mixing classes

[Calliesmum]

My daughter is just finishing year 3. For the second year running the headteacher is mixing up all year classes (there's about 60 pupils in each year). This is happening in all years in the school. It is difficult to find any systematic rationale put forward by her to justify this practice.

I understand that annually mixing up classes is increasingly common.

Does anyone know of any evidence to show that this is helpful to the children?

Any pointer towards any research, evaluation or evidence on this would be most appreciated.

Thanks

I have tried to ensure that my daughter is NOT aware of my concerns. Indeed quite the opposite, the last thing I want is for her to be worried at all. Passing on one's own fears to a child is easy and I've no intention of doing that. I've asked her about what she's worried about (strict teacher/harder lessons/homework/growing up) and why she shouldn't be worried.

But it breaks my heart. I said it was great that she had her friend in class next year, but she told me that the won't be playing with her at playtimes because she always plays with another girl. So daughter is hoping that the one new girl in class will be her friend, bless her.

Kids are amazingly resiliant. But why deliberately annually destabilise their environment/friendships - when many kids home lives are already unstable (moving 5 time in 5 years/hubbie away a lot mean). Some kids do make friends easily. Others don't - so what is the impact on them?

I think it does matter that there should be supporting evidence before we mess about with a formative period in kids lives. And frankly heresay doesn't do it for me. Because for every 'happy to have lives thro mixing'parent, there is another who is deeply unhappy about the experience. So rather than exchange opinion, I'd like to hear some research. I'm begining to suspect there is none.

Not sure how one would even approach trying to "research" such an issue - how can you isolate the impact of mixing classes in the life of a child who does move frequently etc.

What you can probably find more research on is around managing children in the classroom, and the benefits of separating certain combinations of children. IME schools mix classes primarily for this reason, and if teachers are honest the main discussions around class lists focus on the more challenging children. The benefit of mixing for your child is therefore the class may be less disruptive that it would otherwise have been, but I'm not sure that you will get empirical proof.

I appreciate that you are after research, but I'm not sure that you will find what you're looking for. If your child is experiencing significant social problems at school then can't you approach the school and ask for specific support for her?

I understand mixing up classes to get a better balance. But why not do so on an as and when basis - rather than every class, every year?

I'm asking because I'm not the only parent who is concerned about their child. I'd say it's about 50:50 between the parents concerned about their kids. Rather than see who can should the loudest I'd like to have some more information about the justification of this process.

The head isn't interested in moving kids back at all, their is no route of appeal. Neither the kids nor the parents were consulted about mixing the classes again (so, kids weren't asked about friends). It's very much as case of this is my school I'll rule as I choose. None of the teachers are prepared to talk about the mixing.

So, it really is just about class control? This was vehemently denied at the time the decision was announed.

It would be weird if my dd was the only one whose homelife isn't beautifully stable. I think moving, illness, parents splitting up, death, sibling rivalry, economic problems etc happens to everyone. I could I suppose make her feel really isolated, and try and get her moved - as the only child in the school to be moved. Don't think this is the way forward tho.

I don't expect the school to take responsibility for my problems - but I don't see that it is their job to unnecessarily make life harder for the kids along the lines 'life is hard get used to it' motive. If it is simply about making it easier to teach the kids, then lets have that honesty.

I think the quote from the Head is outrageous. Children benefit from stability at home and at school. I really think mixing classes every year is very unsettling for the children and serves no benefit at all.

Ds school is 2 form entry and divides the children by age in reception then mixes them up for yr 1 and again for yr4. I think this is ideal. Any more mixing would be too much.

Every class, every year?

Yes, moving lots of time is unusual. Other stuff, like parents splitting, isn't unusual. There's lots of stuff that the head isn't privy to, but which impacts on a kids life. Forcing a child, who may already have other stuff be happening, to mix with a different bunch of kids each year isn't I don't think necessarily beneficial. Yes, she knows 59 other kids. She's now back to one that she'd like to play with, but probably won't.

Other parents comments from her class are:-

• I think it's unnecessarily disruptive for the children, and that there should be some continuity in their school life.

• The children should always be looking forward to returning to school after the summer break.If the class is changed each time i think it is very distressing for them, just like starting school all over again.This has to affect the way of learning and confidence as not only has the class mix up changed but they have to get used to the new teacher for the new year,class room etc.

• I really wish she did not have the worry last year, this year and for her remaining primary school years when there are so many other things for them to think about.

• my son has struggled since reception to make strong bonds - the class mixing has just made it much harder for him

... and the latest comment back re my dd's class is again unfavourable (I've printed the only favourable comment aready):-

"With the exception of one child, my son has been separated from all his other friends and is now with the 3 children he has consistently had issues with. He is very miserable about the mix and I worry that his anxiety will interfere with his learning."

My kids' school mixes the primary classes every year, their rationale is that they want to treat them as a "year group" rather than separate classes (2 form entry). The kids regularly work in literacy and numeracy groups that are composed of kids from both classes, and they seem to naturally play across classes in the playground - I guess beccause they all know each other quite well.

It originally seemed strange to me as none of the UK schools my kids had been in did it, but it does seem to make the kids more of a bonded group. The problem of course is when people aren't used to it and it's introduced further up the school. Hope it works out for you.

On the one hand, I don't see that this is like life at all: I have the same dh year after year, I have the same colleagues, the same boss, the same friends, more or less the same neighbours. The government doesn't pop over to make sure I change my friends every year- well, not yet, anyway . Of course big upheavals happen to adults, but it's rarely considered to be such a necessary or positive thing.

On the other hand, our experience was that since children are set for ability, classes actually don't mean that much: half the time they are working with their friends from another class anyway. And they can always meet up at breaktime. My dcs have not lost a single friend over this.

Here in France it is usual, standard practice to mix up the classes every year, albeit keeping small groups of friends together.

In my DD's school they do at least try to match the children to the teacher's style and personality.

DD's class teacher says it prevents children getting stuck in unproductive relationships with their peers. I tend to adhere to this. It is easier to prevent bullying and intimidation by remixing classes.