KS1 Class Sizes

[Pinana]

I'm a Y1/2 teacher and I've just realised that my class next year will be 32 children.

We are 1 form entry and for some reason that defies logic, the school allowed 17 children to start reception this year. Considering that the classes in the school are all mixed-age once children leave YR, it's seems obvious that this will mean an infant class of over 30 at some point. The situation hasn't arisen in the past because we've always been slightly under-subscribed but now the school has grown in popularity and here we are.

I know that a KS1 class of over 30 is considered 'unlawful', and that there is a statutory class size limit of infant classes for KS1 pupils, but what can be done about it if a school allows it to happen?

Obviously my job share partner and I will be contacting our respective unions for advice on this, but just wondered if any fellow teachers had any insight into this situation?

I'd say that you are concerned about the safety implications of so many children and will be contacting the LA and OFSTED in order to ensure a proper risk assessment has been done. I'd be surprised if the Head is still so blase after that.

I worked at a school that was taken over by a MAT and KS1 classes that had been capped at 30 suddenly started going up to 32 or 33. I have no idea how they got away with it without any scrutiny but I suspect some MATs just do what they like and are not pulled up on it.

Running a PAN of 17 with a mixed Y1/2 class is a risk. However, it can be resolved by putting a few of the Y2s in with Y3. The limit only applies where the majority of the class is in Reception, Y1 or Y2.

I see we have some posters stating definitively that this is a breach of infant class size regulations. We don't know that for sure. If some of the children are excepted, they do not count towards the class size limit so a class can have more than 30 pupils legally. Also, the limit is on the number of pupils with a single teacher. If a second teacher is added to the class, it can go over 30.

I work in a school yhat is organised exactly as yours is. Reception should be capped at 15 so that the next y1/yr2 class is never above 30 and I don’t recall it ever actually happening. We have had individual year groups that are 16 or 17 and we currently have 19 in yr6. But this has only ever happened when the other year groups are small so the class never goes above 30 in ks1 and 32 in ks2.
However I’d also be very surprised if you complaining about it will change any decision that has been made. This will have been done for a reason and discussed with the local authorities I would have thought. Is there no post that some of the places are expected not to be taken up?

It’s allowed with exceptional circumstances - it can actually be forced upon a school.

Any LAC? Military children? Children with EHCPs that joined.

I suppose when you have EY as a single cohort and Y1/2 mixed it becomes difficult if the Y2/3 is undersubscribed.

That's what I was thinking. One year we had a couple of extra children so a few Reception age children were put in a mixed year 1 class. They were actually taught together for Maths and Literacy and it worked out fine

Yep.
Completely normal under the above circumstances.

Pretty sure it can only happen as a one off, and not in consecutive years.

One year, our borough was shown to be measuring the whole borough distances incorrectly. Appeals were upheld, so there were classes over 30 across many/most popular schools.