mixed classes R/yr 1 and concerns over my sons progress

[halia]

Hi all,

DS is going into yr 1 next year, I've attended his parents evenings and had a couple of talks with his teacher over the year. Several times I have asked about his reading and general progress, he hasn't learnt to read at all and i've been growing concerned that he isn't being sufficiently challanged in his current class. But it is nearly end of term so I thought it would settle down next year with a more structured approach in Yr 1.

Last week I got a slip of paper saying "to infomr you your son will be in MissX class next yr" now MissX is his current class teacher so I thought maybe she was moving up with them, THEN I read his newsletter which had a small sidebar with the classes and teachers for next year. Only then did I realise that actually DS is staying in class 1 which will be mixed R and Yr 1, and some of his friends are going up to class 2 which will be mixed yr 1 and yr 2.

I am VERY unhappy about this, been up to school and been told:
we have too many to mix all of yr 1 and yr 2 and only a small reception intake (9) - well then why not leave DS class as one group (there are 18 of them) and mix yr 2 and 3 (which make up 28)
There isn't a problem mixing foundation stage with KS1 (erm yes there is- at least in my book)
Its been done by ability not age - well then why is this the first time I've heard that my son is in the bottom half of the class despite numerous enquiries about how he was doing

I then discussed his progress, now over the past 6 weeks we got tired of waiting for the school to teach him to read so we started doing more work on it at home - and guess what he'd 'suddenly' made progress at school in the past half term

My big worries are that he will just drift through another year - they havn't managed to teach him to read yet why will another year with the same teacher be different.
How is she going to deal with a mixed class of 20 or so pupils ranging from a 6 yr old (one of DS friends turns 6 on 10th sept) to a kid who has just turned 4?

Whats the measure of ability? she said independant working, well Ds CAn work independantly on some things, not on reading and writing work cos he can't do that yet..... I'm not saying he is ultra bright or anything but they have had a full year with 18 pupils and a f/t TA and if they are now saying that over half of the pupils 'couldn't cope' with the work in Yr 1 in september that to me says they havn't prepared the pupils adequetly.

What are my options here? has anyone had experience of mixed R / yr1 classes good ro bad?

Why were you waiting for the school to magically teach him to read without your input? If the progress has been "magically" made at home, then you could have been putting in more effort in the first place.

he's probably been placed where his needs will be best served. better to have him slightly bored than to feel like he is the stupidest person in the class.

Better to mix Yr R & Yr 1 which are both infant classes, both a lot of play-based learning, than to mix Yr 2 & Yr 3 which means mixing infants and juniors and mixing across KS1 and KS2. Mixed Yr R and Yr 1 classes are very common in smaller schools, and are usually a fabulous way to cement basic concepts, whilst leaving a lot of time for play-based stuff.

I would concentrate your worries on your child in particular (i.e. are there areas where he isn't performing as expected) than worrying about what class he is going to be in next year, which is probably not something you can change, or which will impact on him negatively.

If he is struggling in some areas, much better that he is working in a class with Yr R, than catapulted into a class with 7 year olds (Yr 2).

I expected the school to teach him to read as that was one of the things they said they did in reception class. I didn't expect it to happen 'magically' unless a 9 month curriculum of learning is 'magical' I put in time at home at first but was told that he would learn via the methods they used at school and I didn't need to do more work at home. We got to May and he kept saying he was bored, and didn't seem to be moving on so i took some time out form work and spent an extra 2 hrs a week with him - and he made (according to the school) 'suprising' progress in around 4 weeks.

So i DID put the effort in and he learnt, I'm annoyed that the school doesn't seem to have done this. Not sure I want him spending another year playing in the sandpit, his first year of that hasn't taught him 'basic concepts' (I assume this is reading, writing and numberwork) so why would another year do that for him?

I think you need to separate out the two issues in your mind - they are not "keeping him down a year" - they are mixing the classes, which most small schools do. I assume it's not just your DS who will be in Yr 1 in the mixed Yr R / Yr 1 class? Mixed Yr R and Yr 1 classes can and do work well in many schools (including the one my DDs attend).

Whether you are concerned over your son's progress is a separate issue, and what you should concentrate on when you speak to the school.

You have said yourself that your DS is struggling with some of the basics. Given that, can you really argue that he would do better in the mixed Yr 1 / Yr 2 class?

Mixed age classes are quite normal in small schools. The School that my dcs attend have a R/ Y1 class and a Y1/ Y2 class. It works very well.

You should be plaesed that your ds will have a chance to go back over the basics again, that he has struggled to pick up this year. He will hopefully feel more confident as he will be ahead of the reception children coming in. I'm sure he will also receive extra support or extension work if it is needed.

Just imagine if he was in a Y1/ Y2 class with much older children, who will probably be reading really well. It would not help his self esteem at all.

As a teacher I can't beleive how often parents want their children to be in a higher group and somehow imagine this will suddenly improve their learning. Children need to be working at an appropriate level for them, in order to make progress. Giving someone harder work is not going to make them getter a better understanding things that they are already struggling with.

The best thing that you can do to help your child is read with him/ to him/ listen to him read every day. Schools cannot do this on a one to one basis every day and you can.

Stop worrying and trust the school that they know what they are doing.

So there are no bad points at all to mixing articulate, confident 6 yr olds with shy nervous 4 yr olds?

btw: I said he couldn't read, I didn't say he was struggling with basics ( he can do number work after we spent Easter hols focusing on it). His teacher told me his creative play/ imagination art and music is well above average and he has excellent social skills and personal development.
oh and I DO read at home with him every day, and do phonics work, and do number rhymes and coutnign when we are out, and reading street signs, and telling stores and all those other things ............people seem to assume I am crap parent who doesn't let her kid have books!

So as far as i can tell the 'problem' areas are that he can't read and write ..... I am annoyed because
a) I was told not to worry because he was doing fine and now I find out he "can't cope with Yr 1 work"
b) I'm not sure what exactly he HAS learnt at school
c) how will it help him to feel confident to be in a class with younger pupils knowing that his 'brighter' friends have been allowed to go up
d) there is no facility for extra help or extension work if he needs it

He won't associate his 'brighter' friends "going up" unless an adult paints this concept for him.

Perhaps the best way to introduce it to him, is to explain that the R teacher needs some good, helpful year 1s to 'help out' with the new children. I know as a parent this is not why you send your child to school, but it will help his self esteem, which should support an improvement in his learning. Got to be a better option than the possibility of being 'sat on' by boisterous 7 year olds?

Have they said "he can't cope with year 1 work"?
My DD's in a mixed reception/year 1 class (admittedly she's been in the reception half) but it seems to work pretty well.
The year 1s do year 1 work, as do some of the brighter receptionists for some of the things. The teacher pitches whole class stuff well for all the children.
Until christmas, while some of the reception children are part-time, you DS might do quite well for getting more attention too, as there'll be a few less children in the class.

I'm surprised about them not wanting you to do anything with him at home though. We have a home-school partnership thing with reading/homework. Reading books, keywords to practice, spellings etc. I though most schools did.

I think that this comes down to what you believe the teacher for next year is capable of doing. They should not be repeating the reception (foundation) work but doing year1 work which is more structured. So my question to the school would be how are the school going to ensure that the year1 pupils in the class get appropriate differentiated work and they do not become even more detached from the rest of the cohort in the other class?

Halia -You would have a fit if you came to our school which has class 1 consisting R,Y1 and half of Y2 and class 2 consisting the other half of Y2, Y3 and Y4
It is a numbers game and they just have to do what is in the best interests of the most number of children.Presumably your DS is currently in a class of 18 Reception children (they are not bloody receptionists!)
Are you proposing that next year the school psgould miraculously find the money to put on a class for just 9 children, or that teh rnew reception children should be in a class of 27 with the whole of your DS's year.
Splitting classes and mixing year groups even across key stages is very very common.

Oh and it is far from uncommon for children especially boys, not to be reading by the end of reception.If he isn't ready ,no amount of teaching will make him read.

Keep dyslexia at the back of your mind as a possibility - my dd was like that in Year R and Year 1. Got her tested during Y2 and yes - dyslexic.

"c) how will it help him to feel confident to be in a class with younger pupils knowing that his 'brighter' friends have been allowed to go up"

He might be very bright (like my dd - on 98th percentile for cognitive ability) - just dyslexic.

Alternatively, he might not have a specific learning difficulty. Just keep a watching brief

It sure sounds like your relationship with the school isn't great - are there any other options, like a bigger primary school?

I don't know if anything you are saying would have worried me at ds's stage. Ds's class isn't mixed but the class above him was. It seemed to work OK year by year, but I know one lovely lad now in yr 3 i think who has always been in mixed classes, and a major problem with it was that sometimes he is mixed with the year below and sometimes with the year above. Potentially unsettling and I know his mum is not always happy about it. Having said this, this particular lad is so fab that it's hard to see how he could be any more so!

The thing that is most concerning is that the school actually told you not to do stuff with him; I find it odd that schools try to deter high-involvement parents (like me ) by saying 'calm down, calm down' which is no good and just makes me more anxious - if I were them I would try to find a way to channel my pushiness. It is true though that if Reception is about learning where the loos are, Yr 1 is learning to tie your shoelaces- OK that's tongue in cheek but I really wouldn't expect fully structured work in yr 1. If you do, it sounds like your ds is in the wrong school for you as a family.

look, ds1 was moved into a Yr1/Yr2 class when he went into year one, and it was HELL. He was terrified of the massive articulate mature 7 year old girls, he Did Not Cope socially, he got given spellings he couldn't even fucking read, his confidence plummeted, I sometimes had to DRAG him into school sobbing - is that what you want for your son? Really?

Let him enjoy his time as a 5/6 year old. He will have more fun in the younger class, he will have more confidence in the younger class, he will not feel crushed, babyish or stupid in the younger class - which is what happened to my son in the older class.

totally agree with colditz's posts. ds is in reception, and will be moving into a mixed class for yr1, same issue, part of the new yr1 is mixed with yr2, the rest are mixed with the oldest reception, ds will be in the yr/rec class, tbh, i haven't given it a second thought.

"As a teacher I can't beleive how often parents want their children to be in a higher group and somehow imagine this will suddenly improve their learning. Children need to be working at an appropriate level for them, in order to make progress. Giving someone harder work is not going to make them getter a better understanding things that they are already struggling with."

Good post loadsofsmiles.

My experience is that parents are sometimes worried about this but the kids are totally fine (especially if the parents big it up for them, rather than talking about their brighter friends "going up" - believe me it happens), in fact those who are yr 1 in a class inc FS2 do really well because of an increase in confidence.

I agree that the OP needs to separate the issues and look at the one that may need adressing (ie her DS's progress).

To answer points:
It is all over the school that some kids are 'staying down' because they aren't bright enough so yes he will pick that up sooner or later.
musicteachingmum, are you suggesting that I and his teacher and all other adults lie to him for a year (or more) and say he is staying in the reception classroom when others are moving up because he is helpful?

I have specifically been told he isn't going up because he couldn't cope with Yr 1 work

socially I have NO fears about him in with 6-7 yr olds, he mixes with older kids at home, in after school club, childminders and at rugby. He is very confident and articulate.

I have been told they will be repeating the topics they did in reception year but that the Yr 1 will be differentiated by doing more writing about the topic than the reception pupils.

Colditz, I'm sorry your DS suffered socially going into yr 1, whilst DS may get frustrated if they give him spellings when he can't yet read more than 15 words I don't think he is going to suffer socially! And I think he will feel babyish and stupid being in a class with younger children still doing simple work.

Katiestar, actually I WOULD be happier with a class of 27 of all the yr 1 and reception kids because at least that would deal with the issue of playground gossip over some kids (my DS included) being 'kept down' because they aren't as bright.

he's not going to be the only year 1 child to be in a mixed reception and year one class, he will have other year one children to play with, and there is no reason why he should feel babyish. My son went from being the reception class high flyer to being "That little boy who is always silly and playing with things when he should be working" - as one delightful girl put it. Yet apart from the spellings and the young behavior, my son could take the rest of the yr1/2 class to the cleaners academically, and still can.

Are you going to do this every time he's moved classes? Are you going to insist, when he moves into a year two class, that they rejig their entire system to ensure he is only with children who are older than him? At some point, the way their system is set up, he will be in a class with children who are younger than him. As will all the other children moving into year one next year.

Trust the teacher. She's seen him working and socialising in a classroom situation. If she says he isn't ready, he probably isn't ready.

My school leaves children in the same class for two years. the yr1's in one class become the Yr 2's in that class. Then they do it all again for years 3/4

My son thrives on order and routine, and after his initial struggle to keep up - which I do think was more down to the huge disparity between his academic ability and his maturity - he has been happy there since.

Presumably you knew that the school had mixed classes before you applied though? I know that some people are against them, and hence would not choose a small school. Pretty much every school with an admission number of less than 30 will have mixed classes.

The take that children and parents put on who is in which class is so, so different - in our school, one boy went home in tears because he "hadn't been chosen to stay with Mrs X (reception teacher)" at the end of Yr R.

My ds spent year one in a mixed reception, year 1 class of 30 children and he made very good progress.

A teacher will always need to differentiate even in a single year class.

It isn't all over the school that some are 'staying down' because they aren't bright enough - that's an adult construct that the children don't have unless you are daft enough to share it with them. Mixed classes work fine, you just need to keep your end up at home, as you do throughout state primary IME.

"And I think he will feel babyish and stupid being in a class with younger children still doing simple work"

are you sure that will be the case?, ime, although the class is mixed, the yr1's do yr1 work, the reception kids do reception work, they do still follow the correct syllabus.