How many in your child's primary class?

[wangle99]

DD is 7 and in Y3, there are 33 children in her class which is 3 years (Y2, 3 & 4).

They have one full time teacher and one full time teaching assistant.

I personally think this is too many and DD is hopefully going to an independent school soon (fingers crossed!) BUT if she doesn't get in I want to tackle the school about this. (I'm not the only parent disatissfied about this).

Am I overreacting? How many in your child's class?

Sarah

[MaryP0p1]

There are 30 in the class. I thought that classes weren't allowed to be bigger than 30.

[roisin]

I think mixed-aged classes are harder for teacher and pupils in general (though there are some advantages), so 33 is a lot; but it is legal.

Our school has 30 per class (every class = oversubscribed) right through from 4 to 11. Occasionally County thrust an extra one on at junior level, but this is very much against the school/Head/Governors' wishes.

But I do know junior schools with classes of 36, with no TAs!

Having said that I think there are far more important things about the quality of education in primary schools than simple class size mathematics. My niece is in a class of 17 (YR), my nephew in a class of 19 (YR1), and a friend in a class of 17 (Yr3): but in every case from what they'd told me I prefer our school over their (3 different) schools.

[clary]

24 for me.
More than 30 is allowed if the school can show there are extra staff (eg TAs etc).

[wangle99]

It's obviously a fairly common problem then, they are talking of splitting the years differently in September so it would be Y4, 5 & 6 that would be together - would be slightly under 30 but then September after the 'big' year would be back with them so back over 30 again!

I feel we are compromising big time on their education. DD's year is small - they aren't meant to have more than 10 per year and her year has the 10 but the year below has 17! How on earth did that get allowed!

[suedonim]

There are 11 in dd2's class, three in her P4 year and the rest are P1-3. They have one teacher, goodness-knows-how-many assistants and a variety of specialist teachers. This at a state school. Composite classes in Scotland must not exceed 25, except in rare circumstances.

[Aimsmum]

Message withdrawn

[coppertop]

Ds1's class had some new starters after September so his class now has 33 children AFAIK. They have extra support staff though so it's never just one teacher alone with the whole class. They also do some activities in different rooms or outside so they don't always have everyone in the same room at the same time.

Ds1 found it a bit overwhelming at first but he is now used to it.

[firestorm]

my yr1 dds class has 30 in it, as do all the infant classes at the school. the junior classes have up to 35 in them. i think that this is way too many.

[Posey]

Dd is in y3 and there are 26 in her class (state primary)

[maisystar]

the school ds will start in sept has 2 reception class's with 30 children in each.

[ChocolateGirl]

My son is in Reception and there are 21 in his class. They have a teacher (obviously!) and a part-time TA. I think she is there every morning. Also, I think there is a volunteer who goes in on a Tuesday afternoon to read stories (or maybe listen to the children read).

I think we're quite lucky really.

[Prettybird]

The Pirmairy 1 class this year at ds' primary had 23, with one teacher, one class room assisitand and one full time English as an Additional Language teacher (for 9 in the class for whom English wasn't there first language). I was told id the class had been a few more it owuld have been split into two - they have the space for a second P1 class.

Average class size in in Scottish primaries in 23.9, but 40% are taught in classes of greater than 26 (which suggest a lot of very small classes in order to get that average!) The Scottish Executive has pledged that all children will be taught in classes of a maximum of 25 by 2006. (Article in yeterday's Herald)

[sunnyskies]

27 in my DD yr 4 class and they have 1 teacher - TA is in for maths and afternoon she goes to diff class for english and they work to their ability and she in higher ability group not sure how many chn in that class but has a TA in it as TA's are attached to certain children not to teacher -

[Yorkiegirl]

Message withdrawn

[roisin]

I didn't know that YG. Sounds a completely barmy policy! I would have thought you would want fewer children in a mixed year class, not more?!!

[happymerryberries]

8 for ds in reception with 1 teacher and one assistant (private)
14 for dd in year 3 with a variety of different teachers for different subjects (private)
local primary two classes of 30 each for reception.

[roisin]

A school I know has 39 children in yr2, 21 children in yr1. They are in two mixed-year classes of 30 each (for registration at least). But for virtually the whole morning every morning (literacy hour and numeracy hour), they are taught in their (uneven) yr groups.

Is this legit?

[Punnet]

31, coz a child came into year mis way awith an SEN and they accepted her.