Can anyone tell me the advtanatges and disadvantages of composite classes?

[Hulababy]

I know very little about them or how they work, but want to do some research into it.

How does a composite class of reception/Y1 children work?

Are there any benefits, and who to?

What are the key disadvantages?

Thank you.

At present we know of no additional support - hence me wanting to know more.

Hula I would be MAD in your situation.

The type of class you describe is the worst kind, it isn;t so bad if it is split half and half but I still would not be convinced. The only school I know of who has made a real advantage to this is a very small school (49 on roll) they have two classes eith teacher and TA and teach totally to ability rather than by year group.

My opinions also. I didn't expect to have this when we decided to pay. Not what we signed up for definitely.

Just hoping plenty of the others parents feel the same now.

And TBH if my child was in reception I wouldn't be happy with the situation either.

Is it also possible that the other three in reception might leave? Local private school is to close this summer. It started with a small intake one year - about six children. A couple then left as they didn't like the fact there were so few in the class ... this then put parents off the following year, so had another small intake ..... that was the end!

We are hopefully this won't be the case. It is a well established school and has beena round for at about 60 years, and generally class sizes are about 12-16, which is their ideal really. They have just launched a preschool and I believe that has already recruited more than the PP1 numbers for September, with others withnames down for January and April intake. But the preschool is mixed sex, whereas the actual school is girls only.

Interesting that they have gone mixed in preschool, could this be the long plan for future years do you think ? Can't imagine many parents would put a son in for just a year, even with an older sibling already in the school, only to then have to move them . A class of just 4 is never going to be viable in itself so this could be an issue as they continue up the school. It all sounds a bit confused tbh and communication wanting .

The other local prep schools have no preschool lement. They decided to work in colabration with the locl boy's school over the preschool. And the preschool has attracted boys and girls at each intake.

However I don't know what the boy's school numbers are this year - it is a larger shool anyway as less choice for boys here. But it does make you wonder if they may be considering a merger for prep at the very least doesn't it?

Communication has been more than fine TBH in all other respects. As I said before we have absolutely no other concerns with the school and much prefer it to the alternatives.
This proposal is our only cause for concern, and what it might mean for the furture.

Our boys school has just introduced a mixed sex preschool - reasonable number of girls as far as I can see although obviously tending to be younger siblings of boys at the school. We're having the opposite concern re numbers though - the school has just added another reception class which is full. Theoretically this now means that there are no spaces for new joiners at 7+ though. It used to be the case that there were 2 classes of 18 for Reception to Year 2 and then 3 classes of 16 thereafter.

I think that you would need an incredibly talented teacher to cope with the diverse range of work tbh. Unless the school is academically selective then presumably the reception children are probably not reading/writing (though remember I have boys! - Girls might be different). Ds1 is in summer term Yr1 now and I cannot imagine manging to merge with recpetion. Having a quick look at this terms curriculum for our Yr1: in terms of literacy most are on at least ORT 8, with a quarter of the class having finished off the reading schemes (seem to cease at ORT12), they're composing poems, planning, drafting, revising and editing recounts. For mental maths they've done all tables up to 12, telling time including duration, and using coins and giving change to £1. Science seems to be observations and investigation on plants, and looking at forces. The only neat overlaps with reception would be possibly around using coins, and certainly we've done the plant growing before.

Rather than going in guns blazing presumably you can ask to see what the planning is for Year 1? We get relatively detailed curriculum evenings (as well as the requirements for what we're meant to be doing at home!).

As well as asking what happens for this coming year, what is the plan thereafter?

My letter does ask for futher details and future plans - and we are following this up with a meeting with the head.

The school is academically selective to an extent. Well as much as it can be assessing at age 3/4 years!

I can just imagine how big the gap will be between the two years, and it concerns me. Especially with just one FT teacher and a PT teaching assistant.

Dha nd I not the type to go in all guns blazing. Much more the oppsite to be honest. But we will be firm an d set out to get answers to all of our queries and some form of assurances too.

schilke, that was my first thought; is this the start of the end for the school?! A reception intake of four is exceedingly small; and of those four, I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or two decided not to take the place after all. I wouldn't have wanted my reception aged ds stuck in a class of year 1's, specially with not even a full time TA! It will be a physical impossibility for the teacher to cover all bases to enable ALL the kids to make the best of that year, I would think.

Sorry to be so negative Hula. But I think you're right to worry. This doesn't sound good at all.

And when more prospective parents come to look at reception class for 2008, there won't BE a reception class for them to see, will there? I think it could have a big knock on effect.

Certainly not what you're paying for, I would think. Good luck with your meeting.

We really do hope it is a blip. It is a wonderful school bar this issue right now.

Even the largest girl's school has seen a large drop innumbers this year.

Not sure what is happening TBH.

I can't believe they haven't given you more notice than this! Surely they would have known numbers, or lack of them, for a good while?

Perhaps they were just hoping to get more applications.

I hope they can reassure you though Hula.

What is the ownership structure hula? Can they get by?

I believe that the dcs school has sometimes taken some older preschoolers into reception (which they've then repeated but are clearly ahead)). Wouldn't that be a more attractive proposition for prospective parents than having no reception?

What are your school options if the worst happens?

Honoria - private school usually get a late surge in applicants (once the state school places are confirmed and/or appealed!).

Ah! Thanks for that Ladym.

Of course with your name you ought to know all about private school stuff

The PP1 and prweschool option is one of the things I have included in my letter/things to discuss, as I feel this would work better. The trouble is what would happen the year after when PP1 moved up to PP2? If another small class I guess the PP1/PP2 could work then. But if a larger PP1 next year might have an issue then.

I personally think the PP1/preschool would work better as the foundation learning stage curriculum is very simialr, much more so than the PP1/PP2 curriculums.

Options other than this schooll are the large girls school which we rules out before; I just don't get a feel for it at all. Another girls school a bit further away - again small but goes through to 16 and has excellent results. Was prev concerned that too small at secondary level but not so worried about that now. Or the coed private but not so keen at that one. Or stay where we are obviously.

Yes, numbers would have been changing a lot in March/April here, and this clashed with the Head being off sick also - she was very ill for a few weeks, but back now.

My dds have been in composite classes for a big part of their primary education and I think have benefited from it. Their school has two classes, P1-P3 and P4-P7 and has about 30 pupils in all. But the two teachers have classroom assistants coming out of their ears so not quite the same set up as your school is proposing.

Benefits are that children had individual teaching plans and so could move on at their own rate and were't held back. At the same time, less able or v young children could repeat a year but it isn't so obvious that they're repeating. The young children benefit from having older ones around to learn from, while the older ones develop skills of communication, responsibility and independence. The school very much feels like one big happy family but I appreciate that that may be due to its small size.

I can understand your disappointment Hula but maybe it's not as bad as you think. Falling birthrate is a real issue in the area, that I know for sure.
Asuming that all the children have been together for a year already, I would actually assume that the teacher is more likely to teach to their level and that the reception children are the ones who will suffer. How much of a foundation curriculum do they offer in the private setting where parents can sometimes be .. a little more pushy ?( I know you're not!) I think it more likely that the class will to all intents and purposes be a year 1 class with a bit more play in the afternoons thrown in for the reception. If they are planning to integrate in the summer then they will probably push those 4 to cover stuff so that they will integrate well anyway.

my ds found 'vertical integration' a real problem. like so many things, depends on the child. he is easily distracted and found it so hard to concentrate when the teacher was delivering the stuf to the other set of children. he was tuning in and out and missing so much. we moved him easter of yr1 the first thing he said about his new school was ' its so quiet i can hear myself think mummy'

The new starters have not been in the school before. The preschool is new this September, so they are completely new to the school.

We are going to see The Head on Friday morning.

did you get a satisfactory response yesterday ?

Just came across this.

My dd1 is now in a P2 class, but her p1 year was in a composite and next year is too.

Her first class was in a small rural school. She was in the Gaelic unit and so had one class for p1-7. She was the only p1. It was fabulous. SHe made great friends with girls (the whole class was girls) further up the school, they all came to her birthday party! It really pulled her on socially, and stretched her academicaly, I thought it was great.

We got letters home last week from the school about how they put together their composites, as they have to (its a growing school and there aren't quite enough pupils fromo p3 up to have single year classes. They said the children were assessed on their literacy adn numeracy skills and grouped that way - so we were pleased to hear that dd1 will be going into p3/4, again I think being with older kids (she is old for her year, started school at 5y7m) will help, pull her on, and form new friendships.

Ds starts in Aug, and there are now enough parents choosing the Gaelic school that there are, for the second year, 2x p1 intakes.

any update Hula? Have been thinking about you.