Right, MrsSwadey and I have a bee in our bonnets

Jnr will move up from Year 2 to Year 3 in September – that's going from infants to juniors for those of you my age who don't get this new fangled terminology.

The school have always made a big thing about this step – the infant classes and main playground are slightly seperate to the juniors area of the school, they get extra help at breaks and lunch times, different arrangements for dropping them off and picking them up. The school feel that Year 3 is when learning through play is replaced with "proper" education, they are expected to be more self reliant and responsible etc etc. All good things in our book.

So this week we got a letter advising us that due to falling roll/budget cuts/fewer staff, the kids going up to Year 3 would be in mixed Year 2/Year 3 classes.

Now I understand the constraints, and we've had no problems with mixed school years in one class, though it hasn't been ideal when it has happened. But how do they expect the kids to make this "big step" when they are in a class where half the kids are still infants? Surely they should have looked to mix the new Year 3 kids with Year 4 kids?

A quick ask round friends whose kids go to really small village schools where mixed classes are the norm has revealed that even they seperate infants and juniors, so just wondered what experiences other parents on here had had – thinking of writing to the head expressing our concerns, but doubt much will change with 4 weeks to the end of term!

I've been in 'discussions' with my son's school over composite classes, which are very common in primary schools around here.

A couple of things came out of the 'research' I did:

1. There is no evidence that kids in composite classes do worse than kids in single year classes – parents and teachers don't like 'em, they are not the norm, but there is no evidence (I could find) which said that they are necessarily a bad idea.

2. There are various restrictions / guidance on how composite classes should be formed, but this tends to be on a local authority by local authority basis rather than national guidance – in Scotland at least. They should take into consideration age, academic ability, equitable gender mix and any special requirements from individual pupils e.g. deafness etc.

3. TBH, the quality of the teacher is likely to be a more determining factor than the class make up. If junior is going to get a teacher with a reasonable track record, then I wouldn't worry. If that's not the case, then make sure they are following the local authority policy – use an FOI request if you have to.

Resarch Paper Here

HTH

As an infant teacher with a mixed yr 1/2 class, I have to say I have never heard of mixing yr 2 and 3.
Sadly, mixed classes are becoming the norm in a lot of schools. Class sizes are set at a max. of 30, which is great…except when there are falling numbers of kids. We went from 180 kids in yr 1 and 2 one year, to 150 the next. We thought, no problem…6 classes with 25 in each, but no, we had to have 5 classes of 30 which meant losing a member of staff and mixing yr groups.

It will have been sorted by numbers.
The yr groups higher up the school will probably still be full.
I would definitely speak to the Head about it. The school will only have done this mix if there was no other way of doing it.

Thanks for the comments and link there.

We fully accept that mixed classes can become necessary, he is already in one of 3 Year 1/Year 2 class and it has caused a few problems. Being one of the brighter and keener ones he and his friends are often not pushed as hard as they could be because the teacher is concentrating on the slower Year 1s in the class. Not sure if this is a teacher/school/mixed year class issue. It certainly made a keen and bright kid – and several of his mates – very bored and potentially disruptive.

Just seems so weird to mix Years 2 and 3 rather than Year 3 & 4, say.

Just drafting a letter to the head.

Happy to hear any other thoughts and views.