unhappy about class groupings

[oldandgreynow]

Our school has basically got 2 ways of doing class groups for next year

Option 1

R/y1/y2 26 children
Y2/Y3/Y4 27 children
Y5/6 19 children

or

option 2

R/Y1 20 children
Y2/3/4 27 children
Y4/5/6 25 children
They have gone for option 1. Why ? Why would you put the youngest children in the biggest class ?

perhaps because they think it better to give the smallest class to Y5 and 6 who are in important primary years.

How many TAs are there in each year?

Y5/6 are more important if results in SATs is the school's first priority. If their priority is the children's education the reception would be seen as more important.

I disagree. Ii think the last years of primary are more important educationally than reception.

I suppose they can put the TAS where they want.I think there are 3 all together

Y5/6 children will struggle if they haven't received good early education so they may be very important if the school has failed to provide for the children when they first started their school career.

www.dur.ac.uk/news/newsitem/?itemno=5714

"An assessment of over 70,000 children from Durham University?s Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) Centre reveals that a good reception year teacher has the biggest impact on primary school education."

" ?An Evaluation of the Quality of Educational Provision in Nursery Units in Primary Schools 2007?2009?.

?There is a growing body of research, at international level, which emphasises the importance of early years. The right interventions early in life can help to reduce barriers to learning that may, otherwise, reduce children?s longer term chances of success."

inca.org.uk/pdf/early_years.pdf

'In all the review countries there was an acknowledgement of
the importance of establishing quality early years services.'

Option 1 only splits one year group (Year 2) instead of two (Year 2 and Year 4)

Also I would reckon there is a bigger difference in the maturity of a Year 4 child and a Year 6 one than there is between Reception & Year 2.

I would suggest there is a huge difference in the level of maturity of a new reception child and a Y2 child. In reception many children require a great deal of adult support and attention (time that can't be devoted to Y2 children) which hopefully they won't need by the time they are in Y4.
Who teaches Y2 while the teacher is off changing wet/dirty pants or seeing to a cut knee? This shouldn't be an issue by Y4!
Reception - Y2 covers two key stages and two very different curricula -Y4/5/6 are the same key stage and same curriculum.

I would think the TA would be attending to the cut knee/dirty pants, not the teacher.
I still think it's preferable to split only one year group, not two.

Have you worked in a reception class? As a reception class teacher I attended to as many cut knees and wet pants as my Nursery Nurse did because when a small child needs attention the nearest adult takes responsibility of care.

Rusty Bear
option 1 splits Y2 and option 2 splits Y 4
So only one year group is split with either option

Oh, sorry, misread that!

27 children in a class is still below the average, I tihnk that's a good thing, whichever way you look at it.

Option 1 will probably benefit the younger of the year 2 children too.

Mrs in mixed year group classes the children are divided up and taught key areas like literacy and numeracy seperately according to ability, and in some subjects like science, art history etc it is quite possible to differenciate the work accoring to ability.

Maybe they know they some able children coming into reception and can push them on with the year 1 and 2s... or weak year 1 and 2s who still need a largely play based curriculum.

I think the early years are very important but the school must have a reason for this - why not ask?

At first glance it looks like they are concerned about SATs and want the older children to have the smaller group.

BUT... the school has probably thought a lot about the children concerned. Perhaps they have some immature Y2s who will benefit from another year in a more play-based environment. Or a big difference in maturity and attainment between Y4 and Y5. Even in a big school there can be a huge difference in the make-up of year groups, even more so in a small school.

overmydeadbody I've taught my share of mixed age classes and mixed key stage classes but it is much harder to teach two very different curricula (EYFS &NC) There are so many statutory welfare requirements that must be met for reception children and a completely different way of working.
It's much easier to work the way you suggest with mixed Y4/5/6 than it is with R/Y1/2.
cazzybabs so what about the other reception children who aren't ready to be pushed?

Will all the Reception children be starting in September? If they have a two or three term entry, then the class may not get up to 26 until the summer term.

mrz - well its hard to judge because we don't know the facts...

maybe a TA??? (I am clinging at straws)

DD's school are doing something similiar, and I think centred around concerns over Yr 6 being such an important year etc (at least in part it must be being driven by SATS).

They are moving from a structure which goes:
Yr R
Yr 1 & Yr 2
Yr 3 & Yr 4
Yr 5 & Yr 6

To:
Yr R & Yr 1
Yr 2 & Yr 3
Yr 4 & Yr 5
Yr 6

I am concerned, especially as DD1 is going into Yr 3 next year and is remaining in the same class for a third year, in what has always been an infant class. But I guess only time will tell how it works out, and in the final analysis it's up to the school how they organise their year groups.

The school my children attended worked on option 2 ( tried option 1 for a year ) and I have to say there were no real issues but that was pre EYFS.

You are right mrz it is much harder to teach mixed age classes, aspecially different curriculums, but from the children's point of view it isn't detrimental, and the OP was (presumably) talking about it from a parent's (and therefore child's) point of view?

I suspect one reason that may influence how classes are split in our school may be the experience of various teachers

The head teacher teaches 2 days per week in the top class and cynically i wonder whether he wants it as easy as possible also the Cof G daughter is in Y5.
I can't help thinking that there is a bigger difference between a just-4 yo and a 7 yo, than between an 8 and an 11 yo.
I think 26 children in 3 different year groups (including 10 under 5s) is a very difficult proposition for even the most talented teacher.