Parents have criticised a school for making changes to classes and ‘upsetting children with no good reason’. It was previously the case that once children were put into a class at Moorside Primary School in Swinton , Salford , they remained in the same classes until they finish Year 6. But the school has told parents that will no longer be the case. The three classes in each year group will be mixed up every September. Headteacher Suzanne Howard says changing the classes on an annual basis will ‘ensure that academic needs and social emotional needs alongside friendship groups can be shared equally across all classes to ensure equity of opportunity for all children as well as ensuring the well-being and workload of staff is supported’. But families say the move is ‘unnecessary’ and ‘causing unneeded stress and upset amongst the pupils’, especially those in year 5, who will be starting their final year in September alongside the pupils they’ve always shared a class with. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , one mum, whose child will be starting in year 4 in September, said: “This has left a sour taste in parents’ mouths. There is little evidence to support that this is being done with the children’s best interests at heart. “Children usually get put into classes in Reception and remain in these classes until they leave for high school following the completion of year 6. “Now we have been told they will be mixed up every summer and the friendships they have built up will be thrown into the air. We were told that this is for the children’s sake, but even the teachers we’ve spoken to didn’t seem to know much about it. “It simply is unfair and no consultation has taken place with parents or staff as to how they feel.” A petition has been set up to challenge the move and has so far been signed by 120 people. It lists a number of reasons why parents are against the change, including the disruption it will cause to Year 5, who will be sitting their SATs next year, the fracturing of friendships and the effect of children with special educational needs who could be pulled away from their ‘solid support groups’. Join our Family WhatsApp group HERE In her letter to parents, Ms Howard said: “Historically children have been placed within a class, when they join us in Reception, and they stay in that class with their peers all through their time with us until they move to high school. “We recognise that for some children and their families this leads to a positive experience across their school career. “Conversely, we are also aware that for some children friendship/social groups change over time and what may have in the past been a ‘good’ friendship can sour or fracture and as children get older, they make informed choices about who they want as friends and their chosen social groups becomes smaller. “As a school this can be challenging for children who are or have experienced issues around friendships or disputes with peers, who potentially would have to spend each day with them for their entire time at Moorside.” She added: “We are also aware that the make-up of classes can change when children leave or join the school and children new to us are placed in a class based on where there are spaces – this can lead to an imbalance in academic and social emotional need across the year group. “In reviewing the classes on an annual basis, we can ensure that academic needs and social emotional needs alongside friendship groups can be shared equally across all classes to ensure equity of opportunity for all children as well as ensuring the well-being and workload of staff is supported. “At Moorside Primary we are very blessed to have 3 classes for the vast majority of our year groups. As such this gives us the flexibility to consider all the above and restructure the classes in the best interest of all the children. This is common practice in schools with multiple classes per cohort. “We have asked our Phase Leaders to take the above factors into consideration when they allocate children to classes for September. They are liaising with the child’s current class teacher as well as our SENDCo and the Deputy Heads to ensure that any changes made impact positively on individual children as well as each class.” She goes on to say that at secondary school ‘there is no guarantee children will be placed with any of their peers and this may lead to social worries in navigating inevitable new friendships/relationships’. Stacey Corlett, chair of governors at the school, defended the changes. She said: “Although a very small minority of parents have raised issues regarding the governance and organisation of classes at Moorside Community Primary School, the governors of the school have appointed a new highly experienced headteacher to address these and historical issues. “The governors have full trust and confidence in the headteacher and the Salford local authority, head of school provider arm (primary) is aware of the proposed class changes, which are supported by the teaching staff and the majority of our parents. “Mixing of classes is common in primary education and many schools have successfully adopted this policy which is in the overwhelming best interests of the children.”