Policy of splitting up friendships

[PrettyCandles]

Any teachers, could you explain? I'm puzzled about this:

When dd went into Y2 (this year) she and her best friend were deliberately put into different classes. Her Y1 teacher at the time explained that the school had chosen to do this because they felt that dd and her friend were at risk of becoming co-dependent in their learning, and if they were not given the opportunity to learn to learn independantly, then they would struggle in future.

Her Y2 teacher put it differently yesterday. If I understood her correctly, this was a strategy to teach children a life lesson in how to cope with changes in friendships. Again, she made the point that if they did not learn these lessons now, it would be harder later.

I can, just about, accept the first explaination, but I'm about the second. Particularly as (a) ds1 was never split from his best friend at any point, and (b) when they move to the junior school a special effort is made to keep friendships together.

What do you think of this strategy?

the more I think about this the more I think dd would have benefitted from being split from her bf. we moved recently and she found moving really hard - but I think it's been a learning experience for her. I think it was better now (aged 8-9) than carrying on with bf until the end of year 6 and then drowning in a new secondary school without her. it would have been even better if the school had split them in reception - they would still have had each other but would have learned a lot about making new friends. (which would have made moving easier iyswim)

Haven't read all the replies, but it might be that your DD and her friend were a pain in the bottom together - distracting each other, unable to make any independent decisions, lacked focus, talking when they shouldn't have been....

Worse still, the relationship might have been one-directional - e.g. one might have had the upper hand with the other constantly being the one to defer.

As a teacher, I've recommended certain children be split up when they change year group, but not because they were very good friends, but because the learning of one or the other was being hampered by the 'friendship'.

Don't forget, there's still playtime, lunchtime and after school.

For me, it's NEVER about punishment.

Crazycat, I don't think htat has ever been the case. Dd's teachers throughout have said that they love teaching her: she is diligent, interested, curious, polite, she contributes well. There have never been any issues with her behaviour - unlike with her brother, who was also interested and curious, but not diligent and definitely cheeky. His teachers did sometimes separate him from some classmates because they were egging each other on or distracting each other.