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Original poster

Class sizes for Reception/ Year 1

30 replies

springintheair · 21/03/2006 16:29

Please tell me the class sizes for your Reception/ Year 1 child in state or independent school. I have to choose between 2 independent schools. 1 with a reception class of 25 (though there are 2 teaching assistants) and 1 with a class size of 20. 25 seems like a lot in an independent school but the class may be split into 20 in Year 1 if more children join. What do you think?

OP posts:
LIZS · 21/03/2006 16:32

dd is at an independent school in Reception . Her class has 16 maximum, with Teacher and TA per class, and they seem to expand to 20 by year 3.

motherinferior · 21/03/2006 16:33

Dd1 has a class of 29 with one teaching assistant in a local state school. They are doing splendidly: it's split Reception/Yr1 and they work in different groups.

purpleturtle · 21/03/2006 16:34

Dd is in a class of 29 with 1 part-time TA. State primary.

Mosschops30 · 21/03/2006 16:35

dd started in a class with about 32, but now down to about 28 with one teacher and in the early years they had a teaching assistant.
She's in a church school

tortoiseshell · 21/03/2006 16:35

State primary - 26 in class. One teacher, one TA full time.

WigWamBam · 21/03/2006 16:35

Dd's state primary has 30 children per class, with one teacher and two TAs - and if dd's class is anything to go by it works very well.

cece · 21/03/2006 16:40

state primary - 30 in class (maximum allowed) with a teacher and nursery nurse. They share a centre room with the other rec class so when all mixed up there are 60 kids, two teachers and two nursery nurses. DD loves it and she is making fab progress Smile

Original poster
springintheair · 21/03/2006 16:40

Thanks for your quick feedback. It's very useful.

OP posts:
GeorginaA · 21/03/2006 16:45

our state primary - 45 kids in reception with two teachers Shock

Issymum · 21/03/2006 16:47

DD1 is in a class of 17 with one teacher and one full-time teaching assistant (private school). My hunch is that they will allow the class size to increase (if there are applicants) as they go through the school, up to a maximum of 24 in the upper classes.

One thought: ask about the qualifications and experience of the teaching assistants. I don't know about state schools, but in private schools I think they can be very variable. We have had some comments in DD1's homework book from a temporary teaching assistant which betrayed a lack of knowledge on the basics of phonics.

MrsRecycle · 21/03/2006 16:49

State primary - 16. Under-subscribed but excellent school. DD1s - year3 - has never been in a class bigger than 22 throughout her school life.

MrsRecycle · 21/03/2006 16:51

And always teacher and TA.

GDG · 21/03/2006 18:34

Reception - excellent, oversubscribed state primary - 28 with one teacher and 2 TAs and a parent helper for reading every morning.

singersgirl · 21/03/2006 20:52

Out of interest, GDG, if the school's oversubscribed, why aren't there 30 in the class? I don't really understand the numbers game, but when 2 children left last term from DS2's Reception class, they were immediately replaced by children on the waiting list. According to the headmaster, the school can't turn children away unless the class is at its maximum of 30. Perhaps this isn't the case everywhere.

Higher up the school the class sizes tend to hover around 27/28, as children leave to the private sector and aren't always replaced.

deegward · 21/03/2006 21:07

ds1 is at a state school at the moment (yr1) 30 in class with full time class room assistant. But we are going to view a local prep school on Friday which has class sizes of 15/16 and a ft ca!

julienetmum · 21/03/2006 21:39

Dd will be in an independant school with a maximum class size of 20. One teacher & an assistant. This rises to a class of 24 in year 3.

PeachyClair · 21/03/2006 21:41

DS1 yr 1- Excellent endowed infant school, 2 in class, usually a ca and a waiting list of students begging for placement (nearest one to their halls)

DS2 Reception- 25 in class, ft ca, often additional NNEB, students on regular basis

Last school- 35 Shock in class (to do with SEN kids being sent there after full but not able to go elsewhere, apparently) at one point, as ds1 replaced twice over a week before he left. Terrible school.

kid · 21/03/2006 21:44

At DD's school, reception have 15 children from Sept to Jan and then it goes up to 30. In the Yr1 class, there are 31 children, not entirely sure why. Both classes have a full-time CA.

Orinoco · 21/03/2006 21:51

DD is at a state primary, mixed infant class (R/Y1/Y2). 24 children, 2 teachers (1 ft,1 pt), 2 classroom assistants. I think that's pretty good!

mrsdil · 21/03/2006 21:58

ds is in a class of 25 in state primary with 1 TA

GDG · 21/03/2006 22:07

singersgirl - 1 child left in Jan and another left in Feb. I think 1 child is now replaced and ds1 has been talking about another boy 'coming to have a look at our classroom'?!? There is also another little boy leaving at Easter as his family are relocating.

The classes are normally 30 - just lower atm because of people moving. It was 30 at the start of the year.

GDG · 21/03/2006 22:10

Also, I think that although it's oversubscribed in terms of initial applications and people being turned away at the start, there are several other great schools locally so some will have gone there, plus it's an affluent area so lots go private if they don't get a place.

PrincessPeaHead · 21/03/2006 22:29

independant school. two reception classes, one of 7 and one of 9 with a teacher and a ta in each class!

it is a particularly small year. class will expand to a max of 16. year 1 has 2 classes of 16 with a teacher and ta in each.

jenkel · 21/03/2006 22:35

DD will be in Reception at State Primary in September, local village school, class size of 12, one teacher, one nursery nurse.

marialuisa · 22/03/2006 08:55

independent school. 2 classes of 10, each with f/t teaching assistant as well as f/t teacher. Maximum they will take is 14 in a class.