grrrrr!!

[sallyst123]

ok so the last 2 wks i have had a nightmare at my dd school,1st they informed us that next yr they will be 2 yr1 classes 1 will be souly ks1 children (yr1) the other (which my dd will be in ) will be mixed with reception. it has taken me a lot of time to come round to this idea ive had no experience of this type of class, but lots of research and discussion on here i was feeling less apprehensive, there was a rumor that all the yr 1 children going into the mixed class were the 1s that were low acheviers from reception, after numerous discussions with the class teacher & head master the assured me this WAS just a rumor and my daughter was fine, (certainly the teacher has never spoken to me about my daughter struggling b4)
anyway i recieved her report on fri, she was graded all 1s on the eyef scale. some i can see y, she is very quiet it takes her a long time to warm to people, she will never put herself out unless she feels comfortable (like at home) but others i just cant see she is on stage 4 books of the oxford reading tree... this doesnt seem like it should be scaled as "just emerging to expected reception levels" she is a whizz on the computer so cant see why her media section was marked down, there were other misdemenors on the report as well regarding abscences etc my concern is they are judging her on the fact that shes quiet so maybe not as confidently reading aloud as the other in her class she is certainly not at the same level as her brother (who is also starting at the school in sept) i feel like she has been given these marks to justify putting her in this class on her report it clearly states that she will be continuing to work along the foundation stage when she returns to year 1.
this is after telling me that no she will be working to ks1.
i am so cross i honestly cant trust myself to spk to the teachers they have been so dishonest. any advice & sorry about the long ranting post thanks.

You need to talk to the school.

As the teacher and headteacher have told you that the mixed class it NOT low achievers, I'm really not sure why you feel they've given her lower marks to justify her being in this class? Contradiction there surely?

As regards the specific examples you've given. My DS was also on stage 4 (blue) of the reading books at the end of Reception but did below average (this was under old EYFS) on his literacy scores. This was because he read using a few known words and understanding of how a story "should" go - his phonics knowledge was poor and the teacher rightly marked him down on this.

Re being a whizz on the computer - my very high achieving DD scored her only poor mark on the Reception report in using a computer. Not that she can't use one and very well, but that she always chose to do "different" activities when she was at school. I suspect you may find that your DD has a few favourite activities and so the teacher can't mark her highly as she's not working independently.
If she is more able than the report reflects, this will come out in Y1 when the day is more structured.

it prob is a contradiction, you maybe a far stronger minded person than me, redsky, but this is the 1st time the school has tried this class so no1 knows how well it will work, and if when asked what class your dd was in this yr you replied with a smile on your face only to get a response of a "oohhh, i would of hated that 1" im sure all that type of comments would have an effect on any1.
my dd is a great reader just under confident at reading aloud
my prob is it says in her report she will be following the foundation stage not ks1 she will be mixed in the reception class so her day wont be as structured as the other yr1 class how could it possibly be when for the 1st term she will have new faces arriving & leaving at different times during the day, the teacher has to make sure these are all settled & comfortable (its only right i wouldnt expect any less from my ds teacher) the younger 1s will require more attention but i dont want her to lose out or be missed again because of her having to build new friendships/new relationships with teacher.

As I'm sure others have told you, it is very common to have split year classes. I've only ever taught mixed age classes. I appreciate though, that it can be a cause for concern if it is new. The rumours will have been started by other parents, especially those who have a child in the pure year 1 class. Some people seize any opportunity to make themselves feel superior.

There can be a whole range of reasons why a class will be spilt. academic achievement is one but so is age, friendship groups, random selection and splitting children with SEN/behaviour issues.

Whether a class is mixed or pure year, the teacher needs to teach the children not the year group. Therefore work should be appropriate no matter what. If your Dd needs a little more time in certain areas she will need that time no matter which class she is in. The school do not need to fudge the end of year results to justify their class set up. You don't have a right to say which class your child should be in so they wouldn't take the trouble to do it.

A quiet child can be difficult to assess, since the teacher can only award levels etc where they have evidence. Yes, they will try to draw out skills but if the child isn't playing ball there isn't much to be done. you could tell her teacher next year that she shows these skills at home and may need a bit more pushing at school.

What is wrong with blue level reading? My son is on blue and he got exceeded. Blu is a good Level 1 and it is expected in Year 1. I think it is Level 1B or 1C.

www.mumsnet.com/learning/reading/what-do-reading-levels-mean

I think the problem is that you are seeing being in the mixed class as a negative. School have already tried to tell you it isn't. I would talk some more to them if you have specific worries.

You describe your DD as quiet, lacking confidence and taking a long time to settle. She sounds as though she is just the child that would benefit from a year in a mixed class with Reception (actually if you search MN you will find loads of threads from mums of just such children, wishing they could stay in Reception for another year).

I have 2 DC - now in Y4 and Y2. I would have been very happy for either of them to have spent Y1 in a mixed class. My DS had a really tough time in Y1 - moving away from more gentle playbased environment was a huge struggle for him - and it took him a long time (probably until part way through Y3) to really feel happy about school again. I would have bitten the school's hand off if they'd suggested a mixed class. DD did just fine in Y1, but I can see would have continued to be stretched -with the way the school was structure - if she'd been in a mixed class.
(both DC above average ability btw)

Just to reassure you a bit, my oldest, who's always been academic, went through a very good mixed year class (Year 1/2). I have a few teacher friends two who have taught mixed classes - it takes a bit of juggling, but they cater for the different levels and abilities in class and really focus on individual children. If anything, your d/d is more likely to have a very competent teacher and be set work that's just right for her level. She might also get a confidence boost from being the older child in a mixed group. Schools don't just put children together by scores - they tend to know the settings in which a specific child works best. If you are worried, talk to them.

Just to reassure you a bit, my oldest, who's always been academic, went through a very good mixed year class (Year 1/2). I have a few teacher friends who have taught mixed classes - it takes a bit of juggling, but they cater for the different levels and abilities in class and really focus on individual children. If anything, your d/d is more likely to have a very competent teacher and be set work that's just right for her level. She might also get a confidence boost from being the older child in a mixed group. Schools don't just put children together by scores - they tend to know the settings in which a specific child works best. If you are worried, talk to them.

Our school routinely mixes y1 with reception, and only for the last 7 yrs or so. It hasn't worked out badly for any of the (older) children I know about.

I agree that the rumour was probably started by someone who got the pure y1 class and wants others to believe that their child is superior.
Teachers assess children depending on what they see children do independently so shy/quiet children may get lower grades than real ability. There's also been a lot of talk on here about teachers not really agreeing on what constitutes exceeding and this year there is a lot of difference between what children need to achieve to get exceeding.

My dd was on blue at the end of reception and got level 3 in y2 SATs and is likely to leave y6 with high level 5 possibly level 6.

My sons were very quiet in reception and y1 but by the end of y2 were above national expected level. They naturally became more confident in y1 and started moving up the tables.