Class size limits?

[bluegiraffe]

Is there a legal maximum class size limit from Y3, like there is for infants?
I.e, if a school increases it's intake from 60 to 90, does it have to split into 3 classes rather than 2?, or can it have two classes of 45 pupils??

No, the size restriction is lifted, but each school has what's called a 'net capacity assessment'which looks at the number of workspaces, Sq. M of each classroom and any other teaching spaces, to arrive at a 'safe' maximum number of pupils. The maximum number on roll is a percentage of that figure, and the PAN is usually 1/7 of that figure in a primary school, but can be lower if mixed age classes are used, whereby reception has 15 intake, then there is a y1/y2 mixed class, etc.

thanks lougle, this is a junior school, starting at Y3 if that makes any difference? been a 2-form intake until now.
are you saying they could feasibly fit 45 in a current classroom?

Surely a year group of 90 would be organised into three classes - I doubt any school has a class of 45 these days.

My Year 3 class has 34 children in it this year. And the Head won't guarantee we won't take more new starters.

tiggytape, that is what I would hope for ... but it seems it is being proposed as 'temporary' arrangement, i.e places have been offered up to 90 for this Sept, but it may not continue ...so will they bother build extra classrooms etc.....

They'll probably just hire a portacabin then and appoint a teacher on a fixed term contract.

and do picnic lunches when they can't fit them all in the tiny hall?!
I'll be asking some questions of the LEA next week ...

Hadn't it been announced as a bulge class, OP?

nope. Admissions booklet/historically 2-form entry at time of applications. Allocations info published stated 90, was first I knew of it. Current parents also in dark ... can't access school website currently either ....

Mistakes can be made - it could be the 90 is a mistake and now the school and LEA are bound to provide that number of spaces but if this is the case they will have to find a way round.

I used to work in a school that was a 30 intake but one year 45 was published instead. The LEA had to fund a demountable for the additional class of 22 and that year group continued as 45 intake throughout the school whereas all the others were 30. At one point they were combined with the yr group above to make 2 classes of 35/36 but this was problematic as neither yr group was full and when we got a couple of extra kids it was just too big classes. It went back to 2 smaller classes and the yr above separate the following year.

Hopefully it's not a mistake and the extra class has been planned for in terms of space - has the school previously had higher numbers and there are rooms being used for groups etc that could be an extra classroom?