How common is it for Primary Schools to change the classes around at the end of Year 1?

[CanvasBags]

DD is coming to the end of Year 1. Her school has 2 classes in each year group. The classes got changed around from Year R to Year 1.

She's been told to write down the names of 3 friends who they would like to be with next year and to include names from the other Year 1 class.

It could be that they only intend to move a few children around or else mix up the classes totally. What's the norm?

I don't mind either way, though would welcome a bit of mixing up.

We have only just started to mix up R into year 1 because some groupings were not working. I think it's a great idea to mix children up.

At DS's school they move the kids at end of each year to break up cliques, etc too. Seems to work well. Sounds like a minefield to get the kids involved though. What if nobody picks your DC, or you're in a group and have to choose between them? Sounds like a useless idea to me.

Hmmm - maybe. Perhaps they wanted to know who gets on well between the current 2 Year 1 classes?

They mixed the 2 classes up on the recent school trip and they seem to do things as 2 classes together quite often so maybe they're keen on mixing groups up in this school.

We are actually sitting down tomorrow in our year groups to make the new class lists for next year. We mix them up each year, unless there is reason not to. IMO, there is more pros for mixing than for not. It allows children to meet new ones, alleviates some behaviour issues and generally allows a new atmosphere for kids who need a change desperately. I know of some schools that do as you mentioned and have the kids write down their friends lists...but if truth be known, most of the times these are not even looked at, as teachers generally know the friendship groups of their pupils, and the point of the exercise is not to isolate children from their friends

Dd's school does it every year. I don't know if they ask the children, but the parents have been asked not to make requests, and I can understand why - there's no way they'd be able to accommodate everyone's wishes.

Canvas, am sure it would work for most kids, but imagine if you're a bit of a loner, wouldn't it would just make you feel more isolated if you knew nobody had put you on their list? And anyway surely the teachers should know at that age who gets on, so could do it themselves.

We used to do the same, but we've given up asking them to write down the three friends as it caused so much angst! We now do so much team teaching that we observe potential friendships and use this to work out class lists. We also have to think about :
ability
gender
sen
raf/catchment/out of area (we're near an RAF base and children move quite a lot)
potential conflicts (with children and teacher!)

so we're bound to make a few mistakes!

Thanks for your responses. I'm excited to hear that it might all change.

Maybe the list is just to make sure they're in a class with 1 person the child values as a friend - incase teachers have misread the friendship groups. I don't know. I know that DD's teacher knows who her best friend is because she's commented on their close friendship at parents' evening. I think DD will enjoy the chnage too. She's more worried about which teacher she is going to have.

We get the children to do a list and make sure that they're with at least one person on their list although of course we have observed friendships ourselves too and what they put is rarely a surprise. It takes an age as we also look at the things on trickerg's list too (as well as tricky parents!!) and it seems to work out very well.

I'm really glad you're excited! That's really lovely.(So many parents want their children to stay with their friends' children or children they've known in playgroup.) I think it's exciting too!

TBH I thought it was normal to mix up classes at teh end of each year.

I was surprised that they didn't mix between Y1 & Yr2 here.
They did mix between Y2 and 3.

We haven't heard formally what is happening next year but as the parent of DTDs I do get consulted on my preference for the DTDs to be together or seperated, and it has been implied that the classes will not be mixed (or at least not mixed significantly) next year.

TBH I think that is sad. DTD2's best friend is moving away. She is distraught. I think she would have found it easier going into a jumbled class where lost of people are forming new friendship groups...

I think it's one of the major advantages of a 2(+) form entry primary school. If you're in a single form entry school, and happen to be in a lousy class, then you're stuck with them for the next 7 years! At least there's some chance of respite in a bigger school.

Our school is as op. Each year they get to list three friends they;d like to be with next year (but its not guarunteed). My children are 10 & 7 and I think this works really well. When they leave the school they know everyone in the year really well