Can my school reject my twins in the same nursery class?

[Skysha]

So my girls are due to start nursery in 2021 I know it's a little while off but I would rather look into potential nurseries now.
The school I work at have said they dont allow twins in the same class as it goes against their admissions policy and I was wondering if that's actually true?
I want my twin girls to be in the same nursery class and when they go into reception they can go into new ones as do most nursery children and I'm not looking for advice on weather I should keep them together or separate them

The thing is, whether or not you agree with it, the school have this policy. It sounds as though this school would suit you very well (outstanding and convenient). Starting your children off at school by insisting that they are in the same class may not be a great way to start (particularly if you work there). Is this a hill that you want to die on?

Contact Twins Trust (used to be called TAMBA). They have loads of experience with this issue.
We had this with our twins going to school. They said they automatically separated all twins. With the help of Twins Trust we worded a letter saying it was wrong to treat them just as "the twins". They needed to look at each child individually as see what was best for them. In out twins case, what was best for each of them, was to be kept together.
Twins are individuals and just saying we automatically do this or that because they are twins is wrong. Very child is different, including twins, and they should not have blanket policies but should look at individual needs.

PS evidence from Twins Trust research is that in the early years most (again not all, but most) twins benefit from being together.

6 form entry for primary school?! There are 180 children in every year at primary? Nearly 1300 in the primary school?

I think i would discount it on that reason alone.

When DD was in nursery and reception it was policy to split up twin siblings. I never understood why. The twins would always stick like glue together during breaks and dinner.

Our school has lots of twins and is a two form intake. All the twins can attend the same nursery session in the nursery attached to the school but once they start school they are split.

Mine are now in Y6, and just went into different classes this year. That was right for them and I don't have a single regret about keeping them together. It was a massive fight with their school at the end of Reception and Year 1 though, so beware that even if you convince the school to keep them together for Nursery, you might find yourself in the same position as they go into Reception, that you want them together but the policy says no. I know you currently feel that you want to separate for Reception but my point is that with this school there is no flexibility if you change your mind or want to review the situation each year.

The turning point for me was when their Year 1 teacher, who clearly wasn't supportive of them being the same class ("I've taught lots of twins in 25 years of teaching but none of them were ever together in the same class") said 'I know how to teach twins'. I pointed out that was like saying "I know how to teach blonde children" - as if they were all the same and everyone in the room recognised the ludicrousness of her statement. But there were still negative experiences for us and the girls throughout that year due to her not being supportive. (the following year, their teacher totally took it in her stride, treated them as individuals and funnily enough they started to become much more independent). I moved them in Year 4 for unrelated reasons and their new school was totally accepting of their being together and there have never been any difficult conversations at all.

The school I work in doesn't have an admissions policy for multiples (partly because I write the admissions policy, and partly because we just recognise that having a blanket policy for twins is just wrong)

I'd look elsewhere. We were given the choice of keeping ours together or not. It needs to be a parents choice.

most of local schools have a split twin policy ..... my local are 'smallish for here' 2/3 form entry .... although there are some 5/6/7 form not far away - in fact the most amazing I came accross was a 7 form....I didnt belive it at first but fab head and staff so creative and was an outstanding school in all aspects not just box ticking - don't write schools off due size!
I would talk to the school but if it is that good and handy isn't something I'd not choose to go there with.... oftern nursery mix up a bit so its not like they wont see each other.....

I'm a twin, and a parent of twins.

Ask the school to have a discussion about it. Children are all different and the nursery / school should be accommodating of that.

My DC's primary school is consistency classed as 1 of the top performing state schools in the country - it has a 2 form intake. In my DC's year (of 60 children), there are 4 sets of twins. Two families asked for their twins to be kept together and the other two families asked for their twins to be separated - and the school agreed (as it should). Perhaps providing education based on each child's needs is exactly why its such an outstanding school.

I’m never quite sure that parents do know best regarding school and class organisation though. They have seen their DTs at home but that’s not the same as them being taught in a busy learning environment. How do other DC manage on their own with no sibling in the class? I do think Heads and teachers should have an opinion and they should have an input into how classes are organised without parents dictating. Or all parents could demand their DC is with a certain child or group of children for possibly good reasons as well.

If they are not in the same class they will always be individuals. So the fact a teacher did not treating them as individuals, because the parents insisted their DTs are together, is then not a factor. I tend to find that demanding something isn’t a great start to schooling. To be fair, most Heads and teachers have more experience of teaching twins than parents do.

The school my friend's twins went to gave her the choice.

I can understand it for two form entry but in a single entry school it seems really weird

How do other DC manage on their own with no sibling in the class? I do think Heads and teachers should have an opinion and they should have an input into how classes are organised without parents dictating. Or all parents could demand their DC is with a certain child or group of children for possibly good reasons as well

@BubblesBuddy do you have twins, or are you a twin? I'm guessing not by the content of your post.

Siblings (of different ages) are completely different to twins, and suggesting its the same as other parents demanding their DC be in a class with another child is ridiculous.

I'm not saying that parents always know best or that they should have the final say (or the only say), only that having a blanket policy does not allow for any input, discussion or flexibility. My DTDs first school could not articulate any problems my DTs were having being together, or any negative impact on each other or the rest of the class, only a vague notion that 'twins do better apart' which is undoubtedly correct in some cases but i felt was somewhat outdated and did not apply to mine.

Absolutely, it should be an informed decision between parents and the school, on a case by case basis.

Really? I think you will find parents demand all sorts of things for DC and being with siblings who are very close in age where there are mixed age classes is not unheard of. I am not a parent of twins but have friends who are. They all wanted DC to be individuals. No one wanted their twins to be considered as one person, even when they were identical. They went out of their way to give them experiences tailored to their individual needs such as schools, music, sport, clubs etc. In fact so they could be siblings and not labelled forever as twins. I guess this opinion is just as valid as the sticking together opinion.

@BubblesBuddy You seem to be implying that twins in the same class means that they will be treated as a pair (by parents and teachers alike) and therefore if you put them in the same class, you don't want them treated as individuals. Conversely, if you put them in separate classes, they'll be treated as individuals.

I have to say, that's a load of rubbish. I have no doubt that every parent of twins wants their children to be treated as individuals. Some just choose to keep them together, some choose to separate. There are a whole host of reasons why parents may make that decision.

Parents and teachers are perfectly able to treat twins as individuals if they're in the same class. Similarly, lazy/disinterested teachers can label you as twins despite being in separate classes - I was in a different class to my sister at high school but when test results or sports selections were announced, we were often listed as "the X twins".

As I said above, it should be a discussion between the school and parents, there is no right or wrong answer, so there shouldn't be a rigid policy. But suggesting that "same class = a pair" and "different classes = individuals" is a little naïve.