Mixed year group - justification

[PRIMARYHELP]

Our school has a Year 1/Reception and a Year 2/Year 1.

they have allocated students into each class from current reception cohort.

Out of 35 they’ve put 25 in the yr1/2 and 10 in the yr1/reception. They’ve provided no justification on how children were chosen other than a subjective we’ve looked at them as a whole (ability, social interactions and friendships).

we asked to move our child into the yr1/2 class but they school have said no. They keep professing that the classes are taught the same, however; even there work examples on their website show that the classes are learning different topics.

I can’t help but feel that our child is being restricted in learning by being in this yr1/reception class, I’m not sure on what we can do next as the school are not listening to our concerns, are not reassuring us and it took me three phone calls (over a week, not in one day) to even get the head to call me back with an update.

Has anyone had any success with moving classes?

It's quite normal here to do that, it cuts out a class overall so it's cost saving. Ours do it via the ages on the register and then there is some wriggle move if there are potential issues (such as this kids and that can't be together).

Ours seem to have their own topic work but lots of overlap with their heat group. I totally can see why some people wouldn't like it though? It's not ideal but I haven't personally seen any issues for my children yet.

They are 5.

It will be far more about social skills and emotional development at that age. Or confidence levels. Basic stuff like sitting still or listening too. Not so much the academic stuff.

I'd be willing to bet that your child is behind in this area / a summer born baby.

Don't sweat it. It will be fine. And it will be for a reason that ultimately will benefit them.

I can understand why you are unhappy but the school has the overview and will have chosen the children who best fit into these classes. Your child may well benefit from being in the Yr/1 class.

If it was split on age I would be more understanding of the situation, however, it’s been done entirely subjectively and it doesn’t sit well. The school response has been absolutely terrible and they keep contradicting themselves.

I also, don’t feel like they do have the whole situation. For instance, our child does not have an older child in their life (older sibling or older cousins) routinely to be a role model therefore; they may advance quicker in terms of maturity if they had that example to follow.

Is it too extreme to consider moving schools to a straight year group school?

My son was one of 6 year 1's in a mixed year 1/reception class. The only problem was on the first day back in September when a lot of the new reception children were crying and he burst into tears because he was worried something awful had happened. Other than that he was fine. It was nice for me and him because we got to know more of the parents/children from the year below a lot better.

Doing it on age would be a bad idea. It isn't subjective. It is based on what the school know about your child having taught her for a year! Surely that would be a better way of deciding who should be where? Of course you could move her but you might struggle at this point to find a place at a school that you like. It also seems a it daft to do so for this one reason. It may work out beautifully for your child. If your child is happy and settled, why would you?

It's completely normal. Our school do it by age.

If you don't want your child in a mixed age group class then moving to a school with single age classes is best.

Mixed age classes are normal. Sometimes you will be the younger mix, Sometimes the older group.

There are schools with just two classes in some areas... 4-7 and 7-11!

Surely you knew that they had mixed classes when you chose the school? My dcs school is a 2.5 year entry so classes are jumbled up every year and pretty much everyone has a turn in a mixed age class. It seems to be something parents fret about much more than the kids.

We didn’t know that they had mixed classes as there was no open day or walk around the school prior to selection. Nothing in the prospectus or website either. In fact all it says in the prospectus is that they are put in classes by age - which is not true as they have not applied an age cut off.

I’m really annoyed with how they have handled it all, I know they are under pressure as they’ve just been downgraded by ofsted to requires improvement too.

Be honest. If your dd had been placed in the other class you wouldn't be bothered by how they handled it or the criteria used. You think they are implying she is less 'clever' than other kids which is nonsense at this age.

The school don’t have to justify it to you. They will have chosen it to balance out friendships, ages, abilities, special needs and behaviour.
As a parent you rightly have no say on the allocations - can you imagine the chaos if parents got to decide the class lists! It has to be teachers who decide.
Yes, you can move schools if you prefer not to be in mixed year groups. Bigger schools have many advantages.

Id rather mine was kept in the Rec/Year 1 class. Most Year 1s could still do with lots of play, which they are likely to get in a classroom set up for Reception. Whereas Year 1/2 will be much more likely to be doing sit down work all day.

I just wish that they’d have had a parent consultation to explain the way it’s done and the reasoning. If there was a valid reason such as they need extra support then there would be no concerns - all we want is the best for our child.

If this were true and they were struggling with those areas surely the parents should have been informed during parents evening or at any point during the year ?
it feels informing in July there has been an issue since September is a bit unhelpful 🤯
like getting a crap end of year review at work having had nothing but praise 🤷‍♀️

And what is wrong with that? I'm unapologetic about wanting my child to be in a clas / environment that gets the best out of her and yes I want to know she's smart
but if the class is not just determined on age then any perceived lacking in behavior, academic skills, development, listening skills etc should have been properly highlighted to parents long long before class allocation at the end of reception
but the issue could well be that the poster is concerned having year 1 and reception together will have an impact as the reception kids will disrupt more and be louder and less structured learning will take place
this may well suit some kids but at some point they'll move to a class that is more formal and without year 1 as that opportunity for that transition it could end up storing future issues

Both mine ended up in the R/Yr1 class in exactly the same situation. I was worried too but it was great for them. They were still top of the class the following year (y2) but more importantly they had an extra year of fun, play and confidence building. Mine are teens now and it’s not made a bit of difference.

As a teacher, I can tell you that would be a nightmare! It’s the school’s decision. They have looked at the children and decided what works best. They don’t need to justify themselves to the parents, or have a forum for parents to have their say. Trust the school and give it a go. If you are concerned about your child’s progress next year, work with the school or consider moving.

I think the recent Ofsted has worried you and coupled with the change in classes has made you lose confidence in the school.

Im surprised you had no information about the school, prior to entry. I thought all schools were required to put information on their website at the very least and it’s surprising that there wasn’t an open evening.

Maybe time to look for an alternative.

You as a parent do not get to control which class your child is in next year. I'm not sure why you're so surprised your request for them to move was turned down. The school have made a decision in the best interests of your child. Trust them.

So many children benefit from remaining in an EYFS environment going into Year 1. Year 1 can be so formal for 5 year olds. Personally, I'd embrace this opportunity.

By all means request a meeting to enquire more about the reasons behind their decision, but from the angle of wanting to understand how you can best support your child moving forward. You absolutely can't expect you to move your child simply because you want them to. Imagine if every Year 1 parent with a child in that class made that request? Or if others heard about them moving your child on your request and asked them to do the same for their child?

Schools cannot please all parents and parents do not have a right to a say in such decisions. You just need to accept it I'm afraid.

You chose to trust them with your child’s education so unless you want to move school, you have to accept it and be positive about it for your dd.

Tbh, I would consider moving schools after they got a requires improvement, but that is unrelated to how they allocate classes. They don’t owe you an explanation of a justification because it will involve balancing the interests of many children and that isn’t your business.

@PRIMARYHELP How did your dc get on this year? Are you still with the school?

All the responses on here really surprise me that everyone is just so blindly trusting to a school and almost critical of a parent daring to challenge a decision or wanting to be included in it
when my eldest two (twins) went from reception to year 1 I was consulted about keeping them together or separate-if the school know what's best for all the children why ask at all? Just make a decision and inform me!
I'm with the OP I see very little benefit to an child bundled in with the year below especially if it's mixing curricula/ key stages I'd be interested to see the data behind it and the longitudinal studies on academic performance and social development
I think schools should be bringing parents along the journey explaining thinking and ideals clearly especially if they don't advertise mixed classes which it seems they didn't - how can one make an informed choice if they don't?
I also suspect the mums criticising here have children born earlier in the year (and would be in with older kids) or in the middle where they remain in their year group separate
summer babies get a tough enough start in education as it is without compounding that by adding a challenge and distraction in after 12 months in my opinion
if it's truly beneficial give me the evidence as otherwise why don't all schools do it and why don't independent schools choose it for its lofty ideals - they don't
the reality is it's a system used by schools to maximize intake and mimimise staffing - nothing wrong with that but it's certainly not done to benefit the kids 🫣

If a doctor has to explain what they're doing and why and cover risks and benefits to a patient why not a teacher or a school
it could be done easily and it's a bit lazy to not do so
I appreciate it can't be a free for all with parents decision final or classes would end up uneven but it should form part of conversations at parents evening and during reports
little Clare is struggling with both literacy and numeracy she would benefit from an additional year in a foundational setting
max is performing very well he may benefit from exposure to topics in year 2
it fits into conversations already had
the op is clearly saying they felt this decision came out of nowhere and was purely based on birth date 🤷‍♀️

Sorry - here’s a quick update after a second meeting with the school and no reasoning for the decision they agreed to move him.

He’s just finishing year 1 and has thrived in the setting (I’ve no idea how he would have progressed in the other class).

A parent knows their child and each child is so unique, the school agreed with our points when we met with them and I’m glad that they did. Discussions should be open between educators and parents - we are fully prepared to support any areas where needed at home, but if we’re not told then what can you do.