Advise needed on how/whether to broach the school re sets.

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I'll try to hot a happy medium between being concise and not leaving out relevant details here.

My dd (year 8) took 6 months out of her school so that she could go to Germany and attend school there (to improve her German). Because she was away for so long, I had her taken off the school roll, though the school have always expected her return.

Somehow, I have found out (grapevine) that at the beginning of year 8 they had a rearrange of sets. All (and I mean, literally all) of her friends are in top set and this set is now full. I have heard that my dds name has been spotted on a list for the set below.

I am certain that had she been present, she would have been in top set (as she was in year 7, with no difficulties at all) so I am guessing that they just found it convenient to put her name on the other list as she is not there anyway.

She's been skyping her friends and told me yesterday that a teacher explained to her friend that the reason she's been demoted is that she will likely have to catch up work she's missed. Personally, I don't believe that. I think it is because the top set has more pupils in than the one below.

Dd is returning in a month. She would be miserable not to be learning with her friendship group (and also, only the top set gets to learn German)

Do I:

1. wait and see what set they put her in and tell her to accept it? Or then challenge it?
2. write to the school before she returns and request that she be put with her friends?
3. try to arrange a meeting? If do, when?

I don't want to come across as a pushy parent. I'm not. I just want her to be happy. She doesn't mind swatting up on areas she's missed if it means she can be in the top set.

So, how should I handle this?

I agree it's a very odd streaming system.

You ask if you should;

2) write to the school before she returns and request that she be put with her friends? This would be just silly.

Unless this is an independent school, I think if she's been taken off roll you're lucky for her to be able to still have a place, and should arrange a meeting shortly before she returns, especially in the light of discussing her German ability. There is always the possibility the school were moving your DD down a stream anyway, so this is something which needs to be discussed with the school.

And what on earth is a teacher doing discussing the streaming of another pupil even if it is with their friend.

Maybe I will ask for a meeting to just discuss her reintegration, and ask what their plans are re German. Not really sure who the meeting should be with though. Head teacher? Head of year? I will have a think.

I suppose I would just find it galling if she was put down just for their convenience (to even out the numbers or whatever). If they know her thoughts, it could sway their decision if they were umming and ahing.

It us a language school, by the way, and they heartily and enthusiastically encouraged her trip (though it was organised by our family).

You say you " suppose I would just find it galling if she was put down just for their convenience" but you say in your OP that she is no longer on roll. Why on earth do you think she's on a class list AT ALL (and really - you "have heard" that she's on a list??) I find it odd that a school would include a child's name on a set list if she isn't actually on the school roll. At my school, set lists and registers are the same. A child's name isn't going to be on the register unless they're registered at that school.

When is she returning to the school? You need to arrange a meeting with the head of year to discuss her return, and also check with whoever deals with admissions that she does still have a place.

Your sense of entitlement is a bit galling.

Oh fgs. Dont encourage the OP a to do anything till she's found out what the deal is

I would think a meeting with the Head Teacher/Head of Year very sensible indeed - whatever stream she ends up in.

Yup. Wouldn't be the head at a secobdsry school

I would be meeting with HofY to generally discuss reintegration.

During that meeting you can bring up sets.

Have the meeting just before your DD returns to school.

You have actually applied for a place for her haven't you......?

Yes, I have started the process of reapplying.

It is a smallish and friendly school, and they did give me a verbal reassurance that there would probably be no problem getting her place back, but of course I always knew it was not guaranteed.

The whole point of asking about this here is that I want to get this right. I don't want to put anyone's back up bit also wondered whether it was worth speaking to them about it. Oh, I don't know. My natural inclination is just accept things, but as this affects my dd not me, I would try to muster up the courage to say something if it was appropriate.

Thank you all for the responses.

I really think you need to wait and see. There's no point blustering in all guns blazing before you know the facts.

FWIW, when we have in-year admissions at my school, they go into the set they need to be in, and yes, that does sometimes mean that top sets are too big for the classroom.

With the greatest of respect (as people always say when they are about to say something rude) what possessed you to take a 12 year old out of a school where she was happy and achieving and put her in a completely different system for 6 months? Particularly when there was no guarantee of her getting a place when she came back?