Information needed re class sizes please!

[tlc275]

Hi,

I was just wondering whether anyone help a newbie and could explain to me how this may work. Our local school originally published an admission no of 60 (and has done for the last few years), so 2 classes of 30 in each year group, this year it has gone up to 75 and I am confused as to how this will work? 3 classes of 25...? Or possibly 2 classes of 30 and one made up of 15 reception pupils and 15 year one (in which case wouldn't that leave the year one classes short of pupils?).

My friend who lives out of catchment didn't get offered a place so I am wondering whether she can appeal as the classes may not be the maximum 30.

Any information would be greatly appreciated! Its so confusing!

Thanks in advance! xx

I think they'll probably have two classes but with enough teaching staff to cover the equivilent of 2.5 classes.

I don't think this will give your friend any right of appeal. Her best chance is probably to go on the waiting list.

Space may be an issue if they try to fit 38 children and 2 teachers into a classroom. Could they be creating a reception unit with all 75 together?

Aha I see, I was wondering where the extra class room was going to come from! There definitely wasn't any spare when I looked around lol! Thank you for your reply.
xx

Or they may be planning mixed year group classes.

mrz, I am just not sure and yes either way seems a bit difficult. I should just call them and ask really but these things always seem to irritate the life out of me at times when I can't do anything about it!

When I looked around the school they were still only going to admit 60, one of the other mums at playschool looked round after me and after they had changed it to 75 and is sure the head mentioned mixing some of year one with reception but again I just can't understand how it will work. Maybe they had some hidden classrooms somewhere that we didn't see!

If it is the 1st year most likely 3x 25 then next year 2x30 rec 2x30 r/y1 then 1x30. Most likely LA have asked them to increase intake and Head has only just been told.

Thanks everyone, I think I can just about get my head around it. I should really just call tomorrow and ask them to confirm it but not sure I want to be get a reputation for being a pain in the bum mum before dd even starts!

The question that you need an answer to is whether the school is admitting to 75 in all year groups or just to the reception year. You need that because it will dictate whether any appeal is infant class size or not.
As it stands, based solely on 75 in reception it would not be an infant class size case. The most likely class organisation is 3 classes of 25 but it could be 2 of 30 and one of 15 I suppose.
I suspect that it is 75 through out the school and that the years 1 and 2 are based around 5 classes of 30, to make the 150 in the two year groups. Those classes are bound by the infant class size rules and as such any appeal for the reception year is also infant class size because of future infant class size prejudice when they move to year 1.
Following through on the suggestion that it is 75 in reception, then 60 in yr1 and 2, that would give in 12 months time a year 1 /2 of 60 +75 = 135, which would not be future infant class size regs appeal but would be an absolute nightmare for the school. Do they run with 4 classes of 30 and 1 of 15, in which case they are likely to see successful appeals for 15 places to bring up the 150 again or do they run 4 classes that would be 34 in each class and each breaking the infant class size regs.
Sorry appeals can get quite complicated not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of the classroom sizes which we have not even talked about. Is it possible that they have a very small room that they are shoe-horning a class of 15 into? Again worth asking the question of the school, what is going to be the class organisation for next year.

One of our local schools has a PAN of 75, with 15 of these places for children entering a special needs support unit where the teacher/pupil ratio is much higher.

If you don't want to ask the school you could look at the Local Authority website under the bit for their school admission's forum. This should probably talk about changes to PAN in previous minutes, plus related reasons for these changes.