DS moving into Y1 in a mixed year group class with Y2 - how does this work?

[Eggrules]

DS is in Reception and will be moving into Y1 in September. 15 of the most able/mature will move into a mixed year group class. The rest of the year will be mixed up/together (not sure).

I understand that teachers/ schools do differentiate work now. Since the start of Reception, DS and a few of his peers, have gone to Y1 for some literacy lessons. The two YR classes mix together really well and also take lessons in mixed groups. This has worked well so far. We have been told that the children will feel a change in gear in Year 1 with regard to the learning atmosphere.

What are the benefits of a mixed year group?
Is this hard on the Y2 children?
Has anybody had any positive/negative experiences?

In an ideal world of course we wouldn't use those words which is why I have put them in apostrophes.

HOWEVER that is how the children and the parents see it. I have seen three dcs go through this system and I think it is totally pointless, but cheaper than building two new classrooms I suppose.

Only how idiot parents see it?

It's not words my children use . DS1 was y5 in a y4-y5 class, DD was y4 in a y4-y5 class, they were still the years they were,never any doubt what year they themselves were. There was strict social division between the different year groups, too, DD says the y5 girls were particularly horrible to the y4 girls. DS was impressed by the y4 girls in his maths & English groups. But he still knew he wasn't y4.

Had the school not been willing to mix up the way they did, all class sizes would have been much larger, that was the alternative.

I am just glad I have left all the mixed classes nonsense behind. Middle School and High School are very straightforward.

It depends if they are truly mixed classes or if they are actually moved based on ability. I can understand children feeling they have been put up or down.

In DSs class it is very clear that only 5 Y1 children have been put up as they are in a Y2 class for everything so you can understand why parents or children would feel that way.

In my case 15 children will be mixed in an equal number of DC currently in the year above. Only 5 maximum are mixed now and I doubt other parents know who they are. Intake each year is 45 so this must be a space/ classroom issue.

YR Parents at my DS's school, definitely are desperate for their child to be put in the 'clever class'. [sigh]

This is the point I was making really, when it is not trly mixed it brings out competitive nature in parents - and at the end of the day if my DS wasn't one of the 5 that had been moved up I'd probably feel the same !!!

Especially if you had it shoved down your throat every single day with comments from the 'moved up Mums' accountants.

'How come he's not 'gone up' Sparkling, I can't believe that'
'My Little Jimmy has 'gone up' he would have been very upset to be 'kept down'.
'But then Little Jimmy is a genius, has a September birthday and the required personality you see'.

God thats awful Sparkling - the only reason other parents know is because the classroom doors are separate at home time. To be fair thd 'moved up mum' are lovely and pretty discreet, it took a while to figure out who the others were even.

Its not like the others are kept down - they are in their correct year group!

I really should let it go accountants. All is well now with everyone where they should be and the snotty Mum moved away.

I have found new things to moan about at High School.

I went ot a 45 intake school and was in the lower class each time, definitely thought I was being kept back, and actually didn't click that it was half and half, my child's ego thought it was mainly me. Avoided a 45 intake school locally for this reason but am seeing similar fallout among the mums of DD1s preschool friends who did choose this school, all gone a bit bonkers.

When I looked round the school I was show the mixed Y1/2 class and told it was by ability. I asked how the children feel about that andf the teacher said that regardless of the mixed age teaching, 'any child in any class would be able to tell you who is the brightest and the less able in the class'. I know that is not true for DD1 but she is a bit daydream-y. Also, a bit different to have it confirmed by your teachers so explicitly.

DS was in a mixed Y1/Y2 class.

There were only two classes in each year - so one class his age were solely Year 1 children , and the other half were mixed in with Year 2.

I think it worked well - he made as many friends with the older children, as the younger ones. He appreciated the more advanced workload too as was/is bright.

However, come Year 2 - it was hard to keep him stimulated as the work was all aimed at Year 2 - which was the level he had been working at the previous year.

I volunteer in a mixed yr/y1 class and the work is differentiated along those clear lines for certain activities although they mix them up by sheer ability for other things which they would do whatever class they were in. Can't parents just explain to their kids that not being moved to another class doesn't mean they are inferior instead of projecting their competitiveness on to their poor dc's?

Try explaining to a 5 year old that they have the 'wrong personality' to 'go up'.

shrimp - I am concerned about next year as Ds will be in a fully mixed 1/2 class as opposed to the Y2 class he is in now. I saw some of his work today and although it is lovely to see him doing well he is working towards the top end of Y2 levels (not top of the actual Y2s but level 2a/3c) so I do have major concerns that he will just 'stand still' next year.

That is not a stealth boast for anyone who says it but a genuine concern!!

Two of my local schools do mixed year groups from Y1 every other year all the way to Y6 because they have a funny number intake. It is done by age, not ability. It is one of the main reasons we didn't choose either school, it must make teachers' jobs harder IMO, having 30-35 children with up to 2-year age difference to manage and differentiate work for.

DD2 was the youngest in her Y2/Y1 class and moaned about it and moaned that she was split from her peer group (just happened that on age, ability and maturity the larger group of girls were more suited to staying with reception).
I don't know if it knocked their confidence. I suspect some Mums were annoyed. Certainly Sparkling i was very careful to say absolutely nothing.

I do know it did DD2 good, she and the other bright Y1 girl would have been unbearable at top of the YR/Y1 group as it was they had to work to stay with the middle of Y2.

The main long term effect has been that that year group (who fortunately haven't been split again) stick together like glue. Having determinedly remained friends that year they are incredibly loyal to each other.

They are now in Y6 and sadly will scatter over 4 different schools, the tears at the end of term will be awful.

accountants Yes, it is always going to go pear shaped using that method of class arranging - they can't end up mxing the year 2 children with year 3 and so on an don..

Ds is now 14 - so this was all a good while ago. However I do remember that he was really bored in year 2 - as the work was not challenging to him. The class teacher was very good and set him individual projects. she did the best she could to keep him occupied and interested. The school had a lot of provision for the children who needed extra help with school work - the non-english speaking children for example, but there wasn't any particular programme for the more able. I moved him in Year 3 to a different school - which had a G&T provision - it really did help to keep him motivated. He did very well at that Junior school, and now attends a (state) selective Grammar school - and is achieving excellent grades.

if you feel that your DC is getting bored with the work, then let the teacher/head know - and they 'should' do their best to give extra work to do?

Thanks Shrimp I am hoping they will do as they say, his teacher is very enthusiastic so fingers crossed! He has a place at a very good small independant school for Y3 so I am sure he will be challenged well there so hopefully it will all work out in the end! Glad to hear you DS is doing well still!

Dds school also mixes Y6/Y5, Y4/Y5, Y4/Y3 and in one crazy occasion Y6/Y5 and the top of Y4. The siblings two years apart, but in the same class were not happy.

Exactly what happens varies because one year may have 20 and another 10 pupils.

Huge grief is caused by the KS1/KS2 boundary and SATs getting in the way of a Y2/Y3 group. Also the foundation stage would be better with YR on their own too.

However, without closing schools and busing very small DCs several miles there doesn't seem to be a good answer for schools which are too small to be single form entry.

Sadly the language used by YR parents is moved up/kept back.

I spoke to my friend (her DD also goes to Y1 classes with my DS) and she had the same concerns. A child cannot benefit from a larger class size - from 22 - 30+; this must be a solution to a lack of space and teaching resource problem.

I will wait a few weeks to see what information is released. I have started a list of questions:

What are the benefits of a mixed year group?
How are the social aspects managed?
Will the year group mix as the current YR does?
How are strengths and needs addressed?

How do the DC in mixed year group perform in comparison with DC that do not mix?

What happens in next year - will my DS repeat a year?

Any others?

You are right Eggrules, my friend was all excited saying her DD had been moved up into Y2 but it actually turns out all Y1/2s were in mixed classes. I have said DS and 4 others were moved up on here because they are actually fully integrated with Y2 but I would never say that to other parents in RL.

Yours is quite an unusual situation and quite similar to mine and I wish I had thought of all your questions before we started this school year however I am armed with the questions ready for next parents evening in preparation for next year!!!

IMHO, DS is not ready to skip a year of school. After a very rocky start in nursery, he has settled in exceptionally well to school.

Up until now, I have been happy that the way school has supported his strengths so far. Given the fuss being made about which DC will 'move up' next year, I doubt parents realise that DC are going up to Y1 now (and have been all year).

I want him to continue making good progress. I will raise my concerns and hope that the school continues to support each child to do the best they can.

They will not skip years or be held back a year. The teachers will group children and differentiate very carefully.

Seriously G&T DCs can have problems with combined Y3/4Y, Y5/Y6 because it's easy for teachers to let them do difficult work when they are in the younger half and much harder when they are the oldest.

DD2 has been very lucky she's clever, but not that clever, and there are other equally bright DCs in her class.
The teacher has had to differentiate work for them and they haves stood out, like odd bright kids have in the past.

Have not

Some people don't want to believe you, Bunting (sigh).
There was a woman on here outraged that her DS had been in "year 1" for three years: actually, he'd been in mixed yr classes for 3 yrs, always with y1s or himself in y1, but she couldn't see it that way. Had to distort the reality. Sigh.

What's hilarious is the way different sides describe same situation: take a mixed y2-y1 class. The y2 parents complain about being held back, the y1 parents boast (or complain) about being promoted, they're describing the same situation, both descriptions can't be true!

Off my soapbox now.