As mentioned at our Parent Info Evenings the decision as to which students go in which tutor group is perhaps the most complex and emotive of all the decisions that we have to make. This is an enormous task and involves a significant amount of information.

When allocating form groups, we work closely with the staff in our feeder schools to gather as much information as possible to ensure a balanced year group. We have a maximum intake of 250 students per year group and a maximum of nine form classes per year group. Each tutor group will be in one of three bands with a maximum of three form classes per band (although Year 8 (17/18) may be slightly different due to a smaller intake) taking into account the following factors:

• Academic ability on entry: it is important that there is a balance in relation to setting; we do not want a situation where setted classes are greater than 30
• Level of Special Educational Need Support: this needs to be balanced across the year group so that the most effective level of support can be given to students
• Additional support: students can present the need for additional support which may be factors such as emotional, social and behavioural reasons. It is important that these needs are spread across a year group to allow for most effective care
• Historical concerns: it is sometimes the case that schools inform us of historical concerns around particular groupings of students for whom it would be beneficial to be in separate classes
• Disputes: sometimes students have personal concerns, fall outs or bullying concerns that can be helped by placing people in different classes
• Interests: we may be able to place students with new people of similar interests in an attempt to help new friendships to be formed

It is incredibly difficult to place students in groups with all of their friends and we actively encourage parents to support their children to make new friends, recognising that even if they are in a form class with their friend, they will not get all of their lessons together.