To Mrs Tregear and the Board of Governors

In response to the announcement regarding the proposed new class structure, dated 28th June 2018, please find below some comments and questions for which we would appreciate a response at the consultation meeting. Please note that this is a representation of a number of concerned parents and not a single response.

Our first question is to enquire why there has been no parent consultation for such a huge change that will affect every pupil in the school. We can only assume that you would have known that this would be a controversial proposal.

You mention in the announcement that this structure is 'a successful and popular model used throughout the country'. Can you please provide us with examples of schools with a similar profile/ intake where this has been a proven success?

Can you please explain how this will work in established years where there are currently only 40 pupils. If you have to implement this proposal would it not be better for all involved to roll this out as new reception classes come in?

How will you determine who will go in each class?

Can you please clarify the approach to the classes, as we may have misunderstood. Our understanding from the communication is that Year 3 & Year 4 will always be together, and Year 5 & Year 6 will always be together.

Just for clarification can you please confirm that it will work as follows: Example - Year 4 Pupil. In the first year, the Year 4 pupils will be in a class with the Year 3 pupils. In the second year, these pupils will now be in Year 5 and will therefore be in a class with the Year 6's. This insinuates a very transient class structure which we feel would be far from beneficial for many of our children.

As you are no doubt aware, there was already a nervousness and dislike of the split class approach in the school for many reasons. One of the main reasons was the fact that the kids were meant to act as one class but on many occasions they would be split according to their year group and friendship groups would be torn up.

How much more money will the school get from the government for doing this?

If the dining room is to be used as a classroom I assume that the kids will be eating lunch in the hall? The kids already feel very rushed over their lunch and often do not have time to finish it.

With the set up and take down of the hall this will either have an impact on the time to eat or the availability of the hall for other activities.

How do you plan to properly accommodate the extra children? It is not just a classroom that is needed - there are many other facilities to which access will be squeezed, for example, the library, toilets, the already limited technology, breakfast and after school clubs.

Finally you state that 'increasing our intake will form a key part of our journey towards outstanding'. Can you please elaborate on this.

Is there a strategic plan / direction to get the school to outstanding and exactly how does this contribute?

As you can no doubt ascertain from this petition, in the absence of some very convincing answers, we are absolutely not on board with this proposal. Unfortunately as seems to be the way with these things, this does feel like a 'done deal', which is hugely disappointing, and although the communication was naturally written with a positive slant to try and make people buy in, much more clarification is urgently required.

We the undersigned ask that you please reconsider this disruptive change of class structure.

Yours Faithfully,
Concerned parents.