Supporting 7YO Daughter with friendship struggles

[WestEndGirl222]

My Daughter is 7 and in year 3. She attends a very small village school with only 2 other girls in her year group.

When she started school, it was her and 1 other girl - let's call her A - and they became friends. The other girl - B - joined a year ago and they were all in class together when the children went back to school in March 2021. Lately, my Daughter has been getting upset and saying that A and B aren't playing with her and are leaving her out. The other day, they asked her something and then when she responded, they ignored her on purpose - she got upset and walked off crying. She's getting more bothered by it and today seemed really sad.

I just don't know how to support her or what to say/do for best.

I've recently also become aware that A and B have had playdates but, despite me knowing her Mum, we've never been asked for one.

I'm good friends with A's Mum so they do see each other a fair bit out of school. A is very confident and quite sassy - she will play with my Daughter nicely when just the 2 of them, but as soon as someone else is there to play with, she ditches my Daughter and I've seen a fair few occasions where she's ganged up with the other and been nasty to my Daughter, so makes me wonder what happens at school.

Any advice?

To add - it's B's Mum who has not asked us on playdates

Honestly, and I completely appreciate this may sound drastic, but is there another school she could go to? Three girls in the whole year group is such a tiny friendship pool. In Yr3 she still has quite a bit more time to go and if that's the class she's going to be with for the next three and a half years I'd be thinking about sending her elsewhere. (I guess the other obvious thing is if she likes and plays with the boys and if there's potential there but I know how fixed the gender divisions tend to be at this age and it seems sad there's so little possibility for her on the girl front.)

I probably should have mentioned that they are mixed year classes and when in the playground, years 3 - 6 play together. It wasn't really an issue when she was in yr 2 as the infants reception/yr 1/yr 2 all used to play together and she'd just go and play with other girls from the younger year. Now in juniors, it's a bit different as the year groups are tending to stick together - I guess it's no longer 'cool' to play with the younger year.

She will play with the boys sometimes but she's not keen on the rough games they play and, as you say, they tend to stick to their own gender.

Yes things would have to be really bad for us to move schools - it's a lovely school and we're really pleased in all other aspects. Our Son also attends and is happy there. I like that we can walk to school too and there's such a nice community within the village and a big part of it is the parents/children knowing each other through school.

I don't think we've reached that stage - it feels a long way off and I think this can be resolved, I just feel out of my depth and not sure how to manage it. I'm waiting for an email back from the head about the playground incident the other and her perspective if there is a bigger issue between the 3 girls.

She was upset again yesterday as they had a school trip and the other 2 sat together on the bus. But...she was fine this morning and goes in happily every day. I just feel like I want to nip it in the bud before it escalates. Perhaps I should speak to the other Mums?