Refer to National Administration Guideline 1 i, ii & iii.
RATIONALE:
A school’s task is to ensure that all children are experiencing successful learning outcomes and are developing socially. To assist this, the placement of children into New Entrant to Year 6 class groupings requires careful consideration.
PURPOSES:
- To develop an agreed and effective way of organising classes and promotions to suit the needs of the children.
- To consider, prior to placement, up-to-date assessment of pupils and their social development.
GUIDELINES:
- Children will generally be promoted from year level to year level at the beginning of each year.
- In general, children of the same age will be in the same year level.
- To suit the needs of the children and the school, and to ensure balanced homebase classes, it may be necessary to have composite class groupings. (ie children from more than one year group in the same class).
- Homebase classes will be as balanced as possible: that is boys/girls, gifted, mainstreamed, behavioural, English as a second language.
- Promotion from NE to Year1 will be at the discretion of senior management and may take place each term. Children who have been at school less than 8 months at the beginning of a school year will generally be placed in Year 1.
- Promotion from Year 1 to Year 2, and Year 2 to Year 3 will usually be at the beginning of the year and will be based on the following:
- All children who have completed two years at school will move into Year 3.
- Children with less than 20 months at school at the beginning of a school year will be placed in Year 2.
- Children who have been at school between 20 months and two years at the beginning of a school year may move into Year 3 at the discretion of senior management, in consultation with Year 2/3 teachers and parents.
- reconsideration for promoting children from Year 2 to Year 3 may be given during the year in which they turn seven.
- Class groupings will vary in composition from year to year to suit the needs of the children, the school and the numbers in each age range.
- During the fourth term, senior management will consider various ways of organising class groups throughout the school based on: numbers of children at the different levels and staffing numbers.
- The organisation of class groups will be approved by the Board of Trustees.
- Composition of class groupings will be decided through consultation with previous teachers and assessment data, and will consider:
- needs, where possible, of boys/girls, gifted children, mainstreamed children, behavioural problems, ESL.
- relationships between child and child, staff and child, family.
- provisionally registered teachers’ class groupings may need special consideration.
- Senior management will prepare preliminary class grouping lists at the end of the year in consultation with block teachers. The principal will discuss preliminary class lists prior to these being finalised.
- Senior management will discuss teacher placement options with staff on an individual basis, taking into account:
- the staff member’s preferences
- the needs of the school.
- The final decision on all class groups and staff placement will be the responsibility of the Principal.
SELF REVIEW:
This policy will be reviewed in accordance with the Board’s triennial programme of self review.
The Board will survey the parent community and senior management on the effectiveness of the policy guidelines.
The reviewed policy will be made available to members of the school community once ratified by the Board.
Chairperson's Signature __________________
Date: ___________
Next Review Date: ___________________