was an email from head of ks3 to all Y7 parents on Thursday to say there would be some changes but we should be reassured they would take each child’s needs etc into consideration.

Ive also heard that the class my kid has been moved into is the ‘rowdy’ one and what I think they done is moved him there to ‘be a good influence’ - he’s quiet, has great attitude to learning, top grades in most of his subjects etc and I am now very worried this will all change.

I would also appreciate some advice on a course of action - wait and see what the new class situation is actually like, write back to head of ks3 to say (politely) WTF, request a meeting with head of ks3, or someone else, head of academic/ deputy head, or what? Right now I feel like going completely nuclear!

My kid is so polite and said he’s ok with the change, but when DH asked if he had a magic wand and have his true heart’s desire, he said he’d rather have stayed in the original class 😢

I'd email school and say you are very unhappy not to have had discussion prior to the move and ask why your child specifically was moved.

Express that you feel they have disrupted your child's settling in and you are very concerned.

I would go above head of year for this as presumably the head of year oversaw the decision.

This is normal.

Secondary schools work hard to try to get a balanced set of form groups for year 7 but inevitably when the students actually arrive at the start of year 7 some make the transition better than others.

Some students are described by their primary as having significant needs and are actually perfectly fine, other students are described by their primary as totally fine and then don't cope well with the transition.

It's normal to make adjustments a few weeks in.

Inevitably if they need to move some students because they (for example) are developing severe anxiety and need to move to be with some friends, then another child will be on the reverse side of that swop.

Having said that, if you have strong reasons for wanting your child back in the original group then do contact the school (probably the pastoral team in the first instance) and make your case.

Thanks for your responses, appreciate it!

It’s good to know it’s normal, and good advice re going above head ks3.

This is normal.

Movement is normal. Telling a parent they aren't moving your dc and then doing so without further communication isn't.

It is usually about balancing the cohort. At DC's school they were in sets for maths, English and science but all other subjects were with their form. They will have had time to assess the children and make decisions based on balancing out ability or separating some children who are more disruptive.

You can contact the school but to put your son back into his original form would mean moving someone else so might not be a straightforward swap but that is up to school to work out. You have nothing to lose by asking and I agree that contacting the pastoral team and maybe talking about his general happiness being paramount to you as parents and he was happy in his form.

Having a re-shuffle isn't unusual.
What seems to have gone wrong here is how they have communicated it. I don't feel that they should have told you that they wouldn't move your son, only to move him without any further communication with you.
It is now up to you what you do next. I do think you should contact them again to express your disappointment at how they have dealt with this. I am sure it is a communication break down but the outcome is that they have lied to you and your son and you need to be able to trust the school and their staff.
I doubt that they will re-do any aspect of the re-shuffle as that will just draw out the drama so, whatever happens, your son will remain where he is until the end of Yr7. You could ask for some information about when any future re-shuffles will take place - for example, is there one at the end of Yr7? You could also ask what support they are giving those who have been moved to re-settle?
What I would say is that around now in Yr7 is a real state of flux. Some children will have turned up knowing no one or very few others and clung to the first person who gave them a friendly look even though they may be completely incompatible or even damaging as friends. Others will be sticking with primary friendships but might find that one of those wants to move on. For all you know, it could be the parents of your son's best friends who have indicated that a move might help their son. It seems unlikely from what you say. What is more likely is that your son is seen as a child who will get on in any situation so is an easy one to move. In this scenario, the best you can do is see it as a compliment. One of my Yr10 DD's now best friends was moved into her form at the end of Yr7 & DD quite envies how, even now, this girl essentially has two forms and she found the move to different classes for GCSEs really easy as there was always someone she knew well in her GCSE class whereas DD had a smaller pool. I would also say to take rumours with a pinch of salt. DS moved schools at the beginning of Yr5 and, by the end of the third day, half a dozen parents had sought me out in the playground (most of whom I'd never met) to warn me about this boy and his behaviour. I have no idea what it was, by DS never had an issue with this boy. They never became friends out of school and didn't play much together at playtimes but, in the classroom, got on fine together and ended up sat next to each other for all of Yr6 too.
I do feel for your son, though. It is really tough when something like this happens.

Thanks @roselilylavender this sums the situation up perfectly.
We sent DS to the school as his older sister is there and doing well, just assuming it would be good fit for him, but a term and a bit in, we’ve started wondering if it is the right option - DH thinks he should go to a grammar school, but not sure how likely that will be.
I digress … I will write to the school, but as you say, I won’t expect them to reverse their decision, and for DS benefit, I certainly don’t want to prolong the drama. I think DS is stoic enough to make a go of it, he’s an excellent lad!

DD1 has just transitioned to secondary and they were very upfront that they would be doing a reshuffle within this year, for all the reasons mentioned above - originally it was supposed to be after the October half term but it actually happened at the start of this term.

Your school has communicated badly about something that isn't unusual - you wouldn't be unreasonable to offer some feedback on that basis.

Our school doing do many lessons in Form groups.. so not an issue really at ours. They shuffle quite a bit

Yes, your son may be the type who gets on, so is easy to move. That is to suit the school!

I would be making clear that if he has been put into the “good influence “ category, you will closely monitor his (unwitting) feedback on his days regarding behaviour/learning and also his feelings about the class. And that if it’s having any detrimental effect on him personally or educationally, they will be moving him back.

I really disliked this attitude in school - I think children need to have their optimum friendship groups and learning circles to be their best, not have to “cope” with the less than ideal “problem” children.

Always advocate what’s best for your DS not the institution.

They confirmed they moved DS because he is a strong role model both academically and socially and they wanted rebalance the classes. They also said there could be further changes… we have politely expressed our concerns for DS and the way the matter was handled, but we are definitely monitoring the situation.

A week in, he seems to be ok, but then he’s not really one to complain and make a fuss, so we’re deploying all the casual, light touch interrogation skills we have atm!

We will be asking for feedback from the school nearer the end of the half term and to enquire whether any further changes are on the cards. In a polite way, but to indicate that we’re not just going to ‘forget’ about it and accept it.

Hi OP

Sounds like you have things under control. Good for you!