what's this mixed class thing?

[MathsMadMummy]

that's it really - keep seeing reference to mixed Y1/2 classes and don't really understand it. if somebody could explain in layman's terms, that'd be good thanks

I work in a small rural school where pupil numbers mean we only have an entry each year of c10-12, so this doesn't make a full class ( simply because of finances, each pupil doesn't generate enough income between them to pay for a teacher! So two year groups are joined together to make a mixed age class, ( currently we have R/1,1/2,3/4 and 5/6 but this can vary depending on numbers in each group. ) next year we will have R/1,2 on its own, 3/4 and 5/6)
Some schools however decide that, even though they have enough for single age classes, they still prefer to have 2 classes of 1/2 etc, some schools have more than enough children so they might have 1/2, and a straight 2 as well, it all depends on numbers!

Generally children in a mixed age class are taught at ability rather than age levels ( I say generally!) So in my class (5/6) each of my ability groups currently consists of a mixture of each age group. Many schools run a rolling programme of topics so a child doesn't cover the same thing twice!

All it means is that the class is made up of children of different ages - just turned 5 to 7 years. Often happens in small schools where there aren't many pupils in each age group so 2 or more are combined with one teacher

oh ok so do bigger schools not do it then?

and do the kids stay in the same class for 2 years? (i.e. once as a year 1, then as a year 2)

Some bigger schools do,perhaps if they have a PAN of 45 then they might for example have 1 mixed age class and a straight class, but it does tend to be more common in small schools who have a PAN less than 30. Yes, children will stay in the same class, possibly for two years, maybe for more ( we have several rural schools near us with just two classes, so R/1/2 and 3/4/5/6) My first post was teaching R/1/2 in my current school as we had fewer numbers then ( only 17 children across the three years!)

My DC are in a small school, around 85 pupils. There are 4 classes: Reception, Yr 1+2, Yr 3+4 and Yr 5+6. As there can be as few as 9 children in a year they don't warrant a teacher per year. So every child spends two years in each class.

I went to a really small primary school, with only 24 pupils in the whole school. We only had two classes: one up to age 7 and one from 7-11.

Small schools do have some advantages Unfortunately ( or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) my school is becoming increasingly popular and has increased in size from 57 pupils in three classes when, I joined 6 years ago,to 88 in 4 classes in Spetember ( although I don't think it's all directly due to me )

wow. I'm a town girl so I had no idea such small schools existed!

When I started work my son moved schools and attended the one I teach at. He came from a school which had more children in one year group that the new one did in the whole school!

Our school (in a city) has a PAN of 80 so tho that often means three calsses a year ofabout 27, sometimes (eg next year) it means there will be a couple of mixed classes, ie FS2/YR1 and Yr1 Yr2.

The children will prob not stay in the same class the following year tho, unlike a smaller school where there is no option. They will be mixed again within their year and maybe another year.

A nearby school has a PAN of 45 as mrz says, and mixes classes after FS2.

A pal teaches in a school of about 45 - one KS1 class and one KS2 class. The current year 6 is 3 pupils!

The school DS is at has about 250 pupils and has some mixed age classes. At the moment there are Reception, year 1 and year 2 classes, three mixed year 3/4 classes, two year 5 classes and a year 6 class. I think there are differences in numbers of year 3 and year 4 children and so rather than having one year 4, one year 3 and a mixed (with many more of one year) they have three mixed classes. I think they have ability groupings for numeracy and literacy although as ds is only year 1 I'm not exactly sure.

IME there is very little stress/upset related to mixed classes UNLESS there is a perception of using them as a way of streaming. For example, in DS1's school, most of the year 1's are in Y1/Y2 classes, but some were 'held back' in a YR/Y1 class. There was mch grumbling about this.

Our school admits 45 children into reception classes (2 classes of 22/23 children each).

However, the 90 children in yr1 and yr2 get taught in 3 classes of 30 children.

We have a yr2 class (30 6-7yos), a yr1 class (30 5-6 yos) and a mixed yr1/2 class with about 15 from each age group.

The yr2 children all move up to yr3 at the end of the year - regardless of which class they have been in.

our school as year3/4 4/3 classes and 5/6 6/5 classes

AWFUL imo just awful

so are they generally a good thing (in bigger schools where they aren't so necessary)?

and, um, what's PAN? does it mean the yearly intake or summat?

PAN is Published Admission Number, i.e. the number of children who can be accepted into Reception each year.

ah thanks

I googled but only got stuff about Personal Area Networks and Greek Gods!

DD2s school had a year group of 45 with some years mixed. They never mix reception or year 6 and recently stopped mixing yr3.
She did really well last year as a year 1 in a 1/2 split class. There was also a straight year year 1 and year 2 group. AFAIK split was according to age. The 15 or 16 that had started reception in the September went into the 1/2 split. From that year, all the year 1s went into a straight year 2 class this year so neither yr2 or 3 were split.
I think they are now only splitting yr 4/5, as school is expanding increasing PAN to 60.

my kids go to a small rural school with about 40 kids attending.

DD2 is in year 1, and was in the same class last year and will be in the same class next year although she's already covered all the year 2 stuff. She is absolutely thriving there and I've been told that if she continues to learn at the rate she is doing then she can do yr 3 & 4 stuff whilst in the same class that she's in at the mo. I don't feel this would be possible if she was in a regular year 1 class.

mixing reception rather destroys the point of 'reception' by definition

We are at a large primary school (300 pupils) and we have mixed classes. Reception is different as two separate classes.

We then have a Yr 1/2 class and a Yr 1 class and a Yr 2 class.

Then a Yr 3/4 class and a Yr 3 and a Yr 4 class.

Then a Yr 5/6 class and a Yr 5 and a Yr 6 class.

It was split generally that 8-10 of the Yr 1 pupils went into the mixed class and the rest of the Yr 1 went into a straight Yr 1 class. There was around 20 Yr 2 pupils in the mixed class and the remaining Yr 2 went into a separate class.

My DD has been in the mixed class and is doing well (not great at maths but they are streamed into three classes for that anyway and is similar ability so she is with different pupils than her normal class).

It is generally the same set that have moved up but with a few variations. SHe has a different teacher each year. It is complicated to explain to people who dont have it at their school and I can understand it for small rural schools.

Out school seem to think it works well as the SATs results are exceptional for the surrounding schools in the Borough.

is this a relatively new thing, BTW? or am I just sheltered

I'd never heard of it until recently on MN, and on something I watched on teachers.tv

Our school does it too - about 320 pupils. PAN 45. 2 Reception intakes 22/23 in Sept and Jan.
Y1, Y1/2, Y2, Y3/2, Y3/4, Y4/5, Y5/6 and Y6.

Very complicated IMO. DS has been split from his friends for next year (Y3/2) as they have started streaming it, rather than splitting it by age which they did before. He has been a Y1 in a Y1/2 split this year and done very well in it. IME, it seems easy for the teacher to bung them some of the next year up's work, although of course, work should be tailored anyway.

I've taught in a medium sized primary school with a PAN of 45.

They were arranged in 2 x reception classes of 22 & 23.

3 x KS 1 classes (mixed year 1 & 2). These classes were as similar as possible in terms of gender, SEN, ability etc.

3 x lower KS2 classes (mixed year 3 & 4)

3 x upper KS2 classes (mixed year 5 & 6)

The thinking behind it was that it provided greater equality to all children if the classes (apart from Reception) were all mixed, rather than have some single age classes, and some mixed.

It worked really well, with staff being able to work together on planning and assessment.

Latterly, the school has also introduced a system whereby after Reception, children stay with their teacher for 2 years to encourage consistency and deeper relationships, and try and lower the impact of the change of class each year with the resulting dip for a couple of weeks while the teacher gets to know the class. It's been received very favourably by the parents.