Year 5 split - what do you think?

[liliastar1]

May DD has been at a lovely local primary since Reception. She's now in y5. The school splits the classes between Reception/Year 1, and now Year5/6. All through, my DD has loved it but now, she is in the split y5, staying in the same group as last year with y4s. Only 1 other girl of y5 is in her class, which she finds hard socially, as all the rest of her friends are in the parallel y5 class (with y6). I am worried that she is not having a positive y5, in total contrast to all the other years she has been in. We have spoken to the teacher twice, but my DD is now only playing with this other girl in the class, so they are becoming dependent on each other. There seems to be, in maturity, a big gap between her and the y4 girls - just part of growing up as they are all very nice. DD was split in Reception/y1, staying in Reception for an extra year - helped her confidence, but socially, took her a good year to catch up. She also perceives herself as not being as good as the others as they have "moved up", no matter what we or her teacher say. I personally think y5 is way too late to split and it should have been done further down the years so that pupils are not so aware of the physical/social/learning split. Also worried that she is not participating in the y5 curriculum as she keeps telling me it's too easy, which she didn't do last year, especially with maths. Have real concerns - only time this has happened with this school. What do other people think? Has anyone else experiences they can share?

So, in reality year 5 is mostly with the year 6 children but your DD and one other girl are with the year 4 children. Is this correct? It appears, from what you say, the split is normally year 5/6, so why have they changed it to year 4/5 with just a few (plus, presumably a few boys) from year 5?

I have to say I would challenge this change of policy, particularly as it has left your DD virtually isolated. I think it is a total disregard of a child's social needs to do this too. Presumably the year 5/6 group is too large so a few have been hived off to be with year 4. How were they chosen? Was there any discussion with parents before this change of policy? Are they chosen on birth dates or ability, or at random? What account was taken of their needs and how prepared is the year 4/5 teacher to teach year 5 curriculum to just a few children?

I would ask for an urgent meeting and I would not have left it until October! Two year groups taught together can work, but not in the way you describe which is unfair.

Can you clarify OP, I don't understand where year4 comes in to it if the year 5 and 6 children are split....Surely your daughter is in a mixture of her own year 5 group and some of the year 6 group ??

I think she means some of teh Y5s are with the Y4s and some with the Y6s.

But Op surely it is a numbers game,They split the children the best way to get approximately even classes.

I think what needs to be established is how the children are split. Is it done by current ability, birth date, or total pot luck?

It will be a numbers issue. I have Y6 and some Y5 which gives me 31 in my class. The next class is Y5 and Y4.
If all the Y5 had come to me I would have nearly 40 which would be unmanageable. If all the Y5 had stayed in the 4/5 class they would be in a class of 35
In an ideal world we'd keep year groups together but in smaller schools it often isn't feasible.

With regards the work the school should be making provision that is suitable for all the pupils irregardless of which class they are in. Therefore your daughter should be receiving challenging work at an appropriate level - I think this is a biggest issue you have to deal with.

Im not quite sure what you mean about splitting them earlier - because different year groups have different numbers the spilt will often be completely differents.

thanks everyone. The school changed its policy a couple of years ago - until then, only Reception/Yr 1 were split, although it's always been a split class taught school due to size. However, the school has grown in size and a couple of years ago, the head, without consultation which was appealed against by some parents (including me) appealed against this, added another class and decided to split the year 5 class, so some are taught with y4 and some with y5. My DD is taught with y4. She is in the class with 1 other y5 girl and 8 y5 boys, which she finds very isolating, as the 6 other y5 girls are in the class with y6. This is the part she is finding very hard. I have spoken to her teacher about it, who is very lovely; but still not sure strategies are in place to support the relationships already formed by y5 are kept strong, as the children are not together for the vast majority of the school week, which is splitting them, socially, even at times like break and lunch. At y5, I think this is disastrous as it will then take at least a year for those relationships to get back on track. The school divided the class, apparently, by looking at a range of factors such as academic (doesn't apply to DD), social, own needs, etc. I feel they have fallen short with DD in this, as have split her friendship group quite drastically. I opposed this as it was announced at the end of the summer, but nothing was done. I have also done so twice this term but she cannot be moved. I will keep on and am writing to the Head and Governors about it. The school is wonderful, her teacher is wonderful - but I am really worried about the social impact of this on her. i know when she goes to top school, she will be split from the her friends as it's such a big school - but worried that this split is too much at the moment, and that it is going to affect her, as her view is that children who are in y5 but in the y5/6 class, are "better than her"! Her own view - countered by me and the teacher, but it makes no difference.

I think Year 5/6 is where the benefits of a small school really loses its appeal . That age group of girls can be difficult enough without creating division. When a similar small number of girls happened at dc prep school in one particular year group they kept all the girls in one class. Agree why raise it now , were you not aware of this before the summer break.

Yes, about 2 weeks before the end of term and parents were given a short meeting to raise concerns, which I did! But there was no chance of real appeal, it doesn't happen, been tried already so wouldn't be done with DD! Done so late so that parents couldn't interfere with the school plans and try to challenge them or get them changed.....

thanks everyone for all your support - it's good to get opinions and whether I'm over reacting or not. I'll keep a strong eye out on this year.

Schools just sometimes make bad decisions and then refuse to reconsider. We had your situation with DS in yr2. Only 3 yr2 boys in the split class. We changed schools in the end as any school ethos of pastoral care was without substance. I hope things improve for your DD and she can be made to feel an equal to the other yr5s.

Thank you - I know her teacher, who is lovely, is trying but I think it's the impact of the split - poor policy I think - that has impounded it.