Have you been told about next year's classes yet? Composites? Numbers? Teacher? Friends?

[teslagirl]

A small part of me want to type Grrr. There, I've done it. I mean, the schools KNOW what they're going to do already so WHY NOT TELL US! Whilst I'm aware the obvious unspoken reason is "To give you parents less time to launch complaints", the reality is we have a pretty good idea what they'll do so please don't keep us hanging on!

It affects both DSs. We have an Infants and on-site but different school Juniors arrangement.

Briefly, DS1 was amongst the first to be 'composited', Y3/4, as there are only 43 DCs in his year and the schools operate a 2 form entry (max 60-ish). He's now a '4' in a 3/4, having been a '3' in a 3/4 last year. But WHAT are they doing next year? Rumour Control speaks of 'pure' yr 5s- so there MUST be more incomers we don't know about. Yet, for some of us, we'd prefer an ongoing composite (Y5/6) as we don't LIKE many of DS1's year group contemporaries! My view of the potential success of next year will be seriously shaped by exactly which of his year group he will find himself with! The good and studious who will 'bring him along' or the.. Others?

DS2 is going into Juniors. We pretty much know they'll be composited, Y3/4. It's less of an issue EXCEPT- and I'm on dangerous ground here- there are just a couple of DSs whom I'm keen for DS2 NOT to be with but of course I won't know whom til July 4th! Also, it'd be handy, practically speaking, to be able to foster friendships between DS2 and his Y3 classmates over the summer IF I knew who they were!

WHY, really, all the secrecy? And guesswork? The 'pure yr 5' thing has been guessed at because a teacher told his class he was 'having a Yr 5 next year'. And none of the DCs have been asked to list their 2 best friends for class division purposes. WHY?

'Fraid you do come across as having an over-developed sense of entitlement tesla girl.

If you want selective now you have to pay for it.

And it costs.

what si this word COMPOSITE?
i have never heard it used in educaiton before
is it a new weord

Might add that I was educated in a comprehensive out in the sticks, where I was probably the only child who took the remotest interest in school subjects. Didn't stop me from getting my PhD though. Life moves on. And family is more important than anything.

I know Ds's new teacher but only because they have a new system for reception children going into yr 1. Tommorow I am ging into his class for an afternoon of activities which will include going into his new classroom, and meeting his new teacher.

I am dreading it, as I don't like his new teacher and was already worried about his progress before I heard who he'd got.

Won't find out who the dd's have got until the day they break up. Dd2 will be gutted whoever it is, as she absolutly adores the teacher she has had this year.

On second thoughts, I take that back. You, as in each individual (me, you, your ds, my ds), is more important than anything. The choices we make for ourselves. Nobody else can do that for us.

I know Ds's new teacher but only because they have a new system for reception children going into yr 1. Tommorow I am ging into his class for an afternoon of activities which will include going into his new classroom, and meeting his new teacher.

I am dreading it, as I don't like his new teacher and was already worried about his progress before I heard who he'd got.

Won't find out who the dd's have got until the day they break up. Dd2 will be gutted whoever it is, as she absolutly adores the teacher she has had this year.

Am I engineering my child's life and class by a) hoping he won't be put in the class with the drop kicks in the classroom? or b) maybe making alternative arrangements if I deem necessary? Oh, perhaps I am. Engineering his future in a POSITIVE way?

I guess I couldn't have been more engineered than DS. I remain deeply grateful for the opportunities life gave me due to nothing more really than a dint of geography and a bit of IQ (see above about filling baths). It's BECAUSE I know about all different sorts of people and lifestyles that I don't really need DS to be exposed to the wilder ends of it. At 9.

How does it go? FFS?

what are the alternative arrangmenets

composite has been used fro a good few years. Get with teh beat

You still haven't explained why he can't run with the same gang even if they are in different classes during (certain) lessons. Surely, he is not supposed to do any running in lesson time? Or do the dinner ladies not allow children from different classes to play with each other?

I just don't get all this devastation about which teacher/what friends/who gets to look after the class hamster over summer. It isn't important! You are obviously giving your DCs a stable, loving (if not to my taste) home life and that will count for so much more than whether or not they are exposed to a few wastrels along the way. All the rest is life's rich tapestry and that is good for them, otherwise they will get a hideous shock when they reach the real world. You can't micro-manage everything. When do you plan to stop?

Like I said, even if they do know now (and they may not) they really don't want to spoend the next two weeks listening to complaints by aggrieved parents. They will have arranged the classes taking all kinds of factors into account - behavioural issues, SN, friendship groups, academic ability, availability of TAs, gender mix, even possibly how the physical environment may affect certain children.

If you made your concerns known to your child's teacher before the process began, they will probably have considered it as a factor, but only one among many.
If you didn't, why complain now?

Seriously, Cod, you can't expect me to detail 'the alternative arrangements' seeing as you see this post as a bit of sport, really, can you? Whatever I wrote, you'd trash because your friend has alerted you to this post as amusement value (as you have already told us) and you'd be sticking your neck out to actually attempt to see someone else's point of view, wouldn't you? Your friend might not like you any more. And ask to be in a separate class next year.

cory on Mon 23-Jun-08 22:08:10
You still haven't explained why he can't run with the same gang even if they are in different classes during (certain) lessons. Surely, he is not supposed to do any running in lesson time? Or do the dinner ladies not allow children from different classes to play with each other?

Rusty, I have 'chatted' to the head. His hands are tied. He has already stated he sees next year's Yr 5 as 'perhaps the most challenging of my career to date, ha ha.'. How warm and cuddly as a parent would that make you feel??!

Reading all these messages I think it is just as well that the school decides and parents don't get an input!!

Exactly Abbey. I shudder for the future, all those helicopter mothers just waiting to make me feel inadequate at the school gate (they won't be able to though, I shan't be there!!)

OK, they spend 6.5 hours in school. Of that 1.5 is 'playtime'. That's the bit where THEY choose who they 'run with'. However, 'Running with a gang' is an expression of a feeling of belonging to a certain group.

To be fair, the school DO set the core subjects. DS1 hasn't come up against too many of the DSs of whom I speak to date in his sets. So should I be tutoring him madly over the summer to keep it that way??!

Incidentally, that was a JOKE.

So the head has said his hands are tied, presumably he means he has only one practicable arrangement - so why are you surprised that they are keeping quiet until it's too late for useless protests?

teslagirl on Mon 23-Jun-08 22:17:43
'OK, they spend 6.5 hours in school. Of that 1.5 is 'playtime'. That's the bit where THEY choose who they 'run with'. However, 'Running with a gang' is an expression of a feeling of belonging to a certain group.

To be fair, the school DO set the core subjects. DS1 hasn't come up against too many of the DSs of whom I speak to date in his sets. So should I be tutoring him madly over the summer to keep it that way??!

Incidentally, that was a JOKE.'

Yes, I appreciate that. I just can't imagine either of my dc's suddenly dropping their friends because they have ended up in a different class. Classes have changed every year since Reception and neither have been with their closest friends since infants. But friends are still friends.

Admittedly, playtime is a small part of the school day, but that is the time when most socialising takes place.

As for what sets your dc wants to be in to be with his friends- how about giving him some responsibility for moving up? Can't he choose to do extra revision and ask the teacher for more reading if that's what he wants. You do seem to be talking about your ds as a much younger child than the 9-year-olds I am used to.

I rarely look at mumsnet but I am now wondering if I've got the strength to do so if there are many more like teslagirl out there. You seem to be setting yourself up for a long, long time of manipulating and scheming and over-projecting your anxiety onto your children- there is a point at which you have to calm down and have confidence in yourself and your children's ability to make sensible decisions.The primary school is, I expect, a safe place in which your children 's welfare will be looked after- surely you would have removed them from the school if it was THAT awful?

You seem to have absolutely no confidence whatsoever in the ability of your children to make good judgements about behaviour, peer group, etc. What on earth will your children be like at coping by year 7, when they face a new school, larger and full of different types of learners, if you keep manipulating their peer group and friends?

Katak, right there with you, there are 5 pages of posts like yours, but telsagirl is immune to logic.

The majority of posters are right here in that actually there is no point in worrying about it because you can't change what they do. The only thing you can do is exercise your right to remove your DCs if you aren't happy, however clearly you can't keep doing this just because you don't like what class they are in. Ultimately I think it comes down to how much you trust your childs school. I think it is niave if you believe that schools are always doing what is best for the children, there are so many factors in play. I am very surprised at the amount of people who claim that their school simply doesn't know - sounds to me like a complete lack of organisation. How are teachers supposed to prepare for the next year if they don't know? Also I do feel that these days education is different, I think there is much more parental involvment and this is expected by schools. From what I have seen so far a child who gets no support at home will struggle to learn to read properly by the end of primary if they aren't that bright. I think schools should therefore be upfront with parents and tell them sooner rather than later. Lets face it there are always people who are unhappy however in my experience if you explain things to people and involve them they are more likely to accept it. I was really pleased when my DCs school announced what they were doing in a rather short letter last week, it confirmed to me that I need to move them and that is what I am doing. No moaning at the governors or the head, in fact their decision helped me make mine.

I don't know what class my ds will be in next year- but that's because I haven't asked. Which in turn is because I can't imagine there is anything I ought to be doing about their decision.

By the time my dc's have got to junior school, I have felt the need to relax my involvement in day-to-day school matters anyway. I am still supportive of what the school does, and I do my best to provide an academically stimulating home environment, but I don't need to know the details.

By Year 5, I feel children are growing up (this, after all, was the year in which my dd reached puberty!) and need to feel they are trusted.

"I am very surprised at the amount of people who claim that their school simply doesn't know - sounds to me like a complete lack of organisation. How are teachers supposed to prepare for the next year if they don't know?"

There's still a month to go to the end of term in most state schools - the teachers will know which year they are teaching in plenty of time to plan for next year - as teachers point out fairly frequently on education threads, they will be spending a considerable amount of time in the summer holidays planning & preparing for next year.