Bubble groups- kids flourishing?

[Glastonbury2020]

Has anyone else noticed that our Key Worker/ KS1/Y6 groups of 10ish are the best thing ever for some children? We have noticed lots of ADHD/ ASD/ selective mute children have flourished in smaller groups and are much happier and confident in these small groups. They are settled, calm, follow instructions and chatty when prompted. It has been lovely to witness and I worry about how things will be when they have to go back to a class of 30. Are we doing them a dis-service by putting them into such huge classes?

Yes. I’ve never had a more year one ready reception class than I have now.
It’s making me see the key to the success of the private sector.

I've only been in with key worker children, but an observation:

We had mixed year groups from 1 - 6 in together (max 13 kids for ages - different now)
Most were vulnerable and SEND.
The older children were at the developmental level of the year 1/2s
They had an ace time together.
All the SEND children have hit their IEP targets this year (some of the academic targets were age appropriate too, so a year 4 child playing loads with a year 2 child, hit his year 4 maths targets)

Playing matters a LOT more to SEND children, and at a level that is developmentally appropriate. This seemed to calm them the fuck down, and they were able to focus more on learning.

From my personal perspective, being in a small bubble class of 15 has really benefited by year R child. Her vocabulary has come on in leaps and bounds since the beginning of June. It was already pretty good, but she's playing with language, making word jokes.. it's lovely stuff. She's also made some proper little mates, having for ages struggled a bit we think with option paralysis. Now there are only a few of them, they have got closer. It's working really well for her.

Well that really sounds lovely, but now I’m even more concerned about the gap between those who’ve stayed home and those who haven’t! 😭

My year 6 DS has decided smaller classes are the way forward and wants to go to private school now hes realised how much more he can learn...

Seeing a positive effect from staying with the bubbles at lunch and break, smaller groups playing. More structured play, grievances dealt with and not dragged into the classroom, kids see a different side to the teacher. It's wonderful.

Well, I suppose it’s actually very similar to the private school divide. Great for the ones who are in it and crap for the ones who are locked out of it. Only in this case, the in/out borderline is entirely arbitrary. Year 6 in having the best school experience of their lives. Year 5 left to fend for themselves while their teachers take small groups of Year 6 and the quality of remote work and level of contact plummets as an unavoidable result. In short, everything has moved on at school and teachers have new classes called bubbles while the huge majority of KS2 children slowly but surely disconnect from the world of formal education.
The big picture view is pretty bleak but I appreciate that the benefits for SEND kids are huge. It’s about time they caught a break.

the in/out borderline is entirely arbitrary
As it is with private / state school kids. Parents have got money / parents have not got money. Arbitrary.

My experience is with key worker children too. Also arbitrary based on parent job and random list drawn up by bellends.

Yes, that's why I'm not an advocate for inclusion for certain children in the way many places do it. Children with those difficulties are much better suited to small classes and low stimulation.

Playing matters a LOT more to SEND children, and at a level that is developmentally appropriate. This seemed to calm them the fuck down, and they were able to focus more on learning.

Another reason why I love teaching in sen! (mld/ asd/ adhd.)

Is now the time to point out that class sizes are much smaller in the rest of the eu? The U.K. system is rubbish.

@HopeClearwater I catch your drift in a sense that having money or not is an arbitrary way to decide on access to education. However, we live in a capitalist society so economic factors underpin the way that the entire system works. We might not like it or agree with it, but that’s the system we live within.
Access to education being defined by whether a child was born before or after 31st August 2009 is not a usual part of the system. Similarly, as @ohthegoats mentions, whether your mum works at Asda (tick) or Primark (cross) isn’t usually the way that we decide on a child’s opportunities.

My bubble is great - nursery, reception and Y1. I am in an unfamiliar classroom with very few resources. I’ve set up a kind of CP the best I can, with some input carpet times too. I work 1:1 with each child on phonics/maths etc each day. The Y1 children have made good progress as they benefit from the play activities too. I bought a cheap plastic tea-set and laid it out on a spotty paper serviette. The children found crayons and magnetic shapes for food, and a play dough cutter became a phone! No quarrels, lots of attention and freedom. Smaller class sizes are of course a benefit and private schools can offer that, but they also have to be advocates of a good EYFS philosophy which I have witnessed is not always the case. Worksheets and homework may be what some parents want, but is not always in the child’s best interest.