fiorelli Report post Posted May 13, 2008 Basically from what I can work out, in L's special school the children are in classes according to ability rather than age, but by the very nature of this the classes are mostly children of the same age with a couple of different aged children scattered around iykwim. Louis is in a class of children 1-2 years younger than him as he is working at year 2 rather than year 4 (which his age would dictate). At the weekend, Louis mentioned that he had been told he would be going up 2 groups. So he would be going up to the class that is mainly his [proper] year group. I have such mixed feeling about this. for 2 years now, he has been working with the same group of children on work that he can mainly do. So I feel sad for him that potentially (as I haven't heard this from the school yet) he will be leaving the group of children he has worked with and come to class as friends, to go into a totally new existing group. I am anxious as to how this new group will take to him as they have already got their established peer groups, and L will be very much an 'outsider' unless they let him in (which I'm sure they will at some point), which if this happens, I know he is going to be so upset. If it is true then I feel very much like they'll be throwing him in at the deep end to see if he will sink or swim. I also feel they have an ulterior motive for doing this, as I know they want to introduce him into mainstream in year 6, ready for full time mainstream in highschool (so would need to be able to work with children his own age). On the other hand, the truly awful part of me thinks... I hope he fails badly. I hope that putting him in with a group of children his own age - and size - will show them that he can't cope with knowing he is different to other children his age. That he can't boss them around. That they won't do as he tells them, that he will have to do what they want on occasion. That they will know more/different stuff to him. I hope that he has the meltdowns that he used to get in his mainstream primary. I hope that the school will finally get to see what he can really be like. They've seen the good stuff for too long now. Maybe they will start believing us and stop putting condesending comments in his home-school diary (another day in paradise! Brilliant day! I know there have been problems at home, but at school he has been perfect!) How awful am I?! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fiorelli Report post Posted May 13, 2008 Oh, and I forgot to say, I have an appointment with his school teacher next week and I'll be asking then whether it is true. I hope she says yes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
