Composite class decision making

[JustAboutRight]

My DS is finishing P1.
Last week the school us there will be a composite P2/1 class with 8 P2 pupils. They will advise us when they have decided on the class allocations (long wait).
A lot of parents are rather concerned as to how they decide these things... I know it's meant to be based on the children who can work at the same level in maths and english, but, how much does their D.O.B., maturity and getting a good ratio of boys and girls come into it.... 3/5 of last years intake were boys.
My DS is one of the youngest in the year, hasn't had a good start to schooling. He's clever though often doesn't focus on the tasks/do as told. I really feel, remembering what nursery was like, he needs to be with more mature classmates to bring him on.

Hi, if you are under Glasgow council they actually state that the school can take into consideration the social needs of children but the over whelming bias is placed on putting children of similar ability together. Though I don't understand how they can do this with a P2/1 when the P1s haven't even started school? In my local authority they do it solely by age - so even if you child was working at the same level as their existing peers they would be placed in the composite class, this was the situation I was in last year. I had to grin and bear it but took consolation that at least the class size couldn't go above 25. Plus my DS had a confidence boost be being placed in the more able groups within the composite.

I would have a word with your headteacher and lay out your concerns over the need for your DS to mix with more mature classmates.

My DS was in composite classes all through primary, and it was always split solely by age - I think the school had found that any other way cause too many headaches trying to balance up all the possible pressures!

Are the school used to having composite classes? If so, I think you may just have to trust them to find ways of making it work - my DS was sometimes in a group with a different class, because the school did gneuinely treat each child as an individual and all the teachers were flexible about how they worked.

It's trickier if this is the first time the school have had to do this, as they may not have the experience in making this work out well.

I'm sure that whether your DS ends up in the composite class or the pure P2 one, the teachers will find ways of ensuring that he develops well, socially as well as academically.

Though you've thought of an advantage for the P2 class - more mature classmates - there is equally an advantage to being in the older part of a composite class, as the teacher is likely to give them extra responsibility and make them feel like the "big ones" which can help them feel and act more mature.

It is GCC. The school has never had a composite class before.
He has not progressed that well with his current teacher who finds him difficult to handle :-S .... what if the same one is the composite class teacher (aaargh).
A friend in teaching tells me it's meant to be based on those who can work independently and are on same level for learning.
In nursery he'd take advantage of the younger ones coming into the room and end up encouraging them to act up so he could too - hence my fears.