Thursday 7^th July 2022

Dear parents,

Further to my letter informing parents of our changes to the school structure for 2022-2023 academic year, we have now finalised our staffing for the year.

Information about classes for next year

The structure of classes for 2022-2023 has changed owing to the number of pupils we have in school from September. Within our plan, the classes will be structured as follows:

Class Lists and mixed age teaching.

We have been asked by some parents for clarification on how the class lists are organised in school, especially for the classes that have a mix of two-year groups together.

• Our aim is for all our pupils to be in a classroom where their individual needs will be best met and where they feel included and have friends.
• We take a holistic approach to setting class lists, considering a number of factors when deciding on the best placement for each child. The actions we take to ensure we have considered all these factors are as follows:  
  • We ask the pupils to tell us the names of three friends each so that we can ensure they have at least one specific friend in their class from their chosen three.
  • We look at the age of the pupils – which are the oldest for the year, and which are the youngest - so that we can also consider stages of development. This is particularly relevant for younger age range where the age of the pupil is more of an indicator of development. This tends to even out as pupils move through KS2.
  • We look at the proportion of pupils in each class who speak English as an Additional Language, or with Special Educational Needs so that we can ensure the staffing ratios and needs in the classes are balanced and everyone has inclusive access to learning.
  • We look at the proportion of boys and girls in each class to ensure as much of a gender balance as possible.
  • Class teachers evaluate the pupils that work well together, and those who might be better working in different classes to aid their concentration or access to learning.
  • Where parents have informed us through the year of positive or negative friendships in school, we take this information into consideration as well.

Ultimately, we make a holistic, professional judgement on where each child will have the best opportunities and access for their learning. Where pupils are placed in mixed age classes, the teachers plan the curriculum carefully and differentiate their planning carefully to ensure all pupils are accessing age and stage appropriate learning in class.

In September, we will be organising curriculum meetings with the class teachers so that parents will be able to find out more about how this works in practice. There is also information on the school website on mixed age teaching. Class Structures and information for September 2022 | Botley School

I am pleased to say we have now finalised our class lists and the information regarding which class your child will be in will be shared in the covering letter that goes with the reports on Monday 11^th July.

As I am sure you all appreciate, organising class lists is very time consuming, and can only be completed at the end of the summer term, when we can be sure of the pupils who will be with us in September. We understand that this means parents have information late in the term, but we hope this letter provides the reassurance for parents that we take our class organisation incredibly seriously and dedicate the full amount of time necessary to ensure we have made decisions based on the best interests of each child at Botley School.

Yours sincerely

Jo Reid

Jo Reid  BA(hons) PGCE MA NPQH

Headteacher