Composite classes

[peanutter]

I wouldn't be ok with it, unless I was very, very happy with the teacher.

I was in a composite class in grade 5 (a 4/5 class) where there were several high needs students (one student with no English, one student who was blind, some students with serious behavioural issues, etc).

Mum was unhappy with it, and the school basically took the attitude that I was smart, so "she'll be right" and they wouldn't move me to another class. They needed to keep the numbers there.

I had such a minimal amount of actual challenging work and progress that year, it was unbelievable. I was friends with the blind student and she taught me braille that year, and I'd read at my desk when I finished work, etc ... I learned how to play poker ... I wrote some stories ... the teacher decided I was a troublemaker - I was just completely bored.

It looked like I was going to be in basically the same class set up the following year, so my parents pulled me and my siblings from the school, and we all went to a different one. I had a bumpy start at the new one (due to the lack of structured education the previous year) but was able to catch up promptly enough.

But I wouldn't want the exercise repeated with my own kids if I had any real concerns.

I've seen composite classes work really well, and I've seen them work really badly. If I wasn't happy, and I had reason to be unhappy, I'd be pushing for my child to be moved into another class.