Do kids there get to be with the same kids in class all through primary school?

[liora]

here in America the kids get shuffled every year, the school builds new classes every year and it makes it very challenging to make long term friends. Are kids there allowed to stay in the same class with the same group of kids all 6 or 8 years of primary school?

[Oregonkiwi]

It probably varies with different schools but this is my experience with my son, now age 7 and in Year 3.

In Year 1 he was in a mixed Year 0&1&2 class (Room 2) which was part of ''team 5"; the classes in the "team" do things like swimming together so the kids get to know the other kids in their year level, not just in their own class.

In Year 2 he was in a mixed Year 2&3 class (Room 15) in "team 4". There were only 2 kids from his previous year's class, but he was familiar with others from being in "team 5" with them. He made new friends in this class and also continued to play with his friends from the previous year at lunchtime etc.

This year, Year 3, he is in a mixed Year 2&3 class (Room 16) and is in "team 4" again. There are 4 kids who were previously in Room 15 with him, and a few kids who were in Room 2 (and are now in Year 2). He has made new friends in Room 16 and continues to play with his "old" friends from Room 15 and Room 2 on the playground, plus their "new" friends.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that yes, the kids get re-shuffled every year, but no, it doesn't seem to cause problems with long-term friendships.

[Sam B]

Depends on the size of the school. Small country schools keep the same classes. Larger schools shuffle, but friends will usually get kept together. And they can still be friends out of class.

[Mamee & Co]

Mine are in a larger school and there are multiple classes within the 4 year groups, 0/1/2, 3/4, 5/6,7/8

The classes are mixed but the school ask the children for the name of 3 people they would like to have in class with them, and try to take these preferences into account, as well as mixing the children to develop a larger circle of friends.

They often play with friends from all classes at break time too, and mix up the standard classes into ability groups for maths for example.

So while there is some reshuffling, children are likely to make friends with more people, but, if known to have a best friend they try to respect that bond too.

In a small school class reshuffling is less likely as Sam says...but I think that is the case in most countries.

[YouMeAndThree]

My children attend a small rural school - because the classes are mixed years (Yr 2&3, Yr 3&4 for example) then invariably children are going to be shuffled as they move through the school. I have a DD in yr2 and yr3, last year one dd had a particular friend, this year the friend is now in the other DD's class. But, as has already been mentioned, friendships seem to span the classrooms, much more so that I'd noticed from DD1's UK school class.