Siblings in same class different year

[Weaverbird]

Can anyone share their experiences of having two siblings in the same class, but in consecutive years. My DS & DD are at the small local primary school that doubles up years 1&2, 3&4, 5&6. Last year for the first time they were in the same class (year 1&2 together) DS is older by 19 months and a Autumn born baby and DD is year below and summer born. DS is thriving and doing well. DD believes she is rubbish and the worst reader and writer in her class. DD's self esteem really took a dive in this shared environment, but DS is doing fine. DS makes comments like "oh I thought you'd be better then that" or "cor - you can't spell egg - that's easy ". They are currently in separate classes. DS continues to do well, DD is slowly recovering her self esteem and making progress. Come September they will both be back in the same class again (different teacher). I have concerns that this shared teaching environment has contributed to DD's diminished self esteem and that it may well take another dive next year, when the teaching gears up. I am considering what I can do, including switching DD to a different school.

I guess switching is an option. I knew of two families in the YR 3/4 class I volunteered in and both sets of siblings were fine. The differentiation of work for each year group was excellent though and the teaching ran really well. It too was a small village school with about 70 pupils. Both sets of children were very placid children though; one boy/girl and the other both girls and both of the older two, were very sensible and caring towards the younger two.
Could you not speak to your DS and explain that although they're in the same class, doesn't mean they do the same level of work and that DD needs encouragement etc. He might just be letting eveyone know he's the dominant sibling and I'm sure if you speak to the teacher, he'll calm down.

My two children are in a mixed Reception/Yr1 class. They are 14 months apart - both spring term babies. I was concerned at the start of the year about how they would get on together. They had been in the preschool unit together for a term during which time the teacher thought my youngest was very quiet. It wasn't until the oldest moved to the main school that she believed me when I said the youngest was an outgoing chatterbox.
They have got on fine in their mixed class. They often choose to sit together at carpet time, choose to work together when yr1's have to pick a reception partner etc. The oldest is doing very well at school, working beyond the rest of the class. The youngest is also doing well but is probably more of a just above average child. At home we have had a few episodes of teasing by the older one when the youngest is struggling to read a word or something but I guess this would happen if they were in seperate classes. At school they are taught in seperate groups most of the time and I'm not aware of any issues. The benefits are that I only have to see one teacher at parents evening, they get invited to the same parties and I get to know everything that has happened at school as they compete with each other to tell me. They will be together again next year in a Yr1/Yr2 class with a different teacher. I'm guessing next year will be less play based and will involve more whole class teaching but a good teacher should be able to differentiate between the two year groups. I think a tougher time is had by the twins in the class.

We have this, dd1 and dd2 are in consecutive years in a small village school. They were together last year for yr3/4 and will be again next year for yr 5/6.

It's not ideal, it's the one real problem I have with our small village school, but it is our local school, the only one in walkable distance and which most of the local children go to.

It's hard as dd1 is fairly average, academically, and dd2 is very good, so in a class together dd2 is actually above dd1 academically. Last year the teacher negotiated this rather carefully, they were both in top groups but squabbling so she rearranged groups to put them in different groups. I think next year will be harder as dd2 is further ahead now, I think, it would be harder to pretend she's not. But at least it's just one more year and then never again. I hope dd1 doesn't mind. but neither of them would want to move school, in general they are very happy there.

I agree it must be pretty hard for twins who have a sibling so constantly with them.

Hi

Thanks for your responses. It's hard to unstitch what is different attitudes to learning and what is a factor of competititve DS exerting himself. Maybe problem is DD learns in a different way to one's offered at this school, alongside class sharing. Completely agree on the twin thing.
Shall continue to monitor and consider.

remind your DS he is almost two years older and that two years earlier he couldn't do lots of things either.

This is going to happen to me, too. Son 1 has a Jan birthday, currently in reception, doing very well.
Son 2, born end of August, currently in nursery.

They are together at the moment as school has combined nursery + reception, but it's only for the morning and the academic thing hasn't really started yet.

I guess I'm hoping that the teachers know what they are doing with classes like this and can differentiate effectively.

My experience was that although it was a bit of a novelty for the first few weeks, after a bit they ignored each other and it was fine.

There was a mentoring system in the class whereby each child in the lower year had an mentor in the upper year, which worked well as DD1 had a different young one to mentor, and DD2 had a different older child to go to if she needed help.

Would your school consider that?

This would be my idea of a nightmare because as Fennel dd3 is very academically able and ahead of dd2. There is a possibility that they end up in the same class but I'm hoping that it doesn't happen!

I have three in the same class in our village school and they don't seem to work together much. I think your son is just trying to boost his own confidence.

I have two boys in the same class, DS1 is 7 and in year 2, DS2 is 5 and in Year 1. They now also have the additional complication that DD (who is 4) has just started in Reception, and as the Foundation Phase in Wales covers up to Year 2 all three do group work together!

Most of the time DS1 and DS2 ignore each other. There isn't that much competition between them, and they have their own sets of friends.

The only time we have potential problems is when DS2 tries to "explain" work to DS1. Especially when it turns out he knows how to do it! And sometimes if they are set the same homework DS1 will scoff at DS2 taking longer over it. But this would probably happen with siblings even if they weren't in the same class.

Last year there were two sisters in that same class, and the year before two brothers. There is also a set of twins in DS2's year. So I think the teacher is well used to sorting out sibling rivalries