Random, non-comedy question

I've just been reminiscing, with a mate, about when we were 11, and we left Primary school, and moved up to Senior school, and I was wondering, you know when a large number of children from the same Primary school all go to the same Senior school, and they're split up, with, say 4 boys and 4 girls going into each class? Well, are those groups chosen by the senior school teachers, purely at random, or are they chosen at an earlier date, by teachers from the old Primary school? I know there's a couple of teachers on here, so maybe one of them will know.

Almost certainly a random selection by the senior school, perhaps taking into account if a couple of people are really particularly close 'best' friends.

Quote: Aaron @ October 7 2008, 2:41 PM BST

Almost certainly a random selection by the senior school, perhaps taking into account if a couple of people are really particularly close 'best' friends.

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But if it's the Senior school's decision, how would they know which of the kids were close friends?

Me and my best friend got put into different classes, so we begged a bit and got them to change it.

It's like peering into your thoughts, catskillz. Unless it's the overuse of commas?

Quote: catskillz @ October 7 2008, 2:43 PM BST

But if it's the Senior school's decision, how would they know which of the kids were close friends?

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The schools liase. Primarily to discuss any pupils with health problems, family issues, behavioural problems, etc. Some schools also hold interviews with the children due to join them, in which case they're likely to be asked about their friends then.

Quote: zooo @ October 7 2008, 2:43 PM BST

Me and my best friend got put into different classes, so we begged a bit and got them to change it.

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I should've tried that.

On the opposite, I had to get myself moved to a different class in primary school; when our class teacher in year 5 went on maternity leave, one of a number of teachers who replaced her was a total, complete f**king bitch, with something particular in for me.

It gives me immense pleasure to know that she's almost certainly dead.

Did you... kill her?

The reason I asked the original question, is that I realised I was put in the same class as, and even ended up sitting next to, the lad I'd been sat next to in my last year of Primary school, and I've always thought it was too much of a coincidence for it to have been a totally random decision for me to end up with him again. The frustrating thing was that I wasn't even really friends with him, as he was a right miserable bastard.

No. She was just really really old.

In my tutor group at secondary school, I sat with my best primary school friend throughout all five years. This was the classroom we went to at the start of every day and we had the same desks from the first day until the last.

But get this...

By the third year we were beginning to drift apart with each of us mixing with different people. We were still friends but our close circles weren't the same.

I remember when we got to the fourth year I asked him if he wanted to sit somewhere different and he said no. I was rather touched by that because it seemed to be a way of hanging on to the past as we'd gone to the same nursery school together.

Hmm, must see if I can track him down again...