Do small state senior schools exist?

[2014willbemyyear]

The 3 local senior schools to us all have around 1000 pupils in. Do small (500 or less) state senior schools exist?

Would you actually move house? I can't believe it makes that much difference.
I know a private senior school without about only 50 pupils.
State schools in rural areas can often be under 700.

Estimates of optimum size vary from 600-2,000 apparently. The majority of schools have over 900 pupils (I'm assuming that's 11-16) and there are ways of making larger schools more friendly as Talkinpeace said.

Sixth forms do need to be bigger to be effective, though - 300 is better (also assuming that means 150 per year) but no fewer than 100. If the school is smaller in the first place you are less likely to have the resources/timetabling opportunities for specialist teaching.

OP I thought you might be interested in the Human Scale Education organisation. I didn't manage it for my DC but found the website interesting.

Coconutty
Private has nothing to do with it.

Its the number of pupils taking each subject that makes the teaching effective.
Only the most expensive schools have the resources to provided dedicated teachers for subjects that may not be taken every year.
At a big 6th form college there may be 90 kids doing Physics A level - leading autoatically to more extensive resources, capacity for field trips etc etc etc

my 6th form was 40 gels per year - the range of subjects available to us and the calibre of teaching was not what I'd want for my kids.