Year 7 seating plan

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How do schools/teachers decide who seats where, if they group pupils by ability? At my dc school, there are 6 ability groups all based on sats results. Just wondering when it comes to a seating plan within each ability group in year 7, do they sit pupils according to their sats results, or considering the pupils in each set are of similar ability they just sit them randomly? I understand all schools are different, just wondering what most schools do?

There's no setting at my dc's school in yr7 other than for English which is based on SATS.

They then set for Maths and Science in Yr8 and then other subjects in yr10.

With regards to who sits where - that seems to differ from teacher to teacher.

Totally depends on the teacher, and on the set. I sit them in random, mostly boy-girl, seating plan for the first few weeks and then move them once I know them better.

DS and his friends have talked about seating plans.
Last year for example, I know that his maths teacher sat the highest ability with the lowest ability so the higher ability could effectively help the lower ability.
Some have groups that work well together, some will put disruptive kids with none disruptive kids.
They will do whatever they think works for them and the class I guess.

Seating plans usually change quite a bit and are more for discipline and getting everyone involved. Two of my DC had requests to be sat at the front due to issues reading the board.

It's not like primary where your table might indicate ability.

There will be no consensus.

Some pupils will need to be near the front, some not near specific others, some teachers will allow kids to seat themselves under some constraints:

I usually seat any kids with SEND first depending on what their needs are.

Then boy - girl in year 7 until I know the kids.

Once I know them I tend to put the challenging ones at the front surrounded by hard workers and away from their friends. I also put those that struggle but don't put their hands up either at the front or somewhere easy to get to.

I know everyone does it differently though, some people seat them according to test results, some put the 'naughty' ones together so it minimises disruption across the classroom etc. What works with one class might not work with another.

I'm a TA. They're most likely to be either self-seated or alphabetical for the first few weeks. Once staff get to know who works well together, who need to be separated then they'll probably form a more concrete seating plan. In secondary I've never seen a seating plan grouped by ability. The only exceptions being a handful of students who need extra support being seated near a student with 1:1 TA

My daughter is extremely well behaved and is always one of the hardworking ones who gets stuck in the middle of two disruptive children. She’s getting really fed up with it (as am I) as it’s happening yet again this year.

@Shesaysso have you spoken to her teachers about it? I will happily move any child in the seating plan if they are struggling with the arrangement.

@sillypenguins I’ve told her to see how it goes and if it starts to cause problems I will. Don’t want to be seen as one of those parents complaining already :) She’s really good and just gets on with it but she just gets fed up that it happens every year.

I do mine A-Z on first name so I can learn their names ASAP, but they're boy girl pairings.

I've not got data on their KS2 says and predicted grades yet.

By Christmas I'll know them all, and can group them better ability wise.

PS I seat SEND first too. Look at their plans and seat as best I think.

At the start of the year I let them choose their own seats, but I used to put them in a seating plan so I could learn names. Mine were often alphabetical, because that seemed as good a way as any. I've never used sats results, mainly because I don't know their sats results until they are entered into our system, which can take a few weeks.

Later in the year my seating plans are based on personalities and ability. I usually put the weakest kids in the class near the front so I can get to them, and spread the chatterboxes around the room, etc.

In the first few weeks, of Yr7, a seating plan would generally just be there to help teachers learn names by having people sit in same place each lesson - they see a LOT of pupils in the week. Can be on any random system, often even alphabetically. Once they know them a bit better, other reasons for seating plans may well come into play, but I'm pretty sure they are not to do with SATS results.

I let them sit where they like on the basis that if they upset me, they're moved permanently.

Most classes will have one or two students move at one point in the year but that's it.

@Shesaysso it's a perfectly reasonable request (especially if she struggled with it last year as well.) I wouldn't be annoyed at any parent asking for their child to moved away from mother one. If it is the same child who she is struggling with in different lessons (may be put together alphabetically etc) then ask her head of year to send a message around to her teachers. The last thing we want is for the seating plan to make the hard working ones struggle.

*another (not mother)

I seat my year 6 classes boy,girl,boy,girl.

@sillypenguins that’s good to know thanks

I seat girl-girl-boy-boy where possible.
I put the most attention seeking by the aisle so I can give them as much attention as possible as I pass by.
Then put any hearing issue/sight issue ones at the front.
Any that are perpetually late near the door so it doesn’t disturb others.
Any who personally really annoy me just out of my line of vision so I don’t pick up on every tiny thing.
Any who aren’t quite on board I put 2nd row back because it’s quite a plum place without being too in their face.
Then I ensure any who need to be split apart are.
There’s quite an art to a good plan.