Year 1 class allocation and complaint, teachers, governors, what are our chances please?

[hollybungalow]

our daughter goes to the village school and is in reception, it’s a great school and we haven’t had many reasons to complain. Until now.

We found out they were mixing the classes the day they chose to do it last week. This isn’t standard practice for them.

Our hold was placed in a class with no close friends and unfortunately a child from another class who has bullied her in an out of school setting. As they are separated currently we didn’t raise with the school as we didn’t know they were going to mix classes.
Our child feels things deeply and there has been a significant change in behaviour. She is convinced she is on her own and without friends because ‘no one chose her’ and it’s heartbreaking for us all.

Other than this i asked the teacher about how they allocated places and she shared who our child had chosen and honestly i was surprised who she had picked, one girl she knows but the other she has never mentioned.
The same day we got her school report and it wasn’t hers, it was for another child in her class with the same first name. Then the choices made sense and to me it’s clear there has been a mix up.

i raised with the head teacher and shared the out of school bullying and the view (backed up by the other parent) that we believed there had been a mix up. He is firm there are no circumstances what so ever (including physical bullying) that would cause him to change a child’s class. His view is that whatever happens ‘we work it out’

I didn’t agree and have raised a complaint with the governors and trustees.
Can anyone give me a view of how likely you think we are to succeed with our complaint and get our child moved class? ( there are 3 in the year and we would take any other than this one).
because of the timing, the only option we have for september is to put her in the class with the bully, keep her off and be fined or move schools. So keen to know how likely we are to succeed or if we chalk it up and get her in another school.

thanks x

They won’t change it - I speak from experience!

it will have been a decision only partly based on friendships. They have to balance:
-ability levels
-boys/girls
-summer born/older
-SEND needs
-other dynamics you won’t be aware of

its worth making a fuss, though - this will flag that your daughter will need support in September with friendships and the bullying issue.

im so sorry I can’t be more positive!

Hmmm. I feel for you OP, it's so hard to see our children upset. I honestly don't know what your chances are of effecting change with your complaint - in my experience they close ranks when challenged over something the head has already decided.

I'd be seriously researching other schools. Maybe you won't need to use that option, but at least you'll know what your exit strategy would be.

We’ve had similar where our DS was separated from his closest friends. School wouldn’t give much away for reasoning so we have just had to trust their judgement. As it turns out, it has opened up additional friendship groups and increased his resilience in new unexpected situations. I don’t think you are being unreasonable in wanting your child to be away from the bully. I would go back to the school and explain how upset it is making your child feel and how you want them to enjoying school and looking forward to going not sobbing their heart out every night. This is the line that made our teachers really sit up and listen. No one wants a child to feel like that.

Would they have to move another child to accommodate your daughter? I guess this could make it tricky for the school to change the plan now.

Governors won't overturn the class decision for your DD - it's an operational issue. They would privately get involved, particularly if the head said/has made policy that he will never change classes.

Does the other parent want to be in your class e.g. your child is Suzie A and their child is Suzie B and you think they were mixed up?
There's a small chance you could push swapping if so. Otherwise they are unlikely to change things unfortunately, as they would have to move another child, plus it sets a precedent.

Governor here. Sorry OP but I don’t think they’ll change it.

I had similar with DS a few years back. Because of numbers it was a mixed age class and crap teacher (told them things which were actually wrong). One of the other parents went to see the HT and was fed a pack of lies. Unfortunately the head just dug in and said no changes.
I decided to remove DS and he thrived.

This. (Governor x2)

I can see why you’d want to raise this and I think you’re right to.
but what would you do if it was a one form entry school?

they are only very little and things change and shift rapidly, definitely friendship groups.
On the bullying side you could see how it goes - summer holidays are quite a chunk of time for a 6 yr old.

This happens all the time and is normal to move kids around for the various reasons that others have posted about - it is very normal to be separated from friends. They won’t change it and is it worth being that parent?

The governors aren’t there to get involved in class lists.

I think you need to take a step back. Your child isn’t necessarily going to be bullied. If they are the school has policies and procedures to deal with it. The head has said they will never chnage so it won’t change.

thank you all. It’s a low birth year so plenty of spaces in all classes.
Other parent agrees it’s clear there has been a mix up but isn’t pushing.
If we had shared the out of school bullying, would they have made a different choice?

I will always be ‘that’ parent for my child if they are unhappy. No shame or regrets. Why would you not be?

Can i ask why?
there has clearly been an administrative error, do they just not want to admit it and sweep it under the carpet?

No, but it is not the governors' job to get involved in operational issues like this. Your only method to sort it would be through school staff.

thank you. we viewed another school today and were honest about our situation and they reassured us. We’re just so sad for our daughter, there is no good solution here it seems only choices She’d be in this class for the next 6 years with her bully and the blatant disregard for her in the current school make me feel the disruption in the short term to have a more collaborative teaching team is worth it x

Because it’s producing generations of entitled kids with zero resilience as their parents gave jumped in and cleared every hurdle for them, so when real life hits as an adult they fall down.

I'd have been a lot more cross about getting the wrong report. That's a data breach. But also it's an indication that they don't know one Emily from the other Emily after a whole year and I'd be furious about that too.

Because being a helicopter parent won’t help a child be resilient. There are levels and complaining to governors when they have no say and the head has said it will never change is being that parent. So complain and they say no and then what? Your councillor? Council? MP?

It’s important for a child to feel disappointed and learn to deal with it in life. I get you want to protect your child but it’s important developmentally that everything isn’t always easy and smooth (hence the no changing policy). A good majority of parents will
have some issue with the class lists- you won’t be the only one. You very young child will make new friends and I can almost guarantee that the friends now won’t be the friends next year if they stay in the same class.

Interesting. I have followed the recommended complaints policy and this is it. If it’s not the governors, who is it please?

I would also be making a complaint about the school report. If they have last names on that is a really bad data breach and must be reported. I’m a teacher and we would have big consequences for this. As PP said, it also seems like they’ve taught your daughter and another girl for a whole year and can’t tell the difference, that’s shocking.

respectfully and as someone who was bullied in primary school, its not about being a helicopter parent. You have made assumptions.
This child has put my child in hospital by holding her down and pushing poisonous caterpillars on her.
Pretty sure that’s not helping her learn to be resilient

The governors deal with complaints about how the school has acted. They don't take over operational decisions like class allocations. They can ask the head to investigate or reconsider if they think something hasn't been handled properly, but they can't make the decision themselves. You've followed the procedure correctly, but the head is the decision-maker on the class lists themselves.

they pick your nursing home 🤣

so am i wasting my time with this complaint? Also on it is the CEO and Chair of the trust but if they will default to the head teacher shall i cut my losses and move her?