Tallulah - it's fine if EVERYONE gets a new cohort each year, it's normal then. In our case we are talking about small schools (no more than 2 classes, with a culture of keeping kids somewhat together as well, classes do get mixed up, but not that much, and also most kids feed from the same preschool). So in each case DD has been new/alone in a cohort who have been together for increasingly longer periods of time. This year, yr2, those kids would have mostly known each other through preschool, K & yr1. And they mums all did their getting-to-know-you in preschool/K too. It's very different to a large school where everyone is fully mixed up every year.
In our case DD HAD friends in preschool, that she got along well with (who were no doubt gifted), she was ready for school when they were, and she was devestated to be left behind. If she could have just gone with them she would have been in the same classes, and would not have needed an immediate skip, the whole rigmarole she's gone through would have been sidestepped by simply starting school when she was ready, with her self selected friends... Yes she'd probably still be looking at a second skip later (as she is now) but her last 2-3 years could have run a lot smoother for her.
