How small is too small

[DiploCat1]

DD is in reception at a lovely prep. We have no issues with the school, she loves it and has made some great friends. There are currently 12 in her class. But when she goes to year 3, her class will drop to 6 as the boys leave. Hopefully some more girls will join at year 3, but if they didn't, I am concerned that 6 girls is too small a class. I have a 3 year old who'll be starting school next year so am thinking about sending her elsewhere in the hope my older one can join either at same time (but unlikely to be places) or at 7+ but again this will be v competitive where we are.

I went to a school where the total number for all years was 40, and there was only 6 of us girls in my class. We were such a close group. I would have hated to have been in a big class.

I think 6 is fine. What are the 5 like?

DS was at a prep with one form - max 20. They started with 20, it was fine. There were more girls than boys and as time went on the class got smaller - now in year 6 I think there’s 14 of them. It’s not easy with friendships. He left at the end of year 4 to a bigger school that has 3 classes of 20. It’s been much better and he’s really happy.

We had a class drop to 7 in a school I was a governor in (and my children attended lower down). Fluke of only being 7 children in the age group in the village. They ended combining with the year above for everything but Maths and English as there wasn't enough of them for trips, group work etc.

If a small group get on, its can work. But a minor disagreement and soon become massive.

With an independent school I would worry it was financially viable... do they normally get a big intake at that point to replace the boys? Or were there just less girls than normal in that year?

You need more kids than that towards Y4-6, otherwise there's not enough choice over who to be friends with and it intensifies friendships, which IMHO is worse for girls.

As a teacher I'd say 6 is way too small. Parents see it as lovely and cosy but for a child of that age it can be claustrophobic and quite suffocating. Are there any plans to combine the classes?

So far we have heard no concrete plans of how they will deal with it. They do get more girls join at Y3, but I also understand its a low birth year which may explain why the class is smaller. Classes above and potential classes coming up from the nursery look much more healthy in numbers, so I don't think financially its too much of a concern. My concern is, by the time we know how many are joining at Y3, it'll be too late to do 7+ and move her.

oh and I also think it's an unusual class with a 50/50 boy/girl split. There are normally more boys than girls to start with.

Argh! Sorry... more girls than boys!

Way too small imo, I have seen what happens if there’s a few girls a child doesn’t mesh with, I wouldn’t want that personally

Definitely look to move her. The fact the school don't seem to have a plan other than watch and wait and maybe some more will join wouldn't fill me with confidence. You also risk other parents of the girls having the same worries and moving them at 7 which could mean you end up with even less children than expected. If be proactive and get her in somewhere else before it becomes a mad rush for the exit and she's one of the last girls standing.

I'm curious how team sports get played in such small groups. I always think a year group needs enough children to make 2 teams.

If they start to struggle with numbers generally, they'll probably go mixed sex throughout.

If she's only in Reception, Y3 is a long way off. Why do you think no more girls will join between now and then? Don't they have intakes in Y1 and Y2? I wouldn't worry about 6 in a class, but 6 in a whole year group wouldn't be ideal

It'll close eventually. Loads of small preps are now. Not viable

I’m afraid we had a similar story at our prep and it closed two years later. I thought I’d like the smaller classes but it didn’t really work out well at all - no choice of friends, too small to have to deal with all the difficult social situations you have to navigate generally and learn to deal with, some amalgamation of classes and the fees not covering the teacher let alone costs so resources etc and everything going down…..

Far too small- wouldn’t be able to have a sports team and I would worry about the future viability of the school.

Why do the boys move ?

Primary schools are usually mixed

Unless private ?

But yes 6 is far to small

Tho many may say 90 is too big.

Dd has 3 classes in each year

Too small imo. 15+ best.

I've taught a class of 12. It was ok, on the verge of being too small for group work etc. The main issue was we only had 5 girls and so there was nowhere for them to go when friendship issues occurred. The next year group up had 8 in one class and 9 in the other. They often came together when they needed to do things in a bigger group as it was just too small but sounds like that's not an option for your school. I would also worry how they would cope when they are older and inevitably hit the larger groups, whether at secondary or even at uni.

My twins were in a class about this size in reception, which looks to double in size by y2 (currently finishing y1). For the most part it had been good - there are pros and cons, but for the most part mine have benefited from the extra support in the classroom. I think it depends on the group of children and how they mix - in our case they all get on quite well together and though they have some preferred people, will generally play with everyone. It also will depend on you dd’s personality- one of mine would probably have been happier in a larger group, but the other would have found that much harder.

Our school sounds similar in that it was a funny year, and class sizes are much higher above and below. We also knew that there tends to be a big bump in y3 due to many local schools being through y2 only, so it won’t be so small for long (and a steady stream of mid year joiners has moved it to a more normal sized class of 10). In the meantime they frequently join the year above and below for activities like music and PE, and have developed some nice friendships outside their year group as well.

I wouldn’t want it to stay this small, but as a temporary situation it has been positive on balance.

@DiploCat1 I think you have to decide what you actually want from this school.

Small like a family is a start with for some but my DD (late summer born) was in a class of 30 and thrived. 60 in the YR group altogether. She benefitted from a wide choice of friends. By y1 she was in a recorder ensemble. Y2 she did cookery snd went on a residential. By y3, in the school orchestra and learning the violin. Y6, lead role in leavers’ play. Others were in sports teams and enjoying a wide range of activities and learning with their peers. They rubbed along with many diverse DC. 6 in a class really doesn’t allow for personal development.

DD2 was at a prep. 15-18 in each class. 4 classes. Loads of scholarships to top schools. Loads of sport, music, drama, art and academics too. You do need more Dc to get the most out of a school. I would not pay for anything not providing all the extras!

I wouldn't like such a small class for my dd, I really think when years 5 and 6 roll round then you need a bigger mix of possible friendships. My dd was in a very small class and it was awful.

Much too small. Academically, socially, for sport and to be sure the school is actually viable.