Mixing up classes for September- I'm not happy with the school's decision

[InViennaWeWerePoetry]

DD's school announced a few weeks ago that this year, they will be mixing up all the classes for September. There are 3 classes in each year, and up until now the classes stay the same for reception to year 2, then are mixed up for year 3 and stay the same until the end of year 6. We had the new form list 2 weeks ago, move up day was last week.

A brief background- DD (year 3) has only been at this school since the week after May half term, after having to change schools when I became her guardian under a private fostering agreement. Academically she is behind but catching up, socially she has struggled but was starting to settle with a group of 5 other girls in her class, (friends A, B, C and D). In the new mixed up classes for September friends A and B are in class 1, friends C, D and E are in class 2 and DD is in class 3. DD and I have been through her new class list together and there seem to be very few from her current class, meaning as she's not been at this school long a lot of the children in her new class she won't know at all. I'm not particularly happy with this, I feel she's got enough to be coping with at the moment. She's doing much better than anyone expected at school and I don't want to jeopardise that by forcing her to start all over again friendship wise in September. I emailed the school expressing my concerns and requesting DD be moved to either one of the other 2 classes so she will at least have a few others she's friendly with in her class. They said they'd get back to me.

DD missed school last week as I had to go abroad- not ideal but unavoidable and less disruptive for her to miss a week of school than to be left with my mum given the circumstances. Because of this she missed move up day, although at this point I still hadn't heard anything from school. Still nothing when we got back yesterday so when I dropped her off today I went in to ask what they had decided. The head of years 3 and 4 (who's had very little to do with DD so far) has decided not to move her, because if she moved DD to be with her friends she'd have to move others to be with their friends (I'm guessing other parents have also complained). She thinks the change will benefit DD, in that she's had this half term to get used to the school, and now she can start 'properly' in September. I'm concerned it's going to be one change too many, and seems completely unnecessary to move her again when she's already started settling in. I'm now kicking myself for not making more of a fuss.

Is there anything I can do about this now? It's now the summer holidays as of 2 hours ago so not sure who I complain to and how I complain to them, of if it'll even achieve anything. I just feel this is completely the wrong thing to do for DD's sake and I'm kicking myself I didn't get it sorted sooner.

Thanks Ragusa, that's what I thought. I've emailed the head this afternoon, no response yet. Will tell the other mother no thank you (how to do that without coming across 'my DD's needs are more important than yours? ) Her DD is going into a class of 13 girls, just without her best friend, so not really the same thing at all.

I've also mentioned to the head that I'm disappointed by the way the other incidents this half term have been handled, and that I think more could have been done to help DD settle in. First time I've complained to the head, now feeling about 12 again and wishing I could get the email back!

I was feeling your pain about only 9 girls in a class of 31or 32 but then it seems another class only has 13 girls. Is this a real boy-heavy year or does the third class have 23 girls? (Assuming 90 kids would usually equate to 45ish girls and boys). If all the classes are boy heavy then I think there's no point dwelling on this. Instead, I suggest you make the case that it is essential your DD has at least one of her friends in her class.
Possibly irrelevant given your special circumstances but my DD's school mix the classes every 2 years and they are asked to name three children they would like to be with and, as far as I am aware, every effort is made that each child is with at least one of their friends.

Hope you get a (good) reply soon OP. You are doing the right thing, and I agree that this other little girls situation is probably different. I guess I would be relatively honest with the other mother, and reply saying you will be arguing with the head on the grounds of your DD's special needs and also that you are complaining about other things as well (you don't have to tell her what) related to additional needs provision so, you are not sure it would be helpful to join forces unless this mother also has issues with this?

I've had a reply back from the HT: they won't move her, and have sent me a whole list of reasons why, some of which are based on nothing and others which seem to be the result of complete lack of communication. I'm livid.

on your behalf. Complain
to the governors on the basis that they are not meeting their statutory requirements to protect and promote your child's wellbeing?

I think the bigger issue is not that she hasn't got a particular friend with her but the imbalance between boys and girls in the classroom, affecting her potential to establish friendships which is seemingly not the same across all 3. Do you have any gp , hv or sw involved in your dd's care who could back up your concerns ? I'd bet head has had several similar complaints to respond to and hasn't really given your case much special consideration.

Agree with others - in 'normal' circumstances, I think you have to suck up class reorganisation, but this is not normal circumstances, and it doesn't sound like there has been due thought to your dd's needs.

I would reply to the HT and challenge those elements of her email that you feel are inaccurate.
I would also - politically - make it very, very clear that you would normally fully support the school's decision in this sort of thing, but that your dd's needs in this instance are exceptional, and due to her unusual personal and social needs at the particular moment. If the class reorg has ruffled a lot of feathers, and s/he's got 101 emails from people who want their little darling moved, then yours needs to be clearly different. Thin you did the right thing in keeping your email separate btw - I'd just tell the other mum that you're already in touch with the school - enough on an excuse imo.

Are other families aware of your situation ? I was wondering if they think allying with you would get their case a more sympathetic hearing if so .

I would ring ofsted and ask them about their policies that would support you and write a response accordingly.

Private or not she is still a LAC and should be treated as such. Get your social worker to write a letter of support if you need to. And I agree don't join forces, your DD is a special case.

I've calmed down a bit now

The HT has basically said that school are not prepared to move DD, they have had other complaints about the new classes for next year (this is the first time they've mixed the classes up in any year group other than year 2 going into year 3) and 'can't move everyone.' The reshuffle for year 3 is apparently to address imbalances in the existing classes resulting from it being a boy heavy year.

Should have posted this before, I've gone down the class lists we've been given and the boy to girl ratios for each class are:
Class 1 (31): 13 girls, 18 boys
Class 2 (32) 11 girls, 21 boys
Class 3 (31) 9 girls, 22 boys (DD's class)

So all the classes are boy heavy, just a weird year I guess. However, DD's is the most boy heavy and the other 8 girls consist of 6 coming from one class who are established friends according to DD's friend's mum, and two from DD's current class who are joined at the hip and have excluded DD in the past- they just want to play with each other. So not only have they put DD in the class with the least girls, they've also put her in the one with the other girls being made up of whole established friendship groups- DD's friend's mum who looked at the class list with me reckons the other two classes are more mixed in terms of existing friendship groups. The head is arguing that yes there are few other girls in DD's class, but if she were to move there would be 8 girls in a class of 30, limiting friendships for the remaining 8 girls further. I would argue this is invalid as the 6 are established friends and the 2 are best friends, so they are all going into that class with close friends already.

According to the HT the head of years 3 and 4 drew up the new class lists, she has had very little to do with DD given she's only been there since the week after May half term, and 'sorted all the children according to the 3 friends they had named and any additional information provided by class teachers.' Other factors such as age, ability and gender were considered in order to balance the classes, meaning honouring all friendship requests was not possible. Fair enough, but I think DD's circumstances make her a bit of a special case.

Then comes the bit that really infuriates me: the head of years 3 and 4 believes she has placed DD with other 'friends' she has made in her current class, although it was not possible to place her with the ones she requested. By this they mean one of the two girls from the current class who are joined at the hip (X) and one of the 3 boys from her current class (Y). I think I mentioned further up that when DD started at this school X was chosen to be her companion to help her settle in and look out for her at playtime, encourage her to join in etc. This was a complete disaster as X and joined at the hip best friend would allow DD to play with them for a few minutes, then tell her she had to go because they needed to have a 'private talk'. Y is the boy DD sat next to on the coach on the school trip, they did not sit next to each other because they are friends as the email implies, they were told they had to sit next to each other in what I found out after the trip was a strategy of separating the troublesome children and putting them next to a quiet, sensible one on the coach to make behaviour more manageable for the staff. The head of years 3 and 4 knows this, because she was the one who told me when I complained about the way DD had been treated on the trip DD said at the time it was horrible, they didn't talk to each other because Y was cross he couldn't sit with his friends and she spent the journey looking out of the window.

Pediatrician made the child psychologist referral, might see what she can do.

I feel like school think I think I can just throw a strop and I'll automatically get my own way

I've told the other mum I've already emailed the HT and that I had other issues I wanted to raise anyway.

I don't know how much the other parents know is the honest answer, I know the class were told before DD started that she might find it difficult to make friends and they discussed ways of inviting someone to join in with them etc. The mothers of the friends DD has had playdates with know she is privately fostered and that she can be very detached and briefly the circumstances under which I became her guardian, quite simply because I was over the moon she'd been invited somewhere and didn't want them to think she wasn't enjoying herself etc. They have been brilliant. Some of it could have got back to other parents, so I guess this other mother thinking our cases being heard together will give hers more sympathy is possible.

Would OFSTED be open during the holidays?

Absolutely ask the medical professionals if they can write in support. Respond to the head and tell him about the established friends etc. Then go up further and complain if you need to, because this is an issue of the school not supporting vulnerable children with special needs

Ofsted are open from 8am-6.45pm mon-fri. There number is 0300 123 1231.

What would OFSTED do?
They would ask if you had exhausted all other avenues of complaint first-the Governors and Local authority after the Head.
They will not usually consider complaints that relate to individual children but only those areas that effect the school as a whole
They will not mediate in a dispute between a school and a parent

The only area they MIGHT be concerned about is whether you have evidence that the well being of A NUMBER of pupils is being neglected. But being unhappy about class reorganisation is not really part of their remit.

I think you need to explore other avenues first.

Agree with spaniel. This is not Ofsted's role.

Also agree with spaniel. If the school is an academy - lots are - the LA is not going to be able to do much unless there is a SEN issue thoygh.

If you do complain to Governors, I think it will be helpful if you can make it clear ythat you are appraised of what their legal responsibilities are, and likewise what those of the head are. Will post later on this.

Keep making a fuss. It is those that shout loudest that get listened to. Sadly.

OP I think you have an obvious push back to "dd was placed with friends" which is that no one she named is in her class. Surely for no child would they assume that their assumptions override what the children themselves have said? You said she named A B and D, but they are all elsewhere.

They can provide info on the policies in these situations, which a response can be constructed around. If you compose an email using terminology the school is familiar with, based on arguments less easy to refute, it will carry more weight.

I work in the public sector. If I need to solve a problem, I look at the policies on what should be happening, detail out what is happening and put in place recommendation or a plan on moving forwards but you need the policies to start with obviously.

I agree with thaliablogs, I think your best approach is to focus on why your DD was not placed with any of the three friends she had named. I can understand the HT saying that moving your DD would make the class even more boy-heavy but I agree with you that it sounds as if your DD would really benefit from being with one of the the friends she named.

By the way, I also agree with spamiel, this is not something for Ofsted. You need to go through all the channels at school first (HT, governors).

There isn't a "policy" on class reorganisation, it is down to the Head how she organises the classes and the children in them as long as she remains within the law with regard to class sizes ( and even that isn't relevant in this case as the OP's daughter is in KS2. It isn't even strictly a matter for the Governors as it is an operational rather than a strategic decision. You can ask the Head to reconsider, you can provide additional information you think is relevant but at the end of the day it is the Head's decision and, if you don't like it, the only real option you have is to move your daughter to a different school.

Sorry not sure I was clear. They should be treating her as a LAC, as private agreement or not, that's what she is. Her needs are that of a LAC in this situation.

Not had a chance to read through, but something like ofsted - good practice should help. It may not be the exact one but if you speak with them, they will point you in the direction of something useful.

While the Governors may not be concerned with school operational issues, they are under statutory duties to promote wellbeing, which is broadly defined. I would think you could legitimately ask the governors what they are doing to fulfil this statutory duty, in the context of your concerns about your DFD.

From the Governor's Handbook (guide to the law for school governors published by the Department for Education):

"The Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools to promote wellbeing. ?Wellbeing? is defined in the Children Act 2004 as:

1, physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing;
2, protection from harm and neglect;

1. education, training and recreation;
2. the contribution children make to society; and
3. social and economic wellbeing.

Section 4 of that Act explains which issues governors need to consider, to reassure themselves that pupils are adequately being cared for and protected from harm while in school."

Whether or not complaining to, or raising the issue, with the governors is going to get you a result is another matter, of course. I would keep chipping away at the head in an assertive manner. IF this gets you nowhere, complain using the school's complaints procedure - it has to have one by law.

The school is also required to have a member of staff with responsibility for looked after children. Although it doesn't sound like your DFD is technically counted as a 'looked after child' it may nevertheless be worth asking who the appointed teacher is in your school and taking the issue up with them. Let's hope it's not the teacher who did the class allocations, eh?

All of the above presumes the school is maintained, and not an academy.

InVienna we have a private fostering arrangement too - he has always been given LAC status by the school and the education dept, even though he isn't officially looked after. My approach was to say that I would never dream of asking for any special treatment if he were my 'own' child, but that it was my duty to do so with this child in my care, etc. etc. and stress how far she has come. Hope you get what you need.

The thing is, no one can be certain what is going to pan out with regard to your dd's friendship groups. Girls of this age are notoriously fickle and there's every chance that if she did change classes, the girls she's made a start with might then drift away even then.