'Emotionally mature' children going into mixed year with older children?

[Snowcherriesfromfrance]

I have a ds in reception and the school is basically one and a half form entry (45 in each year) so the reception classes have been quite small but they will progress into either a class of 30 year 1s or a mix of 15 yr 1s and 15 yr 2s.
Previously they have done this purely on where the child's birthday is in the year but apparently this year they will do it on 'emotional maturity'. The head says they aren't looking at ability but I find this hard to believe.

So what do you think they are looking for in an emotionally mature reception child?! I'm fairly certain that ds will be in the main year 1 class as he's not achieving very highly. I'm just interested in what criteria they may have used! I also have a feeling that most of the 15 may be girls simply because they are usually more mature than the boys at this stage.

Emotionally mature is very different from high achieving.

I am certain that ds would be regarded as very much emotionally immature and would be in the lower group that way, however he is top table for maths and reading.

And actually I would feel he would fit in and enjoy being in the lower group so it would be much better for him.

So how will they judge a child to be more emotionally mature than another? By their independent skills and motivation?
I think surely they will have to look at ability too else you might have low achieving but mature yr1s with high achieving but less mature year 2s.

my DS is abit younger than yours, only just going into reception but based on what he's done been doing at the school nursery i think he will be very academically able. however i would say he's behind emotionally, he still has tantrums and will cry at really slight things

My guess:

kids who don't get as emotional over things
kids who recognise when theyare wrong can apologise & move on
kids who can sit still longer
... or can manage more complicated instructions
less likely to misbehave, more articulate,
better at sharing, better concentration, better at waiting their turn, less physically impulsive, less inclined to fiddle.

There will be overlap in maturity levels, not a neat distinction between the 2 groups

I had a very bright, and very mature, August birthday DD. We had 2 full classes of 30, but if my DD had been held back because of her birth date I would have been utterly livid! Being mature for your age might be a better selection criteria to work with older children but personally I hate this idea of picking a few. They should have 3 classes of 30 in each across the two year groups. This way it is fair to all and no selection has to take place. Schools are mad to split a year group because so many people get upset, and rightly so. I would ask the school to reconsider how it organises the two year groups.

DD was in a mixed Y1/2 class and, looking at the other children who were also in that class, it was very much done on maturity rather than ability. It is very clear at that age which children are capable of sustained concentration, attention and cooperation and which are not yet able to work in this way. As for being 'held back', it's not being held back if you are in a Y1 class and are a Y1 child, is it? I don't think the Y1/2 class was particularly pushed forward, either. Because it was done on maturity, the Y2s in that class were those who were less emotionally mature than some of their peers and there was probably a smaller spread of attainment and maturity in the Y1/2 class than DD has encountered this year in a straight Y2 class.

I dont think this would work, my son is very emtionally mature but his academic skills do not match this. Placing him in the mixed group would not meet his education needs.

I think they would be looking at social skills. Ie. Does the child get into fights. Do they get bullied? Do they get party invites? I feel the school are looking at the basic happiness of the children. An imature year 1 would have a very hard time socially being with older children.

I can understand why this method of sorting children is likely to upset some parents.

See my ds is one of the more mature boys (only me and one other mother not been called into school this year about their son fighting) but he's definitely not academically able so I'm not sure where that will put him.

He tends to play with some of the girls and the other boy who doesn't fight. He finds most of the other boys too rough. I'm not sure being a mixed 1/2 would be if benefit to him though.

We find out in the next couple of weeks if our child has been judged 'emotionally mature' or not

In my daughter's class last year, there was a Y1 boy who was very emotionally mature and kind and grown up, but towards the bottom of the year group academically. I think it was really good for him - he came on in leaps and bounds with his reading etc and hasn't lost that lovely empathetic quality that he has. Try not to worry. They do this every year and they do really know what they are doing.