Year 3/4 classes and a bright child

[lovecheese]

DD is finishing year 2, and will go into a mixed 3/4 class in September. We haven't had any information yet about how this will work with regards to ability streaming as they usually hold a parent's evening early on in the new term, but I just want to get my head around how it might be done now.

Has anyone got any experience of this kind of scenario? Was your child grouped with year 4's for literacy or numeracy? were there any drawbacks?

Thanks.

I do love the term bright child its so mn.

Oh and yes to first and no to second.

I have discounted the original first question as if I didn't have experience I wouldn't have answered.

DD1's been in mixed age classes, including the ones where she was in the older year, since she started in Reception. There is setting (different from streaming, and it's setting I think you are talking about) in different subjects. Everyone seems fine. I expect you could call DD1 bright, really.

Ok then, would it be better if I had called her a clever clogs in my title?

Lovecheese, will your DD be with the whole Y4 cohort or are some Y4 moving up with Y5?

I think this makes a difference, I think the former is better than the latter for your clever clogs as she will then be streamed with the bright Y4s possibly.

RaisinHell years 5 and 6 are separate ie. no year 4's will be moving up with year 5.

Lovecheese, I think this will be ok then. My clever clogs DS is going to be in a mixed Y2/3 class but not with the entire Y3 cohort just the lesser able third or so. I can't see any benefit to him of this arrangement and I am worried

RaisinHell, is it the norm to mix key stages? Sorry, brain freeze today - blame the wine last night - is your son currently in year 1?

DS was in composite classes all through primary - the teachers always grouped by what level the children were at, not by age, so each group could contain a mix of ages/years. There were no drawbacks, as the teachers made sure that everyone got appropriate work.

It will prob be fine in your case. If the year 3/4 class just had some of the less able year 4's it could be not so good.

It's the same at our school lovecheese. Ds1 just finishing year 2 as well, and going to a mixed 3/4 class. He's been doing y3 work this year in maths and literacy, just given different tasks but still working in the same classroom as his year group, so next year won't be too different. He'll even have the same teacher (big staff switch round).

Aren't all Mumsnet offspring bright, on very high reading levels, verging on Gifted and Talented,????

I work in a Y3/4 class that is mixed on core groups of 15 not ability or age. The children are placed into core groups of 15 and move through the school sometimes in a mixed class and sometimes with their normal year group (it is a 45 intake).

The children are regularly assessed and moved around according to literacy / numeracy ability.

In general there is a Year 4 table and a Year 3 table and then 2 tables of mixed year groups.

The recent end of term assessments showed the class had a couple of children barely at 3A level and 2 brighter Year 4's at Level 5!

The teacher just has a massive job in differentiation. She tailors the lessons to ask different questions of the children of different abilities and also hands out different work when they go back to their tables.

It appears to have worked very well from my point of view (although I won't truly know until my own children experience being in the Y3 of the Y3/4 class in 2 years.

Why the sarky post cocyx? No need.

I have 3 DC; the eldest struggles with maths, the youngest has only just started nursery and all that I am bothered about with that one at the moment is whether she clocks other children round the head, and the middle one is a very able girl

My ds is currently yr3 in a yr 3/4 class and has been working with a yr 4 group for maths through the year - it has worked really well.
The problem is when they are the older of the year groups, eg last year in a yr 1/2 class he went into the yr 3/4 class for his maths, and we will have the same issue next year when he is yr 4.

I think for more academic children being the younger yr group in a mixed class has big advantages, but the not being the older yr group.

I agree with what ChasingSquirrels said - DD had a great time in a year 1/2 class when she was in year 1, as she could work with the year 2s. The following year was rather more boring for her, and then I changed schools as I could see this happening every other year (her old school did mixed year 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6).

Lovecheese-she's not being sarky.It's a standing joke that MNers DC are always very bright or -the- -best- -at- -being- the worst.No one can stand their child to be mediocre or average!

Lovecheese, I don't know if it's the norm to mix key stages but to me it doesn't seem like a great idea. Yes my DS is currently Y1, he will be going to a mixed Y2/3 class with the lesser able kids of Y3, so like didcot1 says above I don't see how he will benefit. I just hope it will come good the following year when if they do the same as this year he will be in a Y3/Y4 class as a Y3 with all of Y4.

At my DC's (small) school they have composite classes, so DS1 has spent the past year in a Year 3/4 class. He is in Year 3, but from early on was grouped with Year 4 as he is reasonably able. No drawbacks as far as I can see, as long as they continue to differentiate when he is in Year 4.

I found it the other way round chasing although my dd was probably on the cusp re ability. She coasted in the mixed age class but thrived in the singele age class but she did have 30 children in her composite class.

My DD is in a school that mixes classes throughout: they have R then 1/2, 3/4, 5/6. Being in y1 was good for her academically as she was grouped with y2s; rather than being bored in y2 it has been good for her confidence to be an older one. She's about to go into y3 and we will see!

My DS was in a mixed Y1/2 as a Y1, this year has been one of few Y2s in a mixed Y2/3 and next year will be a Y3 in a mixed Y3/4.

Its done on settings/ability/social and emotional development yadayada. I was worried about the Y2/3 this year as there was only one other Y2 boy, who isn't a particular friend. The teacher is also middling. But he's had a great year ( I think, get zero feedback apart from winning trophies etc ), has made some good friends and although he's working at a higher level than most the year above him, he's doing fine.

Its all about differentiation, which should happen in any class, mixed
years or not.

There have been a few issues with the KS1/2 split eg school discos/clubs and soon Sports Day etc where he is suddenly thrown back with people he isn't with in the classroom as he is technically KS1, but again he's an adaptable boy, and its been OK. The school say this is why he was chosen to be in the split.

any good teacher should differentiate - yes.
But is is undoubtedly must be more difficult when you have a mixed yr3/4 class with 34 children in total.

In our school it is split by age so a 1/2 class would be the older P1's with the younger P2's. In a straight class Ds2 was always one of the youngest but in a composite 3/4 he was the oldest. It was great for his confidence and he was often the "chosen one" to do any tasks.