4 kids in the year (but 8 in the class), too small?

[1ittleb0yb1ue]

Hi,

I’m considering sending my daughter to a school that begins in year 3, where they accept only 4 girls a year (it’s a single sex school), but they do blended years until year 9 (i think, either that or year 7) - so it totals 8 per class until then.

It’s an all through school. Super friendly, very calm and cosy. I love everything about it, including the class sizes, but I wonder if that’s just because I personally hated big classes.

Opinions?

That sounds absolutely lovely to me

This was my class size- only 50 in the whole school, loved it!

I wouldn’t do it
Dd went to a large school, which I thought I wasn’t happy about as it was a 3x30 entry BUT it was actually really good and no matter what fallouts went on there was always someone to play with.

Just realised I must seem weird for posting this on christmas day. It’s just on my mind!

Thanks for replying though @Surfskatefamily

Composite classes 1/2/3, 4/5 and 6/7.

@TitianaTitsling I spent a year in a school similar and loved it, but some other kids who’d been there for 10 years hated it, that’s why I’m slightly apprehensive

@Hoppinggreen That’s a very good point!

I went to a very similar primary school and would strongly advise against it. I was bullied and in a class of five, it quickly becomes everyone in the class. I’d never do that to my DC now.

It's ideal if you're with 7 people who you get on with. Awful if you're with 7 people you don't.

Lougle sums it up very well. It's a huge risk with such small numbers. Is there a reason for the tiny numbers, 4 girls in each year sounds unsustainable.

I'd worry it was going to go out of business. Also if it does secondary (year 7 and up), it is too small to offer much of a curriculum.

Far too risky socially. I wouldn't

DD3 went to a school with 9 girls in her class. That's 9 girls, spread over two year groups. There were boys, too, but the boys tended to stick to football at break time.

One day, she complained that she was bored at break. I said "why?" and she said "Well, half the girls are being silly with the boys, running around and grabbing their jumpers, saying 'stripe stripe, dot dot, I think you're hot' and the other half are playing Man Hunt'. I said 'well play with someone else....' Her reply was 'Like who, Mum? There are 9 girls, 9! Count them. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are being silly with the boys and 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are playing Man Hunt, which is ok at first but it's boring now.'

We moved her to a 2 form entry school very shortly after, so she went from 16 in her year to 60 in her year.

The small school was essential for DD2, who has ASD and found a big school overwhelming, but DD2 needed to be part of a crowd.

DD3 needed to be part of the crowd, not DD2.

What is the scope for teams/sports/orchestras etc? All that extra curricular stuff was a big part of my schooling, and is beginning to be in my DC’s schooling too (Y3 and Y6).

Based on personal experience (DD is in yr 5 in a very small school), I'd say think hard. I LOVED the small school environment for the early years / infant classes and DD thrived there. But 8-11 year old girls can be VERY bitchy. For DD this has been a big problem. She just doesn't click with the other girls anymore (they're girly girls into make up, sleepovers, fashion and general 'tween' things whereas she's not really into any of this yet), and she's finding it very tough. In a larger school, I think she'd find it easier as in a class of (typically) 15 girls, she'd be more likely to gel with at least one of two of them. I'm actually considering moving her to a bigger school where I think she'd be happier.

no matter what fallouts went on there was always someone to play with.

There were ten kids in my class, 4 boys 6 girls. This was never ever a problem. If anything, it meant kids managed relationships better. It wasn't easy come easy go so you had to really work on it.

Very dependent on the personality of the child, I would say.

Pop's point about it going out of business is a valid one. I worked in a school that had lost a lot of kids, down to about 12 in a year group at its smallest, it went under and had to covert to a free school. Totally different place now, got unsatisfactory on last Ofsted. You should be able to have a little dig into the accounts, use the charity number to see what's what.

Pop?? Pp!

Sustainability of the school would definitely be priority number one, as it really doesn't sound like a school that will last much longer. However, posters who have mentioned extra curricula activities also make a valid point. Does the school offer any given the tiny numbers?

My first school was a little country school with only two classes, infants and juniors, but I was happy there and did well.

Also you could send her there for primary years and if she is having any issues move her in year 7 to a different secondary school.

My P6 and P7 class was 7 people. We were a combined 6/7 of perhaps 20. It was great. I moved DD2 from a school with 2 classes of P6 of 30 kids to a smaller school with a combined 6/7 of 22 and she thrived. If you get a good vibe from the school, I would go with it. Smaller means more teacher time and that never hurts.

No, god no

Friendship issues could be problematic and for us the lack of sports opportunities would be a deal breaker. Personally sounds awful to me.

Way too small for year 4 or above. There'll be very limited extra curricular, no specialist subject teachers, unsustainable financially, and potential social issues depending on personalities. Educational experience will be very poor for the higher years.