Mixed year groups

[ThreeLittleDuckies]

We visited a small school with 18 children in 1 class, year groups reception-year 2. Then years 3&4 in another, then 5&6.
We like the school but not sure if the mixed year groups are a good or bad thing?

My children's school are mixed and there has been no issues so far.

I teach in a school with mixed year groups and don't find it makes any difference

My children’s school is a mixture (reception is on their own, and then there is a Y1 class, Y1/2, Y2 etc) working really wet for our eldest who’s currently Y3 but working with the Y4s in some areas. Younger ones are also doing well there!

It depends how they split the class. My DD is an August birthday but was always doing very well. In some schools she would have been kept with younger children due to her age whilst other DC in the same year group would have worked with older children. Had this happened to her, we would never have stayed at such a school. If all the DC are mixed with other age groups, that’s ok. But picking some out, based on age, to work with the year group below isn’t fair. So always check how the age groups are mixed and whether it’s fair for all. Parents who get the rub of the green always think everyone else’s DC is doing well but they don’t actually know that as info isn’t shared with them.

@BubblesBuddy I was told they were generally on different tables based on year groups but for some lessons/activities they mix.
Reception and year 2 are quite different stages, but I figure with 18 children in total the teacher & ta can probably do quite a good job of covering the various levels? Great to hear some positive things about mixed year groups as it's my favourite school our of the ones we've seen!

So how many children in the school? 35? 40? Is it viable? Will your DC want decent sport or music? What seems cosy when they are very young is very limiting when they are older.

School isn’t just about results, it’s about maturing and being inspired with a wide range of opportunities. I know small schools can be very appealing but the model you describe is very expensive to run. 18 in a class is private school numbers, but not sustainable in most state schools.

Regarding advantages: All DC and staff will know each other very well. Parents see this as an advantage. Close relationships can form in school and parents like a family feel. Small schools are often close to the community and are part of the community in meaningful ways. They can be very responsive to the needs of individual children.

However even if 6 DC of the same age group sit on the same table (whilst YR are learning through play?) I would wonder if each DC is of similar ability? Who will DC work with if other DC are academically very different? What about friendships? I think mixed classes in larger schools can work but I wouldn’t be rushing to one this small.

45 in the whole school. It is a state school, it isn't a new school and no signs of it closing down any time soon so I'm not worried about it not being sustainable etc. I might need to go back and ask some of those questions! I presume with different abilities they can move around or teacher supports them but I don't really know much about mixed year groups.

Three Little Duckies my children went through primary in a school with three classes although slightly different organisation to what you describe.
My son had a mixed R, Y1 class (20 children) , Y2/3/ 4 class (25 children) and a Y4/5/6 class(25 children). My daughter again had a mixed R/Y1 class but 30 children and bigger classes further up the school. The school was over subscribed.
The school now has 4 classes and just over a hundred pupils ( vastly over subscribed) and as the LA have just built a new state of the art building they obviously have no intention of closing it so small schools aren't necessarily at risk.
Many schools use continuous provision across Key Stage 1 as well as in reception very successfully so I wouldn't be concerned.
My own experience of primary is of one teacher and thirty pupils age 4-11 and it worked well. The only issue was moving to grammar school with 30 pupils per class came as a bit of a culture shock initially.
I wouldn't be put off by a small school.

I think it's nice and natural that children should mix with other children outside one year group. There are many advantages in terms of empathy and learning to older children helping younger ones. It can also give the school a family feel where everyone knows everyone else. The only risk for such small numbers is lack of social opportunities to find like minded friends. It could work out perfectly or you could find yourself in a situation where there are a group of children with similar personalities/interests and your child is a bit left out if they don't fit into that group.

Mixed year classes are very common in all.sizes of schools. The extreme smallness of that one would bother me though. Friendship issues are intensified when there are no alternatives. It's impossible for each teacher to be a proper subject lead across multiple subjects.

Look at the long term too - is the school going to grow because of new housing developments, or will it stay tiny and therefore financially fragile?

My primary school had this. Only 9 of us in our year. Think there were about 40 pupils in total. They managed really well and I actually preferred it from being in a big year with 60 odd students split across two classes where I had previously gone to school.