Year 2 to Year 3 class reshuffle, how to support child?

[Otter1986]

Anyone experienced their child's class being mixed up with other classes, when going up a year?

My son's primary mixes up the 4 forms into new classes between year 2 and 3. This is for various reasons - break up groups that aren't working, redistribute SEN children so they get their needs met etc...

This has been positioned as a headache for the school that is undertaken because its good for the kids. That makes sense. But my son has really only just found his group so it seems a shame they will possibly be split up now. That won't suit my son who isn't great with change (are any 7 year olds!)

It is entirely at the school's discretion so you can't opt for friends to be in class together. In fact, they often split up groups that are very tight to reduce exclusionary social behaviour.

Anything sage words / things to watch for / ask for?

Thanks

It is common for some schools. My son's school does it every year starting in Reception! They didn't have a say but the teachers were mindful to put them with at least one or 2 of their friends.
I am a teacher and we do it Y2 going to Y3. We ask the children to do a mini questionnaire - we ask them to list 3 friends and 3 people from other classes that they'd like to get to know more. That way it is easier to achieve the names on their list by giving them at least one friend and one new person they'd like to know. They only ask the children and not their parents as it opens a whole can of worms. It may be that they do something similar at your son's school.

Is it the first time the school are doing it? If not, I'm sure they are well versed in making it as smooth as possible.

Well, it's aing way off and I wouldn't worry about it.
The teachers know friendship groups and will take it into consideration. Also, they will see each other at play time and lunch time and before and after school etc

My child's school does this from Y1.
it's worked well tbh, my son has Sen and hasn't really made comment on the reshuffles.
They do take into consideration friendship groups.
it's a good way for them to meet new friends aswell I think

Out school does this after reception, and, if necessary, in y3 as well. They tend to keep friendship groups together, and it worked really well in the post reception reshuffle. Kids who weren't a great influence on each other were split, and SEND needs more evenly distributed.

That said, the classes do sometimes mix, and things like phonics groups can be made of kids from both classes to allow for concentration on levels and areas.

My son's school reshuffled after reception and then again going into year 3 as they went from infants to juniors. He isn't one for change but has managed incredibly well and year 3 has been the most settled he has been since starting school. He was asked for friends and was put with 2 of the 3 he said he wanted to be with. It is good practice as it gives space to find themselves as well as new friends

did this for my dn from year 2 to year 3 in Sept never been mixed before its actually worked really well and that class is by far the better behaved they did try to keep friendship groups together they did give an assurance they wouldn't mix them again but we shall see

We had this also, except it hadn’t been done before ( a few years earlier they’d mixed yr5 going into 6, due to massively unbalanced classes, and it became one of those things that was talked about in hushed tones in the playground for years!). It was met with OUTRAGE, drama, letters, parents attempting to convene meetings to launch a coup, demanding the class lists before the children got them, WhatsApp groups on fire for weeks.
Of course it went fine, kids were fine, no issues.
So I would say honestly, don’t do anything to prepare. Any amount of preparation risks making it into a bigger thing than it needs to be. They will have a transition morning I should think, and a session or two settling in. The school will do the prep. And then going back after the long break and everyone being in the same boat, with teachers who are very used to doing this, he will be fine.

It happened every year in DS 2s' Infant and Junior schools. You did get a few of 'those parents ' who magically had children who couldn't possibly do that and were kept with certain other children. Everyone else just got on with it and was told they'd still see their friends at break and lunch, but class was for learning.
It did mean that in a 4 form entry, all the children ended up knowing each other. Of course, it still hasn't stopped the drama in Tutor groups at Secondary and there has been quite a bit of movement in yr 7 and 8.

I'm intrigued why they only shuffle the classes around once, halfway through their primary school experience? I understand why that causes some anxiety and upset for the children, who have been use to having the same classmates for 3 whole years and then suddenly it changes. Most 2 form plus schools mix the classes every year. The children are use to this and expect it each year. It's healthy to freshen things up and helps them to see their year group as a whole, rather than a them and us situation.

Making friends is a life skill. For children who don't get to practice that skill very often, due to staying in the same class from Reception to Year 6, secondary school can come as a real shock to the system. Help him to embrace it by pointing out all the positives, rather than it being something to fear.

I agree. Either do it every year or don’t!
My eldests didn’t change as the classes were well balanced but it did mean she didn’t get to know the other kids so well.
Meanwhile my youngests has been mixed once which hasn’t been great as it wasn’t mixed in other years. No idea what will happen this summer

Thanks for everyone's comments. I have never heard of it happening at any other school, locally otherwise - hadn't appreciated it was so common!

A catch all response...

They have done it for a few years and after a bit of trial and error they have announced this year that they would NOT be asking parents or children who they wanted to stay with. This is because too many people insisted on keeping friend groups together and had a strop when it didn't happen.

The aim appears to be to break groups up, because many children have come in large cohorts from local feeder pre-schools so they have literally been together since 2 or 3 years old.

Overall, I think that it could be a good thing as some of the groups are impossibly exclusive (having known each other their whole lives really) and I don't think thats good behaviour to foster. But other than that, I don't really see too many positives with it to encourage him with. My son has additional needs and this is the sort of thing that could really throw him into a spin, so I see many downsides from a personal perspective.

Thankfully, we got an email today to say that SEN children will get additional prep opportunities and that the play therapist would be modelling what to expect and how to react so we should be on track!!

This might sound daft, but make sure your son understands what is he is being asked when he fills in the form. Also, make sure he knows how to spell his friends' names. My son who has SEN had to follow this process aged about five. He wrote down the names that were easiest to spell because writing was still very difficult for him. His best friend happened to have quite a long name. They were split up.

I think it is so much better if schools mix classes. The friends I know with the most social worries are those with one form entry classes that never change.

Rather than dynamics being fixed - where the same kids are type cast as naughty/joker/responsible/bright/queen bee - everyone gets a chance to turn over a new leaf, make new friends, leave old issues behind and start again.

Even smaller schools manage this by mixing and splitting year groups and I so much prefer it.