How does one go about teaching a mixed age class containing yrs4,5&6?

[educator123]

I would appreciate opinions on a mixed class of this sort. And how you would go about teaching a class like this efficiently.

TIA

Well the primary school I went to only had 2 classes. DD's primary school only had 3.

Teachers who are used to these settings seem capable of setting different levels of work on the same topic.

DS was in mixed classes all through primary, although the system is slightly different up here. They did numeracy and literacy in ability groups, and covered most other things as topics, with the whole class studying the same thing but the older ones expected to make bigger projects, write longer pieces etc. They then cycled the topics from one year to the next, if that makes sense?

I've taught 3/4/5/6 before. Literacy and nuumeracy were taught in sets of similar ability, so two groups would begin the lesson working independently on something they had covered the previous day whilst the new input is taught to the other 2 groups, who then go off to work independently whilst the new input is taught to the other 2 groups! Topic work was mainly differentiated by ability, science was taught in 2 groups with TA support. The school ran a 4 year rolling programme so the same topic wasn't covered twice. After that my current 5/6 class is a doddle!

Thanks well the current class set up is - Class1 R&1, Class2 2&3s, Class3 4,5&6.

Previously it was class1 R,1&2, Class 2&3, Class 5&6.

They tend to arrange it yr to yr based on numbers and the school is bottom heavy atm.

From a parental point of view it does raise concerns.

It doesn't have to be a problem. DS's first school had 3 classes to cover 7 years, so most years there would be 3 years in each class. His second school was P5/6/7 (last 3 years of Primary up here)

The advantage up here is that you would have a max class size of 25, which helps. But we didn't normally have any TAs so it was just 1 teacher and 25 children.

They managed fine. I think when the school is just mixed classes, they get used to it and develop strategies that work. I worry far more when a school suddenly has to add a mixed class and have no experience of it.

The question that you also have to ask is the spread of ability in each year group. A class in which each year group contains predominantly 'average' kids with a few 'more able' is a different proposition from one where there is a high number of 'outliers' across the abolity range.

So, for example, my current singe-year class has an 'ability spread' of around 5-6 years (from chiuldren working at or a little below Reception to children working at the level typical of Year 5). In a different school, without the outliers, that spread might be only 2-3 years, maybe even less.

So a class of 4,5 and 6 could have a spread of only 3-4 years...or a spread of up to 9 years or so... and how manageable that was would equally vary...

That is true teacher, i suppose from a parental point of view there is no way of telling.

The school has only 45 so i assumed that because class sizes are small that it must work ok.

But i assume that a yr4 would have quite different needs to a yr6 about to start secondary!? Therefore it does niggle me.

I think the answer to this is, don't over complicate the issue. I've taught lots of composite classes with mixed ages aswell as 'straight' classes. You can have a straight class of 30 children of the same age but still with a whole range of abilities and needs. A composite class is no different. Every class, regardless of the children's ages, will have a whole variety of needs. Here in Scotland, I teach 29 children at the minute, they are in the same year group but that is about the only thing they all have in common! I have at least 6 different ability groups for reading, aswell as several individuals with very specific needs. Don't think of this class as any different from a straight class. Just focus, as any proficient teacher does, on the needs of the children and not their ages.

Well I think its how the school runs its self and systems in place that determine how easy/sucessful it is.

Dd attended 2schools both mixed classes and prefer way school b does it to school a.

Im not not keen on mixed reception/year 1 and old school has a

rception class and r1 class.

I also think 2/3class hard as 2diffrent keystages but both schools have mixed.

Old school had no pure class /year 5 had a 4/5, 5,6 then year 6 some junior parents moaned about it including a teacher and said wasent ideal.

I think year 6 is so pressured in state school can be beneficail to have pure year 6class.

old school have 45per year intake so 30 /15split 15 being in mixed class which alteranted and changed every year.

So dd had no lessons or anything to do with older children in year year in mixed 2/3 clsss sad as they were in her year 1 class last year and she missed them.

Old school 10classes new school 5.
but new school mixed things like handwriting /phonics groups by ability so her phonics group has year 2, 3 and couple year 4s prividing they all same ability imagine easier to teach.

They also teach who year group combined for science but theres only 20per year so shes 1 /9 in mixed year 1/2 clasa nd combines with 10older ones in her year in 2/3class so better intergration and they rotate subjects and residentail trips every other year 2,
So far we still at infants but feel impressed even though she has to spend 2years in 1 class I think she will do fine.

I think tas play bigger part in split classes.
Also smaller numbers more managable
strength of teacher
how varied the ability groups are.
I know one local junior school that everyones quite high achieving they not selective but in nice postcode.

I have mixed opinions as think split classes not benefited my child in infants due to her birthday and way the year were split she was always in pure class of her year and ones who had been mixed did better. shes now oldest in mixed class year 1/2 and really boosted her self esteem and confidence she was in pure year 2 where she was behind the younger ones in year who has been in split class in year 1.
That could just be her school.

I think theres some studies online about mixed classes and remember one parent whinging but with shortages of school places and bulge classes i forsee more mixed in future.

I'm not sure what needs a Y6 would have that would be a problem. They would probably be getting practice at being a bit more self-reliant than the younger ones, but there's no reason for that to be more difficult in a mixed class. Most teaching is in groups rather than to the whole class anyway these days, it's totally different from when I was in school (when 'differentiation' meant if you finish first sit quietly and don't disrupt the others).

Does the school get the kinds of results that you would expect for its intake? If so, then I think you have to assume that they are dealing fine with whatever issues teaching a mixed class brings. You shouldn't need to 'assume' it works ok just because of the class sizes, look at their results on paper and at the children's behaviour and happiness. If they are all about where you'd expect, then I think you have to accept that it balances out.

I don't know the results as they aren't published due to it being an unfair percentage in comparison to other school as there are only 45 on the role