AIBU to send my child to a better (yet further away) school when there is a perfectly good village primary.

Definitely agree with this. My daughter is in a form of 20ish in a 2 form entry, and by middle of year 4 there were nearly daily fallings out, as they were almost too close to each other.

A friend's daughters class was small and to save the extra resource they split the class. Half went to the tear above and half below then reshuffled down the line. Think there was 5 classes in the end splitting all the kids. This is an issue you may face doen the line with budget cuts etc.
I'd pick the closer one, I picked one slightly further away but still a local school and my son complains non stop that he wishes he went to the closer one as all the kids around us went there and he feels out of the loop

Trust me the last thing you want is a class of 12. Might be good for learning but makes the social pool way to small by the time they hit year 4

id go bigger school then
I’m in a grammar area and by a quirk of geography they end up scattered. It’s hard on the children to not make that transition with their friends.
yes they will probably have a completely different set of friends come year 9, but that first 6-12 months it’s invaluable.

A class of 12 would be good IME. 30 is a lot of children and 12 will make it easier for them to recognise and understand their needs.

My worry would be the class of 12 won't stay a class of 12. The school might tell you what you want to hear.

I would choose whatever school fitted my child the best.

I wouldn’t pick the closest just because it’s the closest, however be mindful of secondary/high school as your DS might not get into the high school that all his friends are going to if you live 15mins away.

Secondary/high school are a lot harder to get into than primary.

Choose the closer one. Having friends nearby is priceless for both your child and you. You’ll feel more engaged with the local community. Plus it’ll be less stressful doing drop-off/pick-up. This would be a no brainer for me.

Don't put anything ahead of his independence and friendships. Walking to school is hugely rewarding. The friends he makes now will be important for his lifetime (unless you keep moving) and having local friends is so much better.
Start local. Only move him if you have to.

I’d go for the local school. My DC have been through a local rural primary which was lovely with small classes. However, all small classes means is that the school has less money so has to make choices such as cutting TAs or mixing classes. Better to be at the school which is closer to full. Also, while the very small school suited my DS, for DD who is more outgoing and extrovert she was really done with it by y6 and could have done with a few more people around!

Mixed age classes are great. More focus on the individual, less on hypothetical age based stuff.

I would go for smaller and further away IF there's no risk of imminent closure. Given they are relatively close, I would assume both schools are feeder schools for the same secondary.

It sounds like there’s no risk in the school further away not having spaces later. Go local, make friends etc and then you have the back up of changing schools if you need to

I opted for a larger Primary school (two form entry) to try and ease the transition to secondary school. My son likes his routine and familiarities and I was concerned that a smaller intake school would make the transitions in his later years more difficult. I’ve also made sure that he plays lots of team sports so he has friendship groups outside of his school friends. Which school is right will depend on so many factors and the guilt of potentially making the wrong decision can be crippling, my advice is to try not to over think it, but I know that’s hard.

Have you got a place? Many beavers groups have 2 year plus wait lists, unless you plan on volunteering?

From running the girls equivalent, they seem to stick with the children they know from school, unless you son is very sociable and outgoing he may find it harder if in further away school. It's a great thing to do, but I wouldn't do it just to make local friends.

I'm going against the grain here and if I was you I would choose the school further away.

A smaller class size is a miracle these days! Any child would benefit from a smaller class size, especially a child with ADHD/Autism.

Classrooms can be so loud and even if there are two TA’s it can still mean not enough support in a classroom of 30 children. Some TA’s are one on one or support the same group of children every day and then it’s still just the teacher having to handle loads of children.

You are also going to get him into beavers so he can make friends locally.

I would definitely choose the smaller classroom size further away school.

As an autistic/ADHD person, I think you should put your child in the school, that you think would give him the most support. If you feel that the further school will be a better fit, then place him there. SEN support is seriously stretched as it is, so if simply being in a smaller class will give him a Better chance of success, then place him there.

As for independence, there is other ways to give him that. Such as allowing to go to the corner shop on his own on a Saturday afternoon, or allowing him or a friend to go to the park together. As for friends, I wouldn’t worry about it too much- and there are other ways he can socialise with the other local children, especially as he is joining the local Beavers.

I do however, agree with PPs concerns about weather the smaller school will be able to continue to fund the current set up, sate education is in dire sates at the moment, with funding being pushed to the limit. It wouldn’t surprise me if this class eventually becomes mixed with the year above or year below, which I am generally against, as 1.) I don’t get how a single teacher can teach two separate curriculums at the same time, especially with things such as SATs, and 2). I think it’s unbeneficial to have a mixed Y5/6 class for example, where the youngest children are closer to 8 and the elder ones closer to 12, as that’s a big difference at that age. I feel it likely leads to the younger year not feeling confident, and the older ones being held back. But that’s just my oppion. I also agree that this school.

Ultimately OP, you know your child best, you put him in the school you think he will thrive in.

I'd look at how it affects secondary school and choose accordingly.

If it affects secondary school choice then go with whichever secondary you prefer / will get into. They will probably want to go with their friends at that stage.

IME smaller classes in a single firm entry school are a nightmare, especially if the gender balance is off. DD was one of only 6 girls in her year, and struggled with constant bickering and squabbles. I moved her to a much bigger school and she's thriving - a much bigger pool of friends, loads more choice in activities, clubs etc. I had the vision of an idyllic tiny school, but the reality was far different.

To me it was more important to go to the closest school. We could walk there and back in 5 min.

I’ve tried both options at different times and would recommend at least trying the local school for friendships for the whole family and plugging into local life.

i think given that the local school seems good (just not as good) I’d pick local school as I’d look at the whole package, friends close by, walk to school which fosters independence, you get to know other mums (always handy for play dates, pick up sharing etc)
no brainer for me. If it doesn’t work out, still a possibility to move.

Lol re attending local beavers as a way to make friends... this doesn't really work.

There's a boy at our local one who used to go to their school and then is home educated. He's not really close friends with the boys any more, a couple of hours once is week is nothing compared to seeing all the others every day. They don't tend to remember to invite him on birthday parties for example they just have friends from school.

Do they both feed into the same secondary?