Class sizes at top London independent schools

[jeanne16]

Anyone know what these really are? I have heard rumours of class sizes of 28 in the lower years at LEH. Is that true? If so, that is very close to state school class sizes.

My daughter class in LEH is 27

I wouldn't get to fussed about class sizes which are less than 30. I think more than that and I would start to be concerned. I think DS class is 25/26.

Thing is with a state school you are likely to have a much wider range of ability and attitude making the class size more relevant.

If you take LEH for example then there will be little difference in ability across the class and unlikely to be disruptive people. So in theory you could have a larger class size in that case!

Around 25 is pretty common

Still makes a huge difference to the teachers workload. Marking 28 books takes a lot more effort than 16.

My son is at a large London comprehensive where class sizes are almost all between 20 - 25....

They were certainly the disruptive lot in our primary school

I also thought the justification for longer holidays in independent schools was because of the smaller class sizes. Do how is this justified?

That pick their own term length, to fit with what they want to get done (both academic and co-curricular). I don't think I've ever come across a school that's felt the need to justify it.

I thought the longer holidays were justified by the typically longer school day?

I think my DS is at the same school minifingers!

SAHD WTAF?

There are more than 20 in every class in the independant prep school I work in. But there are at least 1 or 2 TA's per class.

That's 3 staff for approx 25 kids - it makes such a huge difference. One small group (not the same kids) are constantly being taken out for extra supervision. The teacher sets the work and then the class is just divided into a moveable group of 3.

Ok apologies for using a commonly used word which is used to refer to gypsies which minifingerz declared she would report. Oh well.

WTF have travellers got to do with a thread about London independent secondary school class sizes?

I mean, I know children from any and every background crop up in all sorts of schools, but they must make up a minute proportion of the pupils of secondary independents and hardly formative of the class size decisions.

Indeed. And wtf has a comprehensive which supposedly has 20-25 in the classes got to to with the OP's question?

My point about the travellers was that they are often the disruptive ones in such comprehensives - and primaries in my experience. That's all. But the point was lost in translation as using the common word I used to describe travellers was objected to. 😀

"Ok apologies for using a commonly used word which is used to refer to gypsies"

Yes, like the word 'paki' is used by racist tosses to refer to Pakistanis.
😳

The point is that classes of 28 is not necessarily 'close to state school classes' as mentioned in the OP and may well be higher.

My DC are in a state secondary with 28 per form. They are taught in smaller sets for English, the three sciences, maths and languages. I would be very unhappy if I was paying for private school and they had similar class sizes, as I thought small class sizes was one of the supposed benefits of paying?

BTW SAHD, it was me that reported you for offensive language

Class sizes of 28 are common at schools like LEH, presumably given the cohort it isn't seen as a problem in most years (but becomes on when you have a dysfunctional year ). However the subjects that are set eg languages , maths will have fewer in each class and class size is adjusted to the ability. So there are 6 Maths sets , the top set might be 20, all very able and can romp through the curriculum, and the lowest set might be only 5 , but the size of the sets, and teaching, is continually reevaluated according to pupil needs, and they do enable some in the lowest set to achieve A*

My sons school it's 20-25 per class. But they have a teacher plus 1-2 full time TAs per class

And anyone who thinks there are no problems with disruptive pupils in West London independent schools is deluded , affluence, self esteem sapping levels of competition and vicarious parental ambition combined with hands off parenting are a heady mix and an attention seeking clever DC with low self esteem can be both socially manipulative and disruptive. They are in every school and the Priory......

"I think my DS is at the same school minifingers!"

At prep, my DC had classes of 12 in reception, moving to a max of 15 (but this wasn't London).

At secondary (in London) classes were at 20 pupils (give or take).

A level classes can have fewer in less popular subjects.