Can classes be changed this late in the year?

[LadySquishington]

Say a child is starting reception in September. Two reception classes.
Is it at all possible to have child moved into the other class at this point or is there no chance?

I guess it would depend on reasons!

Any particular reason?

It's very unlikely as the school will have started planning and everything. What's the reason for wanting the change? If it's just preference then I would suggest a definite no at this point. If they agree to one then it can open the floodgates for more requests.

As above, I imagine it would depend on the reason. If it’s a compelling reason I’m sure they’ll try and help.

I think it's school policy in some schools to separate twins so they don't become overreliant on each other and branch out and make their own friends. I don't have twins but I can see the logic. I would have a chat to the school about ways to ease the transition. In our school reception classes do lots of things jointly and share outdoor learning space so they will still have opportunities to be together in school time.

There is no blanket policy on separating twins at the school. I’m unsure why they have been separated.

Well if both classes are full there's not much chance as it would need someone in the other class to be happy to swap

All you can do is ask, but as tryingtocatchthewind says it will probably rely on someone else being willing to move.

At my ds's school, the twins are put into the class together unless parents request otherwise. They do separate them in ks2, but not in ks1.
I think you should contact the school as soon as possible before the school break up.
I bet it must be a pita for the school, but there may be parents who doesn't mind their children moving, or even willing to move to be with their friends.
I think it's a different case from mixing class for next year, since they haven't even started school yet.

The ones in ds’ year were separated but are identical and I think that’s easier to stop confusion.

Tomorrow, there were 2 sets of identical twins in my ds's year. To my eyes, they looked totally the same. To my ds, they were very different.

No frigging chance in my experience - they hold dead firm on it because if one parent makes a case then it opens the floodgates for others... I'm pissed off about class allocations for my own kids for next year but I'm not doing anything apart from mildly seethe quietly as I know there's bog all point in trying to even draw the school into a dialogue over it. Bit of a case of the Head making it clear the power is HERS in our school over this one - I know she's gone against what the class teachers themselves wanted in terms of combinations of kids and kids in different classes.

I save my energy for getting pissed off about the stuff I can actually achieve an impact getting pissed off about.

Did you speak to the school at all previously? Usually in the case of twins (I have twins now in Yr 2) the school will talk to parents before the children start to agree whether to keep together or separate.
If you talked to the school and agreed to separate then I think you are unlikely to be able to go back now and change your mind. However, if no conversation has taken place yet, I’d make an urgent appt with the head and talk it through.

However, I would also say don’t be too swayed by their tears... they are 4 and don’t necessarily know what’s best for them. Of course it’s scary for them thinking about being separated but if you think it’s the right thing for them then stick to that and see how it goes. Mine were horribly upset when they realised that they would be in different classes (this was end Yr 1 when I moved them from one form entry to two form entry school) and we had screaming, shouting and tears. Fast forward a year and they couldn’t be happier. They love having their own friends, their own experiences and get on better as a result.

You know your twins best so if you feel they really need to be together and the school hasn’t given you a chance to talk about it, then by all means raise it. But don’t do it just because the children are upset - only if you really think it would be best for them

Hope it all works out for you x

Round here the policy is almost always to split twins unless very good reason.
The only way there is any chance of moving is if another parent has requested the opposite swap or there's under 30 in one of the classes.

However even then I would say the chance of the head allowing a swap is very very low, as once your dc have swapped they will have plenty of people not just this year, but in subsequent years requesting it too.

In my ds's school year, there were 3 twins. 2 were in the same class. another was separated. However, separated one was boy/girl twin, so they developed totally different friendship groups.
I don't think it's unreasonable to ask, if you never had this convo before.

I thought you meant this academic year.

Of course they can be moved for September!

We only roughly classify to get a mix of girls/boys/ summer/winter and we always move a few once we see them in action. We always consider parent requests, some will be moved and others will be kept where they are.

No harm in asking. That said the 3 reception classes in our school spend about 80% of their time on free play with children moving throughout the reception base. So even separate classes aren't really very separate.

Ours wore different shoes for three months. After that one managed to run into a wall and now has a scar on his nose.

Ours wore different shoes for three months. After that one managed to run into a wall and now has a scar on his nose.

Our school seem to keep twins together - poor DD2 gets ever so confused by one pair of them in her class (she plays with both of them) - she sat there a while back trying to figure out how they were "two people... but they only got one head"

Perhaps tell her it was a two for one deal on that egg

Yes it's possible. The school may well have started book labels etc, but not a massive deal to swap. Don't wait until the last day of term though, especially if it's an inset day, because then they will be putting new books in the right classrooms, putting labels on drawers etc

Yes it's possible. The school may well have started book labels etc, but not a massive deal to swap. Don't wait until the last day of term though, especially if it's an inset day, because then they will be putting new books in the right classrooms, putting labels on drawers etc

How do you know it's not a massive deal at the OP's school? Presumably the children have been put in classes, the teachers will have had nursery visits and possibly the children will have had settling in visits to the school. If one of the twins is moved then another child would have to be moved to the other class in her place, possibly causing distress to that child.
In my school twins will always be together in reception, because they are divided into three classes by age, but when they are mixed for year 1 a discussion would take place to decide if it was better to keep them together or not.

weighted that reminds me of ds2 - he had invited 1 twin to his party, her mum asked if xxx could also come. I don’t know who xxx was and asked if it was her older or younger sister...
Ds’s reply - duh, it’s the same girl in a different class (in his year)

I still wonder at which point he really understood what twins were!