Welcome back for Semester 2. I trust all families enjoyed their winter break and that the students are well rested for another strong term. Although it may seem premature, I do want to give all Primary families some information about class placements for 2019, as there has been a shift in the process this year.

CLASS PLACEMENTS FOR 2019

The complex process of allocating students to their 2019 classes will begin at the start of Term 4. As always, the Primary staff consider the allocation of students to classes in each year level to be a very important process.

When devising class lists, many factors are taken into account. These include student learning needs, friendship groups, learning styles, social/emotional needs, behavioural traits, academic abilities, special needs implications, student interests and, if applicable, personal and family background of the students. The College also needs to consider teaching styles, physical environment and class target size. The construction of class groupings is therefore a collaborative process which involves the class teachers, specialist staff and the Primary Leadership team.

Each year I receive feedback from the Primary staff regarding the volume of parental requests and the difficulties these cause in placing students into classes. Often such requests contradict the professional assessment of the teaching staff who are committed to nurturing every child to their potential. Foundational to this is that parents and carers trust that our College will act in the very best interests of their child.

For this reason, in 2019, there will be modifications made to the process of allocating class placements to enhance the educational environment for all students. Teachers will continue to have considerable input into this process and will make suggestions related to the various needs of the children in their current classes.  The class teachers will endeavour to place each student with a friend; who may not always be the child’s first choice. Our teachers are often more aware of how children in their class interact in the classroom or playground setting. 

We will then use all of the available information, in combination with the previously mentioned factors to place children into classes for next year.  Draft lists will be rechecked by the teaching staff to ensure that each student is placed in the best situation to meet his or her educational needs.

When creating the class list, the College will consider all information about a child that the parent may have communicated to the teacher, Deputy Heads of Primary or Head of Primary throughout the year. The College will create balanced classes according to the educational and social information we have about the students. We do value these ongoing conversations, however class placement will remain the decision of the College. Parents may not make specific teacher (or not to have a particular teacher) or friendship requests in this process.

However, if your child is unhappy with their class placement at the end of the year, we encourage parents to discuss it with them in a positive manner as this models how to face disappointment now and in their future. Learning how to positively deal with disappointments builds resilience in children.

A copy of the new class allocation guidelines can be found via this link.

Kind regards, 

Mr Rob Paterson

HEAD OF PRIMARY