Mumsnet Talk

Spree, please don't go in assuming she needs a pep talk from a parent on how to be a better teacher. Please listen first to what she says. Our DC will always spin information in their own favour.

Of course they will. And the OP was inviting him to criticise his Spanish lessons by asking him why he was mucking about. She said at the start that he hadn't identified Spanish as a lesson that he didn't like before she asked him about it. He said it was dull because he had to say something, and even if it is dull he needs to STFU and get in with learning it. That's what I would tell my y7 anyway.

Without the swearing, mind

And, um,low 20s isn't a big class.



Not in state, anyway. It's positively small.

My 11yo boy likes more active learning opportunities, but tbh, he learns better when he doesn't have the opportunity to distract himself, so rote learning from the board would probably be more efficient. He wouldn't enjoy it so much, but it depends on what you want out of education.

Not true, Madwomen. Secondary class size in low 20s is trending towards large. Check these data out.

Average size classes in English secondaries is under 21.

Primary average is bigger, 26-27.

Oh, and oops, OP isn't in England so heaven knows what counts for large where she is, anyway.

I must have worked in a v unusual English secondary then!

Low 20s would have been lovely. It was usually high 20s, of which at least 8 had significant sn (significant enough to require the LSA's intervention for at least elements of the lesson).

Good to know that it's not the norm, anyway. This was an outstanding secondary with people trying to buy in catchment to guarantee places. I supported lessons where at least 70% of the pupils had little to no interest in learning anything, and were only there because they had to be. V depressing. The few kids in each class who wanted to learn were prevented from doing so by the majority who didn't give a stuff.

It was an interesting insight into what at outstanding education looks like in secondary. <sigh>

Low 20s is an average class size? I wish.
Not true in my area - 30-32 more likely.

Those class sizes are average ime.
It's easy when you don't live in a Naice area.

It's easy when you don't live in a Naice area.

How do you mean?

Where I live is very ordinary in every way, high-ITV-viewing, very average or below average test results from most schools, some high rural social deprivation although you wouldn't know it to look at, not the usual MN definition of "naice".

Sounds very similar to where I live ljkk. The schools around where I live, those which my children attend and in which I have taught, are all underachieving comprehensives serving similar communities. They are certainly not 'naice' whatever that is.
I'm not sure what you are saying here - is it that only these so-called 'naice' schools have large class sizes? Because I assure you that's not true. Most of the classes I've taught, and my children are taught in consist of at least 30.

I guess it may be false assumption, but my guess is that larger classes occur at desirable schools in desirable areas. Only a trend, not a guarantee.

I'm amazed at that figure for average class size - none of my daughter's classes have fewer than 28 students & a quick poll amongst friends & relatives spread out across the country agrees that 28-32 is far more typical. My sister is in a private school where class sizes are 20-22 in the main school (smaller in 6th form) & that was considered tiny locally

I suppose those stats will include places like tiny remote cumbria village schools, but I doubt those influence averages very much.

DC in reception & yr4 have about 26-28 in class. DD in yr6 is in a class of 23. This is in a school of about 350 pupils.

On high school tours few I think I was told anything between 12-35, with 26-28 about typical. Highest & lowest ability groups have smaller classes, although top 2 sets might be combined to make a superclass of 35 or so, and allow more teaching hours to the bottom set.