Year Sizes...30 vs 120 pupils

[Ruby40]

I am soon to be moving back to the UK and am looking at schools for my DDs ages 7 and 9 (Current Yr 2 and Yr 5). We are looking at 2 schools, one around the corner from us which is our local school, very big and 120 pupils per year. We have also looked at a Catholic school about 15mins drive away (out of town....hitting rush hour in the morning coming home so could be 40-50mins then)which is small, the intake is 35 per year and the school had a lovely feel to it, very welcoming and warm.
My dilemma is whether to go for convenience and the school around the corner, or accept the drive to the smaller school knowing that this is the school which my DH and I preferred. I also think my children, who have lived abroad for the last 3 1/2 years would thrive more in a smaller school. My youngest has a place to start at the local school and apparently there is a space for my elder DD. The smaller school most likely has spaces for both DDs.
Any advice much appreciated..what would anyone else do?

[Shaz10]

There are upsides to larger schools (although I work in a smaller one, so it may be grass-is-greener-itis!)

E.g. more resources because of economies of scale.
Children have more chance of making friends - possibly.
Teachers less hassled because subject leadership can be spread more thinly.
More clubs because there are more people to run them.
PTAs are often easier to run because there are more parents - and more money can be raised for the same reason!

Although I agree you should go with your gut, the impersonal feel that a large school can bring can often be misleading.

[Runoutofideas]

My dd is in an infant school with 90 in each year and the only thing I dislike about the school is that it is so big. The space is cramped and dropping off and picking up always feels really busy and chaotic. I know the parents and the children in dd's class, but not many in the other two classes. I'd really love for her to go somewhere where she knows everyone and everyone knows her - not an option here unfortunately....

[Clary]

Our school is an intake of 80 and I think it has many advantages.

I wouldn't like the smaller friends pool and no chance of mnoving classes that goes with a one-class-intake school.

Also local school you can walk to is a shoe-in surely against a 15-min drive which would be a right pita IMO.

120 a year is very big I agree - is this a primary (as opp to inf and jnr)? It would be by far the biggest in our city if it were.

[PandaG]

my DC in a 120 per year intake school - although the infant and junior schools are separate entities so only 480 in the school.

they have both thrived there, and know everyone in their years, and many from other years too.

I'd personally go for local and large, unless I really felt incredibly strongly that the other school was significantly better.

[Ruby40]

Thanks for all your responses, I do think the walk around the corner to school is a particular advantage especially if they have after school clubs. Good point about the smaller school having a smaller friends pool!