Composite P7 class

[AngryMumSouthLanarkshire14]

My son has been put into a P6/7 class. The class is made up of roughly the same amount of P6s and P7s. Im concerned as he’s starting high school next year and I want him pushed and developed. Anyone else been through this and can give me advice on where to start the complaint. The school are giving me the party line.

What are you complaining about? Complaints are for when you have been negatively impacted in some way.

If you said to me (I’m a teacher) “I want my child developed” I’d say “so you want me to do my job?”

Is the mixed class a sudden introduction for the coming academic year because of numbers, or is it a normal feature of the school? Are you concerned that the class teacher will fail to differentiate and just make the P7 pupils repeat what they were doing in P6? Do you have any evidence that this is what happens in the mixed year class? Have you voiced your concerns to the teacher?

Oh, and yes, at least one of our DC has been in a mixed year class, with no problems at all.

You have no grounds for complaint. Composites happen all the time. There is nothing the school can do to avoid them if the numbers don't work for straight classes. By P6-7, the pupils will be working at different stages/levels and in literacy/maths groups anyway, so a competent teacher will cope just fine and you may find it works to your son's advantage as the class will probably be smaller .

I was in a p6/7 class myself (although 17 years ago).

It did me no harm at all, we mixed with the other p7s for all transition to high school activities, gym, music, French etc.

If anything the children in the composite class had much tighter friendships going onto high school.

Nothing wrong with a composite class, ds has been in a few during primary school. In fact he was in a P6/7 class where he was a P6 student. The teacher should be differentiating work anyway so each child should be getting challenged

The class will be smaller too as I think composite classes are limited to 25 pupils

I do see what you mean as our school has a policy of no composite P7 classes.
My DS1 was in a composite for two years and it brought him on and developed his confidence hugely. He's now back in his main class for P6 and he's finding it a bit hard in the bigger class.

Are you assuming because it's a mixed 6/7 class that the teacher is incompetent?

Both of mine are in mixed classes at the moment. My DS is year 6 so off to comp next year, and is one of 5 that got shunted into the year 5 class. There was uproar, complaints, letters written to the head etc at the start of the year by the other parents. My DS has flown in the class though, he’s progressed further than I even expected. Their little year 6 table in that class have been really pushed and I couldn’t be happier.

My DD is year 4 and is in a mix with year 3, this one I have some issues with as I don’t feel the work is being differentiated enough for my liking and have had a few chats about it. I think that’s down to the skills of the teacher though rather than anything to do with composite classes.

If anything I think it is a good experience for building resilience, and for widening friendship groups.

I can understand why you are worried. My son was in a composite class last year p5/6 (he was p6). It was fine in terms of school work but not so good for the social aspect. I really didn't want it for p7. I noticed he drifted away from some friends his own age last year. Luckily this year he is in a straight p7 and has built back good solid friendships for going to high school. The school work itself will be handled fine if thats what you worry about. Your child will still get work appropriate to them.