Unusual School Set Up

[monkeysafari]

Researching schools at the moment before we move house, and I've come across a rather interesting and unusual set up.

It's one of these new "free schools" and there are no more than 15 pupils per class. Each year group is split into four classes. One for those born September to November, one for October-January, one for February-April and one for May-August. So basically there are only 3 months between the youngest and oldest in the classes.

Trying to decide if I like this idea, or not. And what the advantages and disadvantages would be.

Any thoughts, opinions etc?

The ability range could still be huge. If they were going to divide like this, I would prefer by ability (IMPORTANT: ability varies depending on subject emotional ability etc. - it's better (imo) when ability groups are morefluid).

Also at sucha small class sie, the personality of the children would be v important- mayber better to arrange by personality types...

Ultimately there's no 'best way' to divide them up. What do you think

The main problem I can see is 15 birthday parties in three months then none for the rest of the year!

My 3 brightest children this year are June-August birthdays. The oldest in the class is the most immature and least co-ordinated.

That would assume that someone like my DS2 with a November birthday didn't have SN's...

It sounds like they've not actually talked to any teachers when deciding to do things this way but maybe by virtue of small class sizes it will work.

it is one way of organising things. I don't think it would be counter-productive, and could work well.

Parents really resist organising classes by ability so this is one way of splitting them up into groups that will not annoy parents particularly. There will be other ways of splitting them up that would also work.

Classes of fifteen sound good to me.

I am sure they have talked to teachers, why wouldn't they have done so?

How are they affording class sizes of 15? Do they have a private funding stream? Is it just one adult per class- as that would be the same ratio as a Teacher and a TA with 30 kids.

My August born 2.1yo already knows the sounds of around 30 graphemes and is starting to blend and segment and can reliably count objects to 10 (amongst other freakish 'school' things) but won't can't do a 2 piece jigsaw, put his own shoes on or jump. I don't think I'd want assumptions to be made about his ability based on his birth month as he's so skew-wiffy. Actually, I'm initially putting him into a Montessori school so that he can be in amongst a much wider age range and where he will truely be looked upon as an individual.

I would worry about such rigid divisions - at least with ability divisions they could be changed if they seemed wrong later on as children do mature at different rates. It is not always the case that the older children are more advanced/mature (DD who is older in her year is pretty good at the academic stuff but a proper baby in many other ways and some of her much younger friends are just as good as her at the academic side of things).

However, I think the small class sizes could work well for younger children. DD who is shy and quiet really benefited from being in a small class last year (PAN of 45 so they split Reception into two small classes, each with teacher and TA). I also think 15 might be too small for older children and friendships - what if your September born child just happens not to really get on with the rest of the older cohort and would be much happier playing with some of the children with summer birthdays?

there are often such rigid divisions in school at the moment though. They school I just worked in did the same thing, except the class sizes were thirty rather than 15. The HT would not countenance doing it any other way due to potential fall out from aggrieved parents who all think their child should be in the top band.

i know that statistically speaking the younger children struggle at school and are behind the older but statistics often don't apply to the personal level, i think they'll end up with some children very out of synch with their class.

surely it's better to just have tiny classes of around 15 so that every teacher can give more personalised learning to each child.

Is the proposed division for reception or the whole way through?

Sounds a bit rubbish. Differentiate by ability not chronological age.. My late July dd1 had caught up suth the September horns within a year or do of starting school, and there will be September borns who need almost as much support as the July/ August ones.

15-18 is a great number in class though. DH teaches prep and this is there ideal- big enough to have plenty if friends . Small enough fir individual attention

monkey do you know the answers to EBD's funding and teacher/TA questions. I'm very interested!

It is really hard to differentiate by ability when children are just starting school. How are you going to know what they can do at the very beginning? I would not be comfortable setting children at this point. And every parent would be livid at their child being in the wrong group.

One suggestion about how it can be afforded: free schools are funded on their projected intake, not actual bums on seats like the rest of the state sector (at least for now). So if they say they expect to have 90 in a year group, this will be funded even if just 60 turn up. Therefore, they can afford smaller classes etc. This explains why the local schools are not lays thrilled if a free school is granted permission to start up, the system does not treat all schools equally for funding. I hope that helps!

Surely this is just one way of splitting the intake into 4 equal classes. It makes no assumptions about the ability of the individual children. I guess they would have to be a bit flexible to make sure of similar numbers of boys and girls and I doubt the year group will sort itself out into four equal groups split on birthday months!
I'm not sure what the issue is. If the year group is going into 4 classes they have to be split some how.

prettydaisies, I have been trying to make that point

sorry posted too soon

meant to say you did it much more clearly than I did. I seem to have brain fog

Well I suppose they could be split by height....hair colour.....favourite toy.....where they went on holiday last year.......It could be quite fun to think of other ways to split them up!!!

Haha! I see your point. I still think fifteen is too small a class size for all but the youngest year or two, though. I'd say about twenty would be ideal.

Free schools are supposed to get exactly the same level of funding per pupil as any maintained school, the difference is that they got lots of start up costs.
There is absolutely no way that any maintained school could operate with one school teacher (being paid on the appropriate scale) with each class of 15 pupils, the normal average break-even point is somewhere around 22 to 23 pupils per class.
So I suspect that they are getting lots of extra funding from somewhere.