Mixed year classes

[OverTheWater]

Looking at primary schools for DS who is shaping up to be quite academic (and very unsporty although he tries, bless him!)

Most of our available options seem to have mixed classes, one has an intake of 45 kids but classes are taught as three bands of R/1, 2/3, 4/5, and year 6. Another has R/1/2, 3/4, 5/6 with an intake of 10 kids. (I can't see how that can be a viable school but that's a different question!)

Has anyone thoughts to share on these types of schools? Isn't it incredibly hard for the teacher? What questions could/should I be asking when looking round?

The schools have great results but are undersubscribed where others locally are oversubscribed which makes me a little suspicious.

Thank you!

Yes, it's hard work for the teachers, but even in a single year group class there's quite a bit of differentiation to be done to cater for all the children. If they have a fairly stable set-up of which year groups are together, they will have worked out a scheme of work for most subjects that will repeat every two years. The school with the intake of 45 will have three teachers in each phase, so they can support each other, and they may regroup the children for things like phonics and maths. The school with an intake of 10 obviously has smaller class sizes.

Some advantages: they'll often have the same teacher for two years, so they'll really get to know them well, and can hit the ground running in terms of expectations in the second September. In the smaller schools, the head and teachers get to know the families better, as there are fewer of them. There's also more of a family feel at playtimes and so on.

I'm guessing that you're in at least a semi-rural area, as small schools are unusual in towns/cities. There's much to be said for going to your nearest school, to ease transport, make play dates easier, let them walk to school when older, etc.

Under/over-subscription might be partly demographic - there just aren't that many kids in the village, and the next villages over all have decent enough schools that they're not picking up more. There may also be those who are wary of the small and mixed age-group schools for all the reasons people are no doubt about to mention.

My ds attended a tiny 17 child intake primary where yrs 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6 were all mixed. It worked well, and allowed children to advance at a pace that suited them. The staff seemed to take it in their stride.

DS went to one of these.

He had the same teacher for the two years. First year was fine but by the end of the first term in the second year, it was clear that he was essentially repeating the first year.

We chose to move him to a different primary that did not mix year groups. It actually caused a bit of trouble as a few more parents did likewise once they saw we had done it.

At one time my children were at a primary with mixed classes, they are now at an age that I can say for sure that they wouldn't have done any better in single year classes

But, obvioulsy you can't apply a different child at a different school with a different teacher's experience to your child, that would be reckless. As would assuming that all the bad experiences people have had would apply to your child

You need to visit the schools (is that back now after covid?) And decide which suits your child best, you're the one who knows him best, decide for him as an individual.

Yes we are semi rural, within ten minutes drive of a small city, although our social life is currently mainly in the city as not much happens out where we are. There is only one child his age in our village.

We will definitely be visiting schools and seeking advice from our nursery.

OK so good things to be looking out for are how is the teaching differentiated across year groups, is it a one year / two year curriculum, and is there much pupil turnover.

Thank you all for your helpful replies! - Especially lanthanum.

There are some rural schools round here with a similar set up. One has an intake of just 8 I think. The parents of kids who go there seem to love it, all the kids are friends with each other etc. No concerns whatsoever about the teaching though it sounds like a nightmare for the teachers. That said the teachers have been at the schools for years so must be loving it.

parents often don’t put these schools are their first choices though as worried about smaller friendship pools and (probably) less scope for wraparound care and after school activities. Not show stoppers but things
to think about.