Grouping according to ability in Reception

[FunnysInTheGarden]

Is this usual? DS is 4 and has just started Reception. He joined an established group of children who had all been to the schools nursery and so has taken time to find his feet.

They were all put into groups according to age in September, but have now been regrouped according to ability. DS has been moved 'down' a group as he 'wasn't doing very well' in his words. This seems all wrong to me and far to young to be grouping the children according to ability.

I spoke briefly to the teacher about it and she curtly told me that we knew this was going to happen and yes he had been moved down.

I'm actually quite cross, because she didn't mention it at parents evening last week, and the report she gave me didn't seem to reflect my little boy at all. His target was to learn to write numbers 1-5. He has been able to do this since he was 3, which I told her, and in fact when we got home he wrote up to 20 without any problem at all.

I will speak to the head I think, but just wondered if 'setting' them at this age was normal?

I wouldn't mind if the school provided the snack, but they don't. I just object being talked to like some imbecile who has no clue how to feed her child a healthy diet. I was told on the first day after sending DS to school with a normal lunchbox of sandwiches, cheese, yoghurt and breadsticks, that DS 'needs a healthy snack'. I was too to ask what was not healthy about the contents of his lunch. Tis the middle class obsession with fruit, I tell thee