Class size in prep schools

[JoJoSM2]

I'm just in the process of looking at a few prep schools and wanted to compare notes with parents from other areas. How big do classes tend to be n your prep schools?

18-20 with a teacher and a full time TA.

I'd be wary of larger than that, or too small (for both social and educational reasons), and would wonder about under 15/16 and avoid under 12

My kids school guarantees no more than 15 in a class but they have 2 classes per year which means we get the best of both. A small class size but with a year group that means lots of friends and can field proper sports teams

Hi @AnotherNewt Can you go kindly go into why you'd avoid under 12? One of the schools on my short list is very small and some years are no more than 10. I am a little worried it's too small but not sure I can articulate why.

Financial viability and resources of the school. Social considerations: not big enough pool of potential friends.

The vast majority of research showing the benefits of smaller class size are defining small as classes of 20 or under. AFAIK, there is no additional benefit for even smaller classes.

So other factors come in to play - are there enough pupils for a friendship groups, sports, maintaining a good range of clubs/activities, an orchestra, choir, strings group etc, and what's the drama like? Are here enough pupils in the school for financial security and a good range of facilities (proper labs, music rooms, art studios etc)

Yep all good points. Definitely in the school I'm thinking about, the facilities are fine, but not wow. It's family owned and they've been operating the same model (size wise) since the 1930s so no financial implications. Shouldn't be, it's expensive enough! Drama, music and sport surprisingly strong but that will always depend on cohorts in a achool that size I guess. But yes it worries be a little. The other schools on the list range from 12-18 per class.

Another good point there - when class sizes are so small, if you do get a couple of weird families, there's no getting away from them.

And variation between classes can be much greater, for the same reason. And if your DC doesn't like a classmate, again there might be no way to get away. There are fewer options to group and regroup.

Yes true. Having said that, there are 24 in his class at the moment and Weird Families are in abundance! The rest of the year / school seems fine so I think we were just very unlucky!

Thank you for bringing up all the points. As expected, the smallest school we looked at didn't have an orchestra and didn't play many fixtures against other schools. I did love how homely and nurturing it seemed, though, and I thought it could be an option for pre-prep. Not sure how I'd feel about then needing/wanting to change at 7 as it sounds like additional stress.

Class size was smallest in reception (12) and larger in the later years - 20-25. This worked well as a small reception class meant individualised attention in reading and maths basics which allowed a strong foundation in later years.

Homely is not what you want in y6. Children need enough stimulation, a broad and meaningful curriculum and excellent teaching to thrive.

I think classes below 16 are too small. My DDs prep had 48 in the year group so very sporty, great music/drama and supberb art. Lots of after school clubs. It was a truly stimulating and thriving school. She started at a local prep (nursery) and her year group dwindled to 4 in y6. That really is not a rounded education. Its a nightmare!

Also, take account of the quality of teaching and destinations of the DC. Small classes can mask very ordinary teaching. Brilliant teachers certainly can teach 30. Poor teachers are useless even if they only have 12.

Where do the DC go when they leave? Do these schools match your plans for secondary destinations? That, ultimately, is what many people pay for. If you want Harrow, go to a prep that ends DC to Harrow! (That is an extreme exmple, but you get the gist).

Limit is 24 and if they go over they split the class - but I’ve never seen a class less than 20 at the school. Some years have two classes some three depending on intake. I wouldn’t send my child to a school that had very small year groups for the already mentioned points: limited friendship groups, diversity, sports opportunities etc. Also as they get older fewer kids may mean they don’t offer a wide range of GCSEs or A levels.

pre prep max is 16 - teacher and ft TA
prep max is 20 - yr 3/4 share a TA, not sure beyond that
1 form entry, but yr 8 is split into two forms for most subjects. scholarship potentials in one, rest in the other ( usually roughly equal numbers)

oh, should add school total is about 150-160 boys aged 4-13.
There are about 6 clubs after school eaxh day to choose from, plus more lunchtime ones
School is v musical and has ( looking at this terms music card) 4 diff choirs and loads of orchestra/string gps/brass gp/quartets/ensembles. Wish ds was a bit musical!

Thank you for bringing up all the points. We'll be visiting another 3 schools soon so hopefully there is one that we like the look of from 3 all through to 11 or 13.
And it's good to know what class sizes are common.

10 in Y1 in my DS’ year.

I was worried that it would be too small, but it’s turned out to be fantastic – lots of individual attention, very collegiate and they’re all (usually) the best of friends.

DSs had/have 20 in their classes 2 form entry.
DD has 20 in her previous school and now has 16, although it rises to 18 next year.

dairymilkmonster if you are talking about the school I suspect you might be, they seem to get a bit of music out of nearly every boy in the school by the time they finish :) Or at the least they get some into them!

One of mine had 10 in reception, then 16/18. The other was in classes oscillating between about 14 and 18 I think, but with 2 classes per year group. Just enough girls in a year in her second (co-ed) school, was almost too few at times.

My youngest is in Year 1 and they are 9 in a class. It's amazing, everyone gets seen and heard and if anyone is feeling down they teacher see it straight away. They have swimming, sports, drama etc together with one of the other classes in the year, usually different classes, so they all know each other well. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

My eldest is in Year 8 and they're 12 pupils in a class, no combined lessons with others as they're streamed. Only music and sports with others, it works really well. 12 is a good number and they all get plenty of 1:1 time with teachers during lessons which is so important, especially the last year as they've been preparing for exams.

15-20 in a class. Any smaller is too small and any bigger is too big. The ideal is a class of about 20 which splits in two for different tasks.

Two of my children moved from classes of 20 to classes of 10 in prep and both found it amazing,.

They both say they get much more individual attention, the class is quieter and they had less issues with bullying.

Plenty of friends as there is more than one class in that year and both schools are single sex.

Ps yes less matches etc but they got to play in all of them whilst in the bigger school they had to sit out sometimes to give everyone a chance. I would say the smaller x hool is more inclusive but if your child excels at a sport etc they might find it stifling long term!

Travel ban, no simple answer then... Not idea how our LO is going to turn yet.

OP how old is your DC? I can tell my older son at 5, is bright but not sporty, except for swimming at which he's surprisingly strong. Pretty musical and arty. But DS2 is only 3 and changing every day. It's hard to know what kind of school will fit them both. But small class sizes are paramount for me.

Jelly, LO is just a baby at the moment. We're looking at schools already as it's important to us + they have attached nurseries that take children from age 2 or 3. It might be easier for us to find somewhere that could be suitable from 2/3 till 11 or 13. Not sure if it's possible, though, as they all seem very different and appropriate for different types of children.

I did want to compare notes on class sizes as we've seen 8 as well as 20 and I wondered which was more usual.