Only five children from year in mixed class

[Barbs2]

My son will be going into year 2 in September and we have just found out that he will be one of only five children from the whole year who will be in a mixed class with 20 year 1 children.The head has taken the youngest five children and placed them with the year 1s. There are 2 pure year 2 classes containing 29 children and this mixed class of 25 children. I have no great issue with mixed classes having carried out some research. What I do have an issue with is the small number in the class from year 2. My son will not be with the peer group that he has just spent the last three years with and at the end of next year will leave the majority of his new friends behind to move up to junior school with children he has not been with for a year. I feel that these five children are being unfairly treated as to me the social side of school is just as important as the curriculum in terms of development. I have spoken with the Head and have an appointment with the new teacher ( Who I admire as a skilled teacher ). Has anyone experienced a similar thing or can anyone offer me advice about what I can do about this? The Head is standing firm stating that my son will be "fine". I have been otherwise impressed with the school and my daughter ( moving up to year 4) and son have both been very happy at the school. My son has really progressed this year and is very happy. I don't want him to be set back by something that I seem to have absolutely no control over. Can I do anything about the situation as a whole or can I negotiate with the teacher about mixing more with the other year 2 classes in certain subjects? Please help. I want to keep my happy thriving son.I already do a lot out of school with other mums despite working full time.I am planning to write to the Goveners and the parents of one of the other children has already done so.

I work hard with both my children at home and have no question about the ability of the teacher to teach well within a mixed class. I am supportive of the school also and am actively involved in most events etc. It is the social side of my son's development that concerns me. I think that the school have got this so wrong for these five children.

Barbara

Have you asked whether they will be mixed into ability groups with the other Y2s? This is how they are doing it at DSs school next year. They will have 3 completely mixed Y1/2 classes which is much better then will be split into ability groups across each class.

I would be livid if this happened to my DS as it is completely unfair to spilt them up in this way.

if it is the five youngest then that is your explanation

parents always complain about mixed classes, friendships, peer groups....a non negotiable cut off, like age, is the only way to prevent fuss and accusations of discrimination/favouritism from parents.

That is not a mixed class though, it is taken a tiny % of children and putting them in a lower year group class, it is probably even more important that the 5 youngest are mixing with the correct year group.

It would be different if they were taking the 5 highest ability children and putting them up a year as socially this is probably ok and would be helpful to them. I am not sure how putting 5 children into a mainly Y1 class is helpful to them in anyway?!

What were the classes last year? Have they taken on some extra Y2's?

they are not going to hire another teacher or want to pay fines for going over 30 with the y2 groups. The class sizes balance out fairly well as they have it planned.

Ime, the reality is that if the children need to they will be moved into the other classrooms (y2 classrooms) for brief spells to work on specific subjects with similar ability pupils.

I don't think you'll be able to get the situation changed overall - if the numbers don't work out for the school, they have to do something. And the youngest 5 is at least a "fair" way of deciding it.

My suggestion is that you go and talk to the teacher and/or head to ask how they plan to make sure these 5 get to mix with their year-group for both academic and social things. They've probably already thought about it, and will be able to reassure you that they have plans in place - it's often possible for a few extra children to physically fit into a classroom for certain topics, or doing projects, or to do PE, even though they are officially in the mixed class.

I think you'll get a lot further with them by showing that you recognise their situation and want to get a feel for the details, rather than making it sound like they don't care about the children or understand their needs.

Thank you for your comments. I have an appointment with the class teacher in a couple of days and intend to ask about how the year two groups are to be mixed etc. I do want to work with the teacher and head but feel that the way to sort this would have been to have mixed all the year 1s and year 2s so that none of the children are without their main peer group so that the social aspect is not an issue for any of the children. Our children are leaving their friendship groups two years on the trot. The school has sufficient skilled teachers who have taught mixed classes previously for this to work. I do feel that the option taken makes it easier for the school but does not have the best interest of these five children at heart. The remaining 58 children certainly have a better deal and do not have to adjust in the same way. I have spoken to 10s of parents and teachers and none would swap places. I have not been able to find any research to support that selecting the youngest is the most suitable either.

In answer to fifty shades of stress' question ( Excellent topical name by the way). There was a mixed group with year 1s and 2s last year but the split was a more even 10 year 2s and 15 year 1s. I would not have had an issue with this split.

Absolutely, that sort of split seems to be more popular and I would imagine less cause for concern.

I hope you get the answers you need!

I had my appointment with the teacher yesterday. I came out of the meeting feeling worse. That was nothing to do with the teacher but the fact that there will be no flexibility in terms of spending time with the other year twos. There is a 20 minute slot for Phonics every day where these five children will potentially mix with the other year twos (It depends at what level each child is at) but all other lessons will also be seperate. They are also staying in the year 1 classroom. Seemingly our children are a bolt on!!!! They are physically away from their year group this year and will have to leave their new peer group next year to move up to juniors. This can never be right!!!!

I really don't understand the thinking behind this, how is this going to prepare them for Juniors at all? I must say if this was me I would be considering a move if possible. This does not sound like a good thing for the children at all. Have you actually said all this to the teacher?

Can you speak to the headteacher or even the local authority?

We had this with ds2 in P7 (Scotland). Most of the class went into a straight P7 class whilst the youngest 6 went into a mixed 6/7 class that was mostly P6. It was made worse in that the school had been overcrowded and the year before a new school had been opened and the catchment split. All ds's friends had gone to the new school so he had only been with his 'new' friends for a year and then was spit again. Also he was not one of the youngest six but, due to ' special circumstances', some children younger than him were in the straight class.

I was really worried. They were streamed for Maths but otherwise were in their seperate classes. Ds was fine and enjoyed being the oldest in the class. He was given lots of extra responsibility and thrived.

I hope your ds is the same.

Jubilee - thats nice to hear that it can work! Maybe it wouldn't be so bad!

I am not really sure why you feel that there is a social issue with this. When children are in class they are meant to be working and listening to the teacher not chatting with friends.
The vast majority of socialising in school past reception year is done in the playground at break and lunch times. Your child will still be playing with his friends from his year group in the playground and any out of school activities they do together, you can still invite friends from his peer group over to play.
You say you have every confidence in the quality of teaching your ds will receive and you are happy that his educational needs will be met so i really just can't see why you are making this a big deal and talking about going to the head and governors, a bit over the top isn't it?
Schools really can't do right for doing wrong can they?

Learning to mix with different social groups is a valued life skill for children to learn.You will be amazed how quickly children make new friends.Once they leave school they will have to learn to mix with all types of people.The earlier they learn how to do this the better.I really do think you are being somewhat precious here,especially as you are happy with the academic side of things.

teta that is a good point however learning to mix with peers your own age is important. I struggled socially through school as mixed with older children right the way through. I found children my own age immature and silly, once my older friends left school I found myself feeling lonely and didn't really want to mix with children my own age.

I know this is the other way round but I still think its important and moving just 5 children into a lower year class does seem like a big deal to me.

My DS was one of 5 moved up into a higher year group and I had very similar concerns, I spoke to the teacher and she told me why it was beneficial to my DS and the other children which reassured me. I still don't think it has been perfect from a social point of view as the 5 have ended up very much the outsiders. Snide comment from parents plus they do not fit in to either class so often get missed from parties. They were 5 very popular children in YR so it is not them IYSWIM. Academically it has been fantastic as they were ahead of their peers but I still have my doubts socially.

How is your DS with regards to the academic side? has that been taken into account or is it just age?

I would not be happy with this.
Our school uses mixed classes throughout, which works fine. But this is a very different case.

FWIW our school had to do something similar one year with 5 Yr 1 children being placed in a YR class. (All the others were in mixed Yr 1/2 classes). But for all numeracy/literacy/phonics teaching the Yr1s were taught with all the other Yr1s. And the children were not selected on the basis of age, but on the basis of the teacher's judgements about which children would be likely to benefit from being mixed with YR children (rather than Yr2). There was lots of consultation with the relevant parents prior to the decisions being made.

I think it's along way from ideal, but the school have to find ways to deal with the practicalities as best they can. Presumably the children will be mixed again when they go up to juniors anyway, so everyone will be having to meet "new" people and make new friendship groups?

If the social side is the area you are most concerned about, how about making sure you arrange playdates with the wider class, and/or make sure your child goes to groups where they will mix with them.

My DS when he started school at four was one of only seven children moved from reception into a yr 1 class, and of those seven, only one of two boys. I was horrified. Despite trying to placate me by stipulating these seven were chosen because they were extremely bright, I felt socially the whole situation did him no good at all that year. There were reassurances of how frequently this small group would mix with their peers in reception at phonics and creative time etc, but in reality it didn't seem to happen as often as promised.

Ime, once these decsions have been made you are stuck with it really.
Sorry, not very positive or reassuring.

Thank you to all of you for your comments. It is certainly interesting to hear about your own experiences and views. I have really tried to accept the situation and look for positives. I do think that my son will benefit from the extra responsibility and the fact that the year ones will probably look up to him. He is fairly mature and nurturing. He is gentle natured and does make friends easily so I am sure that he will mix well and be a popular member of the class. He is now. This is also in part due to the fact that I do a lot socially out of school with his peers. I have done this because I have a strong view that the social and containing elements of school are just as important as the cognitive side. I work as hard with him in this area as I do with his reading and writing at home. I have done the same for my daughter too. She is moving up to year 4. My son has thrived this year and I am sure that a large part of that is because he is surrounded by his peers who he has strong links with both in and out of school. Not just a couple of friends but a large circle. (Every year classes are mixed (within the year group) to encourage the ability to mix and a comfort in knowing every one- this I really support)At the start of the new term my son will be leaving this environment that he is thriving in ( that he and I have worked so hard to create) to start with a fresh group of people ( an experience that his peers will not be subjected to ) and isolated from them apart from break times ( Lunch times are the only breaks shared by all- and only if the weather is good!!!!!) He will make these strong links within the year one group and have to leave all but five of them behind to go to Junior school ( something else his peers will not have to experience) to be thrown in with people he has not been with for a year. He will not have the same assemblys, school trips, projects and will probably be repeating a lot of the same topics as he did last year. He is even in the same classroom and will not experience being in one of the' big boy classes'. I do not feel that I am being precious. I feel strongly that he and the other four children are having a much more negative experience than their peers.
There has been no consultation with parents or indeed teachers and there will be no flexibility with mixing of the years despite our concerns. I will not be accepting this situation and have written to the govenors and will be taking this further. The school gets a lot of things right. The teaching is good, the facilities are good but they do not get everything right. This is one thing they have not got right. Children are adaptable but experiences stay with them into adult life.

I'm in a similar situation barbs

Found out yesterday ds1 is going to be in a mixed y1 and reception class in sep. (ds1 in yr1)

He is with non of his peers but with three boys he doesn't play with at all. His small peer group are all together in a full y1 class.

I don't have an issue with the mixed class to an extent. My issue is that my ds1 has hearing loss which has affected his language, social development, confidence a little. He is just below avatar with these.

But once his grommets are fitted I'm hoping for a big change. School said in his report he is quiet and sensitive and has a small group of friends and is uncomfortable in unfamiliar groups - yet they put him in a class with none of his friends!!

I can understand their concern if they feel he needs more intense, 121 teaching, but I would have liked them to have discussed this with me before any decision was made. Had I been told ds1 is at level xyz and he needs to be at level abc or he'll be separated from his close peers, I would have requested and completed extra work at home with ds1.

Got an appointment with the head tomorrow, but not sure how to argue it really. I don't know the class numbers, I don't know how they've chosen who goes in what class. Ds1 is one of the eldest in his current class but there are children older than him. I hope something can be sorted but we'll have to see.

Average-not avatar

And ds is not a trouble maker or anything, they haven't been separated as they're difficult in class.

It's very difficult to comment on your specific circumstances as my son has not been affected by the same issues as yours ( hearing etc ) It does seem however that your situation may be to do with the development of your son specifically whereas mine is purely a numbers issue at the school My son's situation I believe can only be detrimental in terms of his social development ( Not cognitive )
Although their are differences the fact that they have not consulted with you at all and tell you in the last week of term is dreadful. Write the questions that you need answers to down prior to your meeting and if you are not happy with the situation ask for the schools complaints proceedure. This will involve writing to the chair of the goveners. If you are still not satisfied then go to the dept of education.
It may be that once you have spoken with the head you are more at ease with the situation. Good luck... but go in prepared.

This happened to my DS when he was in Y4 and in a predominantly Y3 class.Academically it is actually very good because they get a lot more attention and also they gain a lot from being the eldest in the class given extra responsibilities etc.However it does cut them off from the rest of the yr group socially and also he was with a lot of lower ability children. I ended up moving him after a term (not just for that reason )

boysboysboys- If your DS has some hearing loss he would be better in the older class .the reception curriculum is play based and this means a lot more background noise in the classroom than if he were in a Y/2 class I think.

sorry Y1 not Y2