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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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HmmAnOxfordComma · 24/04/2015 17:53

Awful for children with ASD and sensory disorders. My Ds was in a small reception class of 15 and that was noisy enough. In fact Ks1 generally can be fraught for children who prefer a really quiet environment. Ks2 was much better for him, and secondary school even better!

mrz · 24/04/2015 17:58

I don't think noise gas anything to do with being purpose built more about organisation and expectations.

Morebiscuitsplease · 24/04/2015 17:59

It may work but my two introverts would find that utterly draining.

Morebiscuitsplease · 24/04/2015 18:03

Hmmanoxfordcomma......am totally with you. That is a learning environment that will hinder some children.

Purpledaisy309 · 24/04/2015 18:18

I have seen incredibly noisy and chaotic classrooms of 30 and very calm rooms with 60, it's much more to do with the people in it than the size of the room, more space often means much less crowding , so a much calmer atmosphere

TeWiSavesTheDay · 24/04/2015 18:52

Mrz - of course the architecture matters! It matters hugely, or we wouldn't bother with purposebuilt concerthalls...

You are being very dismissive.

DD1s reception teacher constantly told me she was doing absolutely fine in reception but I saw the work she produced (not a single piece of finished work in a year) and the massive difference it made when in yr1 she was moved to quiet low sensory autism hotdesks (and she hasn't got a diagnosis of autism! She just has some traits and clearly did so much better there!)

MarthaMonkeynuts · 24/04/2015 19:08

*mrz Fri 24-Apr-15 17:11:14
I've taught many children with autism and dozens of children with glue ear in a FS unit and all have thrived. *

Well, you know what they say, when you've met one child with autism…you've met one child with autism.

Another one here who would purposely avoid such a large unit for DC1 (who has autism) and DC2 (summer born, laid back, not forthcoming)

mrz · 24/04/2015 19:30

Except I haven't just met one ... And I also happen to be the mother of an autistic son.

MarthaMonkeynuts · 24/04/2015 20:18

Perhaps those kids who would not have thrived have given your place a huge swerve? So your sample may be biased. You will know then, that it's really not unusual for children with ASD to have sensory difficulties and struggle in such a busy place.

mrz · 24/04/2015 20:21

Perhaps... But we only know about those that chose to send their children to us ...many on the recommendation of their Educational Psychologist.

Icimoi · 25/04/2015 11:41

At my dcs' school the two reception classes were effectively in one open plan room, although they were treated as two separate classes. It worked fine.

Almostapril · 25/04/2015 12:25

It's very common in all the schools near us. I have never heard a bad report about it

odyssey2001 · 25/04/2015 18:06

Sounds like a great idea and fantastically staffed. Think yourself lucky. My son will be one of 30 with one teacher and one TA.

Almostapril · 25/04/2015 18:41

Ours isn't all together it I really wish it was. They do free play between classes at times and in the outdoor classroom but it would be better if they knocked dividing walls down fully. It's great for the DC as the quiet ones can mix and make friends like them. Those that want to boisterous can be so in their own area. Non girly girls can find the other girls like them etc All DC have lots of friendship opportunities.
I get that asd may be an issue but we have an asd boy in our nursery class of 45 and its teaching him how to cope in a busy noisy world

yallahabibi · 25/04/2015 18:52

Sounds like an intensive farm barn ! I guess it maximizes the resources and space but I'd run far far away from a reception teaching job in a set up like that . They must spent a lot of planning and evaluating , not to mention physically keeping up with the children . My DS is in a reception class of 20 . My last time teaching the year , I 'd a blissful 12 , with a TA .

5madthings · 25/04/2015 18:57

Our school does this for reception, yr one and yr two. It works really well, there are some little cosy side rooms for small groups to work quietly, lots of outdoor space including one with cover so can be used in all weather's.

They have separate carpet time and work in small groups. It can seem noisy at times but the kids always seem busy and engaged.

They do have a lot of ta's and also volunteers who help in the classrooms so the child to adult ratio is really good.

It worked fine for my ds2 who had subsequently been assessed as having asc. He would love to go back to the primary school actually, he is 12(yr8) and high school is failing him completely to the point we have just removed him.

LimeFizz · 25/04/2015 19:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrz · 25/04/2015 19:23

That's poor classroom management

yallahabibi · 26/04/2015 03:51

The only way I'd see this working well is in a beautiful Montessori approach environment where children had been conditioned into serendipity. Not for the brick throwing , biting , triking into each other 4 year old mites who yelled f**k off pigs through the chain mail fence when a police car passed.

In a thankfully passed life , I did inner London supply in an EYU . Lasted a week and only because they begged and begged. Nobody wanted to work there.

mrz · 26/04/2015 06:40

Perhaps it's about expectations of behaviour ... Why were the children allowed to act that way in school?
We have no control over how they behave outside but we do in school.

yallahabibi · 26/04/2015 16:49

Nobody had trained them ?
They had just herded a 100 deprived 4 year olds with complex needs into a huge chaotic environment which nobody wanted to work in . Sad Sad

poppy70 · 26/04/2015 16:59

I sympathise. I worked inner city too. It is not as easy as 'nobody trained them.' No one does when there isn't much enough staff to deal with such complex needs. Crowd control was never told to us in job description.

mrz · 26/04/2015 17:10

Surely the point is that wherever these children went be that a unit or a classroom they needed to learn how to behave in an acceptable way. The sad thing is that no one wanted to take on that responsibility.

yallahabibi · 27/04/2015 04:35

I think the point is that 60 in a big space only works if everyone , teachers, aids and children are trained and trained very well. It's a cost effective way to run a Reception unit but I don't think it's for every demographic .Probably modelled on an idyllic Scandinavian kinder and adopted in the UK to save money.