My daughter will be the only girl in her school year

[Ilovemysoil]

My 4 yr old daughter is starting primary school in September - we are really happy with the school but for one problem. The school year is small, only 8 in the class. My daughter will be the only girl. I'm not sure how I feel about this and my husband isn't either. Whilst she is an outgoing child and has a few boy friends at nursery, I'm more worried about as she gets older as girls and boys naturally develop different interests.

We've spoken to the headteacher and she was reassuring and gave a few options as to how to ensure she doesn't feel left out - but it is nagging at me. Even if there was only one other girl I would feel much better.

My questions is - what would others do? Would you consider another school?

If my kid was one of 8 in a class, I wouldn’t turn it down in a heartbeat. I’m sure the teachers will ensure she’s included in everything and activities are child focussed rather than boy/girl focussed

We were worried about this, our intake was 12 and luckily ended up with more of an even split of boys and girls.
Is year1/2 a mixed class? Do you know how many girls in reception currently? It’s only for a year if so and they all play together at break times and lunch.
One of my daughters favourite playmates at school is one of the boys.
I would still send her.

I suppose I'd want to find out whether she is taught just in that group of 8 or whether she'll be around girls a year different in age...what would her specific experience of each hour of the school day be like? If there are older girls around at lunchtime and break it would be lovely for her. Personally I'd be worried ahead for KS2 years where the boys and girls drift apart...but are there after school clubs and other places where she could interact with girls of a similar age?

Your DD will be in a class of just 8! I'd b over the moon with that. Think of the attention she will get from the teacher. Many DC are in huge classes and get limited attention.

I've never heard of a class of 8 in a state school. 30 is more usual.

Is this a tiny village school? Do they have mixed age classes? I don't see how the school would be financially sustainable otherwise. If so, your dd might be in a R/Yr 1 class with some year 1 girls who could become her friends.

I would be concerned about this. But more concerned about the viability of the school tbh. Round here schools with such a low intake are closing. Has it always been so small, is it a very rural location perhaps?

Are there other options? Could she move at age 6/7 - as pp say, that’s when the boy girl divide kicks in more?

I would give it a couple of years and see how it goes. There may be more pupils that join in y1/y2 as children who start at different schools originally perhaps need to move for a host of different potential reasons. It may be that she makes friends with children in the year above or below. It might be that she has no troubles at all. If by the first term of y2 you aren't happy, apply for a place to move for y3.

My third is the only girl in a class of 6. However, it’s composite and her friends are year above and below as well as the boys in her year. She is 8 and loves it.

Is the class 8 or just the year group?

If the actual class is going to be 24 children Reception/Year1/Year2 then I wouldn't worry.

I would be worried about their financial state. There’s a reason these ratios are only provided when parents are paying. 8 kids cannot fund a teacher.

Are you very rural, OP? If not, what are the other options like?
Looking at this school, what size is the current reception class and how many girls are in it? What about the year behind your DD? What are those numbers like? Presumably they are taught as mixed year groups so one option would be to start at this school and see how your DD gets on.

That's a very small class. Is the school viable in the long term? Bear in mind the 2020s has seen a drop in births, so I'd want to know if this is going to continue in lower years.

I’d take this over the typical 30 kids in one class,

It will probably be ok for the first year or 2, but it is likely to be problematic by Y6.
Id be looking at moving her - either now, or before the start of KS2 at the latest.

I assume you are rural.

she will be taught in a mixed age group for most things and will get to know the girls in those years.

at 4 she will won’t be at all bothered by being the only girl.

my own dd has always had more friends who are boys than girls and would not be at all bothered by this.

Why would boys and girls 'naturally' develop different interests?

I feel the opposite. I would hate to be, or for my child to be, in a class with only eight children. For most children, the best part of school is the friends.

This happened to us but it evened out as the years went on and it ended up being a fantastic school, so if the school is otherwise right I'd go for it.

In my experience the boy/ girl divide is mainly the girls telling the boys in yr 5 that they no longer want to play with boys and the boys looking on in confusion. Whilst some boys might say they don't want to play with a girl most of them seemed happy to play in a big mixed group. I wouldn't necessarily reject it straightaway, especially if they sometimes mix the year groups. I might offer her something like ballet or Rainbows but she might just like to join in whatever clubs the boys do.

I suspect you will have some mixed year classes and in a school that small all the kids get to know each other so play more in mixed aged groups. Ds was i ln a year of only 9 and was very friendly with boys in the year above. It did make things a bit difficult in year 6. We only had 50 in our school total and it is definitely a viable school.

My DD is one of 8 and the only girl, never been an issue for any of the children in the class. Develop interests outside of school like Brownies, gymnastics, football etc and she can mix with girls and boys there and develop friendships

DD is at a very small school, 68 in the school 4-11 with 5 in Reception.

With small schools they are usually very mixed age groups, at ours they all
play together big ones and little ones. They don’t stick to their year group like bigger schools. DD is Reception (although early Sept born so older than most in her year) but her best friends at the moment are in Year 1 and 2 and she also plays with some even bigger ones.

There’s only one other girl in Reception and 4 in Year 1, but it’s fine.

I'd enquire with the school about how they mix year groups and other social interactions. Lot of schools we viewed had a buddy system so a year 6 pupil was paired with a reception starter. Which may help a bit. The smaller schools also mixed classes for some activities like PE and art.

Over time children come and go so she may not be the only girl forever.

It may also depend somewhat on the age of the child is she a young 4 or a nearly 5? If the latter she may make friends with the class above too.

I wouldn’t want my dd to be the only girl- or to be in a class of 8 either! Is there another school she could go to?

"girls and boys naturally develop different interests" is incorrect