When I thought about school for the boys initially, I had assumed that I would put them in the same class. Then the school told me that, normally (or normalement as we say in Belgium, how I will miss that expression), they put twins in separate classes. I decided that this was cruel and heartless. I consulted and both twins I knew said that they had been in the same class as their twin siblings and they seem like pleasant, well-adjusted people.
Then, I was talking to the women who work in the creche whom I find very helpful and reliable.  They said that Daniel wants to play with Michael all the time. Some days, Michael does not want to play with Daniel (fair enough) and then Daniel gets cranky (who could blame him?). Apparently, there are never times when Michael wants to play with Daniel and Daniel does not want to play with Michael. Their advice would be to separate them at school.
I had noticed that Daniel says that Alice is his friend but when I enquired at the creche, they said that Alice and Michael tend to play together and Daniel waits until they have finished and grabs Michael. My poor little mite.
They are both, of course, great fantasists, like their sister. Whenever they hurt themselves, they both say “It’s not funny.” When I ask them why, they say that Manon laughs when they hurt themselves at the creche. On enquiry, creche staff confirmed that Manon, who seems like a very sweet little girl, is in fact a sweet little girl and very gentle. However, on hearing the context, they explained that some time ago Manon had fallen over and hurt herself and Daniel and Michael had both pointed and laughed at her whereupon they were both severely reprimanded. On the plus side, it does look like they’ve learnt their lesson. On the minus side, I don’t think that they are ever going to forgive Manon for her imaginary offence, she remains a hate figure who mocks the injured, chez nous. I digress.
At home, it is clear that Michael is the ringleader and Daniel dutifully falls into line. We call Michael “dangermouse”. He is the only one of our children who likes risk. Daniel is by far the most obliging of our three children. If we want to quell a fight over a precious object, it is most frequently Daniel who is called upon to give up his claim; because we know he will. I know this isn’t fair but we’re tired.
On closer questioning, both of my grown-up twin advisers (one of whom is, handily enough, the dominant twin and the other the passive), agreed that on balance, it probably would have been better had they been in different classes from their twins at school though, at the time, they certainly didn’t think so.
So, what do you think? Were the twins you know in the same class in school or different classes? From what age? What worked best?  I await any comments with bated breath (well, I always await comments with bated breath but in this case particularly bated breath).
Being an identical twin, I can say from experience that being in a separate class was a good idea. My sister and I were separated from kindergarten up until high school, when we could choose our own classes (and occasionally our choices intersected). I think being in separate classes helped us because we couldn’t rely on each other for understanding the concepts being taught or (for shame!) share homework answers. They’ll have their own friends, but this eventually will expand into a bigger group of mutual friends shared between the two that are brought in from both twins. Somehow our very large high school ended up with 8 or 9 sets of twins, and it was the same experience for all. Good luck!
Not being one to hang back even when i have absolutely no experience of the subject in question, let me share some second hand experience. I have a good friend with twin boys (now 7). They were in the same “maternelle” class when they were 3. Then, when they were 4, the teachers worried that the passive one wasn’t being given enough room to develop so they split them up. This was a disaster and both of them were miserable. Since then, they’ve always been together and this doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Another friend has boy/girl twins with very different personalities. They have been in the same class then separated and then back together again and (from the outside) seem to have adapted well whatever. In September, they go to high school and they’re going to be in different classes because my friend says that although the class teacher this year said not to worry because they really didn’t care what the other was doing – she knows that they are constantly watching each other and making mental notes of marks, behaviour etc.
there is a set of identical triplets in the Wee One’s grade, and this past year, when there were just two classes, there were two in one class and one on her own in the other — their mom said they discussed it with the school and teachers, as well as with the triplets and the triplets decided what they wanted. this year, there are (conveniently) three classes, so there will be one in each. I’m curious what will happen … at our school, they seem to take it on a case by case basis and consider the personalities, etc., of each set.
i’m sorry, i know that’s probably useless to you.
Most people I know are offered a choice by their schools where there is more than 1 class (which isn’t often around here – hence at Belle’s school all the twins are obviously in the same class). Most people with twins that I know choose to separate them mostly for the same reasons that you describe – one usually isa more dependent on the other and most people seem to feel it would be better for both to be separate. One of my friends has boy/girl twins and she has been happy for them to be in the same class up to now (they are 6) because they have completely naturally gravitated to different friendship groups. From September they are going into different classes because they have become too competitive with each other and it’s too easy for them to compare achievements when they are in the same room. A friend of mine has almost-4 year old non-ID twin boys and has just started blogging. I will ask her her opinion and hopefully she’ll come and offer her wisdom!
I am Geepeemum`s friend she has mentioned, and I am going to separate my boys when they start school in a years`s time if at all possible and perhaps even before that, but I guess it depends on the children. One of mine annoys the other when he is playing and the nursery teachers have siad that it is because he lacks confidence and it is his way of getting attention from his more sociable brother. The other issue is that the more sociable one has become very feminine to esatblish himself as different from his more testosterone fuelled brother and i would like them to not have to react in a sense but to be themselves and to develop themselves. the school we have chosen, has the 2 reception classes next door to each other and they play together in the afternoons so it will not be a total separation. Hope you feel happy with whatever decision you make. We all try our best for our kids and hopefully whatever you choose they will know that.