Big school vs small school

[Pebbleinthesand]

Looking for experiences from anyone who's worked in both or even just your thoughts in general on one or the other.

I currently work in a relatively big, 2 form entry school. Planning is shared across year groups, I like the school and have been here for 10 years.

I've been sent a job vacancy by a friend for a small school (around 100 children) for a full time (I'm part time right now) mixed nursery and reception teacher.

I'm really tempted and will be going to look around but I'm not sure if I'll regret moving to a smaller school where presumably the work load will be greater as I will be the only one planning everything.

I don't, but I work in an area with a lot of small primaries.

I'm told by friends who work in very small schools that the current funding model really doesn't work for them. There's also the issue of having to lead multiple subjects etc.

Not a direct experience, and I'm sure there are lots of pros, too!

I work in a tiny school with 2 classes. I absolutely love it but the workload is always insane.

It is likely to be very intense and the workload will be high. You are likely to be asked to lead multiple curriculum areas even if you have little prior expertise.

The birth rate is falling and in many areas, smaller schools will be at risk of closure first.

I did this 18 months ago. Like yourself I had been in the 3 form entry school for over 10 years and moved across the country to a small village school with less than 100 pupils.

I miss having other people to bounce ideas off, especially as our Nursery is only a recent addition.
In the larger school, I chose to be a subject lead and was given a TLR. I now lead 3 subjects, Early reading as well as early years. All teachers have at least 2 subjects, it’s an expectation rather than a choice. It’s a lot and when you focus on one area, you have to accept that the other areas won’t get a fair share for that period of time.

However, I have learnt a lot about myself and have grown as an educator. Realising I can’t do everything was a turning point and if it’s not done then it’s not the end of the world. I make sure my class is sorted each week as a priority and then move onto anything else. I love the family atmosphere and that I know all the children in the school. The children genuinely care for each other and you often see Nursery playing alongside Year 6. I’ve also enjoyed getting to have an influence on whole school improvements and this has opened my eyes to the possibility of being a senior leader in the future, which I would have never persuaded previously.

It’s hard work, but me for definitely the right decision.

My school is slightly bigger than 100.

The workload is different - yes you have to plan everything and yes you'll have to lead multiple subjects. The current Ofsted model has really screwed small school over.

However, you are only responsible for you and your class - your planning doesn't have to be for somebody else's eyes or somebody else's class. It's for you and that brings with it far greater flexibility and freedom!

Thanks you for the responses. It's so interesting to hear.

At my current school in PE lead and giving that up at the end of this school year to lead Science. We are expected to lead a subject, but only one and are able to give time to it.

The flexibility and community feel are the main things that attract me to a small school. The staffroom in my school in tiny and no one uses it so there are staff in my school who I don't know, let alone children.

The job is EYFS so I am wondering how much they are integrated in the whole school as in my current setting they have separate breaks to the rest of the school and don't participate in a lot of whole school events.

Workload would increase for me no matter where I move as I'd be going back full time but I am worried that this may be a shock to the system with small children of my own at home.

Personally being in a lovely school is worth it for me despite the wotkload. The relationships we have with parents makes everything so much easier. Agree with the pp that the Ofsted model screws over small schools. We were unfortunate to also be inspected by inspectors who clearly had no understanding of teaching mixed aged classes - questioning why Y1 and Y2 for example, in the same class, had the same topic...

Personally being in a lovely school is worth it for me despite the wotkload. The relationships we have with parents makes everything so much easier. Agree with the pp that the Ofsted model screws over small schools. We were unfortunate to also be inspected by inspectors who clearly had no understanding of teaching mixed aged classes - questioning why Y1 and Y2 for example, in the same class, had the same topic...

In my experience you'll be involved in more whole school things as you're all part of the family, so to speak. Also with regard to breaks, you may well be the same as the rest of the school because they'll need people. In a four class school(?), taking one class out of break times means you can only draw from 3 classes for duties.

I went back full time when mine were 3 and 18 months. It's the school that will determine whether on not it's manageable. I can be full time in my school but I know I absolutely would not have been able to in previous schools I worked in, including bigger schools with shared planning etc.

I moved from large urban to small rural primary and it's a very different job. We have a very diverse population in terms of income and groups of GRT children who come for only part of the year. However, in other ways

Sorry - phone posted too soon.
I just wanted to say that I miss the ethnic and religious diversity I experienced in the large urban primary. There are pros and cons, I think.