Very small schools - less than 50 pupils

[frogmarsh]

We are thinking of moving villages and I was checking out the local school and saw that it only has 40 pupils attending. Was just wondering if anyone had experience of sending their child to similar sized school and if so how did the find it? What happens if they are the only one in their year? do they make enough friends? Can they learn well in a mixed age group environment?

BTW My dc is not even born yet currently 5 months pregnant with the first so getting a bit ahead of myself!! But we have seen a lovely house we would like to buy in this particular village so this could be an important part of the decision.

I did my teaching practice in a school of this size. There were 3 teachers for the whole school and classes were vertically integrated, ie 20 odd children of age 7 - 11 in one class. This was before SATS were brought in. Children were happy but I'm not sure they got the breadth of education that they might have in a bigger school with more resources.

Thanks for your reply elasticwoman, i guess this is one of the things i was worried about. But if the children are happy then i think that is important too.

I work in a very small school - 26 pupils! The have 2 separate classes but also part time teachers/assistants who take smaller groups at certain times. I do think it makes some things difficult but the sense of community and how the older ones all help the smaller ones is fabulous. The younger class has only 10 children but has a full time teacher, a part time teacher and 2 volunteers. You dont get that ratio in bigger schools.

and my son goes to a big school!

My dd's have been to a small village school with less than 30 pupils. I'm always banging on, on MN about how wonderful it is, compared to the larger schools their big brothers went to. (Search on my nickname and small schools)

The number of children in a year really doesn't matter one jot as all the children play together anyway. It's more like a family environment than school. You'll find lots of positives about small schools here. Small Schools Assoc

Thanks suedonim and schneebly that is very reassuring, i will have a look at that link.

My dd goes to a small school (about 60 children)and I can't imagine sending her anywhere else. The school is very active and gives the children lots of opportunities within a family atmosphere. My dd's confidence has grown enormously although that could just be her age!

i'd love my child to go to a small school. Much better IMO.

I went to a very small school - about 50 pupils I think
the teaching was excellent
and I had loads of friends and fitted into big schoolfine too (ooh get me )

There are lots of positives about small schools, and the teacher:pupil ratio can be a real plus, but the friendship thing can be difficult. Both my boys spent some time at a primary school with around 50 pupils. I really liked the mixed age classes and the way that ALL the kids played together. The fact that there were less kids also meant that they were allowed to play games that wouldn't have been possible in a packed playground. However, the group dynamics were difficult at times and when kids fell out it often all got a bit intense as they didn't have the option to just go and hang out with someone else for a while.

You're obviously more organised than us - we moved house with a 2 year old and never even thought about schools

Message withdrawn

I agree with you there, Orinocco. Fallings-out are more like family squabbling, they get over it and it's forgotten the next day.

I really like the interaction through all the age groups. I shall never forget an 11yo boy rushing to comfort 5yo dd because she's taken a tumble in the playground. I don't think that would have happened at the 600-pupil alternative to our village school.

I went to a 90 pupil school with three teachers and no phone (left in 1990, if you can believe that...). Loved it and wish DCs could go somewhere like that.

My MIL does sub teaching now and mainly teaches in North Yorks village schools and has lots of good things to say about small schools.

I imagine if the childen are nice and the parents reasonable small schools work well. If they were cliquey and tiresome it would be very bad indeed.

I'm not sure what is meant by 'nice' children and 'reasonable' parents. Why would it make any difference, whatever the size of school?

I just think 50 children particularly if it's a close geographical area could lead to irritating cliques and gossip. By reasonable parents I mean parents not inclined to that sort of behaviour.

It's not something I've ever heard of wrt our cluster of local village schools. Most small schools are in the country so children come from all over the place and ours also included children with SN and others whose parents actively chose a small school for the benefits it confers. Any cliques I've been aware of were at the big schools my ds's went to.