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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Reception class size of 60.....why would they do this?

79 replies

Niceproblemtohave · 23/04/2015 22:09

Visited an excellent primary school today (Ofsted outstanding) and they have recently merged the 2 reception classes of 30 into 1 big class of 60, supported by 2 teachers and 6 classroom assistants. I was so surprised I didn't ask all the questions I shoud have done.

Does anyone have any experience of this - it certainly felt noisy and very busy, but not totally chaotic. My daughter is an August born and I'm just worried she's going to be terrified / trampled on / lost in such a large group

The school is also now replicating this for Year 1 - although Year 2 classes will run as 2 classes of 30

All advice welcome!! Thank you

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pootlebug · 23/04/2015 22:11

At my kids school there are two reception classes in 2 linked classrooms with shared outside space. I don't think this sounds that different (I'd be surprised if they changed the classroom space in itself). Yes, it is noisy and busy, but also lots of fun and allows them flexibility of where to be. There are still quiet spaces….reading corner etc.

Want2bSupermum · 23/04/2015 22:16

That is a lot of children in one room. Do you know anyone with a child in the school or could you ask to speak to some of the parents?

I'm here in america in a town that is hardly progressive and they have 15 kids to a class with each class having a teacher and assistant. I can't imagine the chaos of 60 kids in a class. Those poor teachers and teaching assistants.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 23/04/2015 22:17

Is that allowed? I thought there was a limit of thirty to a key stage one class?

ReallyTired · 23/04/2015 22:22

Lots of reception classes do this. Children learn through play and all reception classes appear chaotic. It is legal as there are two qualified teachers for the 60 children. Team teaching can be effective.

miller599 · 23/04/2015 22:23

They do this is many schools where two reception classes are joined together. However they would still be two separate classes and at set times they will separate into their classes for focused activities or class work. Children tend to be fine with many children surrounding them.

Getdownfromtherethisinstant · 23/04/2015 22:39

I saw a school that did this - it worked well as they had a quiet side and a side for noisier activities. Please each area, eg. reading was larger.

Bluestocking · 23/04/2015 22:41

It's not a class of 60, is it? It's two classes of 30, with really good staff-child ratios.

Original poster

Niceproblemtohave · 23/04/2015 22:49

Hi just to clarify - it is one merged class of 60 but with 2 teachers and 6 assistants. Everyone is all together in 1 very big space but all playing in multiple separate groups. And yes the ratios seem excellent - 60 pupils to 2 teachers + 6 assistants. But apparently they removed a dividing wall to make it one large space which just seemed a strange thing to do to me

OP posts:

ButterflyUpSoHigh · 23/04/2015 23:09

A school near me has 120 in reception and they are altogether like that.

cariadlet · 23/04/2015 23:32

Sounds a nightmare to me. I'd hate teaching in a big space like that - although I'd love to work with 2 TAs.

cariadlet · 23/04/2015 23:35

btw, not all Reception classes are "noisy" or "chaotic". The ones at my school are pretty calm, even though there is a lot of learning through play.

Akire · 23/04/2015 23:39

It makes sense when the Early years has to offer so many different areas, so rather than having 2x sand, water, painting, clay, sticking, reading, home corner there is much more flexibility for core areas as well as different things changed more often.

I would expect each class or small groups met up first thing and for story time etc then spend the rest of time free playing or small groups.

It can work but it IS really loud and headache giving to adults!

cariadlet · 23/04/2015 23:47

It can work but it IS really loud and headache giving to adults!

Surely that would also make it loud and headache giving to the children. Especially the poor little quiet ones.

ReallyTired · 24/04/2015 00:04

Usually the two reception classes have two classrooms. Having the two teachers team teach means there can be quiet areas and areas where the children can be more chatty.

Akire · 24/04/2015 00:09

I had plenty of headaches after listen to high level noise all day, but don't think children notice as much. Never had a child come back in from playtime complaint it was to loud where as general dul screaming shouting roar of playtime adults will notice.

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 24/04/2015 00:17

The primary school DS1 went to used to teach Reception that way. Theoretically there were two classes of 30, but the classrooms had a partition between (as opposed to a proper wall) and the partition would be drawn back to allow all 60 to be in one space together.

I have no idea what the theory is behind it. All I know is that for DS1, with ASD, it was absolutely disastrous.

BathtimeFunkster · 24/04/2015 00:30

This sounds like it could be amazing.

But it would so depend on the school, the teachers, the teachers' works by relationship.

As an idea though, it has merit.

LakeFlyPie · 24/04/2015 00:42

Reception at DC's school has 60 +2 qualified and 4-5 TAs. It works well and the children do basic phonics, numeracy etc in smaller groups; initially 4x 15, then 3 x 20 and towards the end of summer term the 2x 30 classes which will move up to Year 1.

PurpleShoes69 · 24/04/2015 01:05

Yy cariadlet, Santas. How dare DC be quiet and sensitive these days

madwomanbackintheattic · 24/04/2015 01:20

It worked fine in dd2's yr r. They actually only had two teachers and two TAs, but two LSAs for kids with additional needs (of which dd2 was one). In practice, it was of course two classes with the dividing door opened, and didn't run any differently to when it had been two classes with the sliding doors closed, as it had been when ds1 was in that yr group.

The groups were spread out across the two classrooms and ran on a rotating basis. It worked very well, and in terms of noise, ratio and supervision was no different than before, to be honest.

No appreciable difference, really. It's very common.

mrz · 24/04/2015 06:42

It's really common to have a Foundation Unit mixing either nursery and reception classes or multiple reception classes in in one large area. There are lots of advantages to this way of working for children and staff.
On a purely organisational level the school doesn't have to duplicate resources in classes allowing them to provide a wider range of equipment.
It may seem like one big class but each group will have their own base area and teacher (key staff)

StationeryOrdering · 24/04/2015 06:55

I would worry about my child getting lost. Although I worried about that all through KS1. As it turned out, quite rightly, as she is in a year stuffed with princes, princesses and those with demanding, challenging behaviour, lots of mememes. DD ( also Aug birthday )likes to operate under the radar, doesn't want the spotlight, so lots of stuff was missed with her, as the teacher was too busy dealing with all the other more pressing and immediate demands on her time. This happened with 3 different teachers for 3 years. So the idea of doubling the children with one extra teacher would fill me with dread.

I can see all the advantages to the school, but little for the children.

CharlesRyder · 24/04/2015 07:02

The last school I worked in had 120 children with 4 teachers and 4 TAs. It's not something I would want for my DS.

Pipbin · 24/04/2015 07:18

I've taught in a school where the two receptions were two separate classes for things like registration and teaching but shared an outside area and the children were free to move between the classes.
That works as one class can have quiet activities and one more active etc.

Bramerton2015 · 24/04/2015 07:23

I saw this at two primary schools we viewed. They merged two reception classes together Agree thought it was chaotic and noisy

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