Are smaller class sizes better?? worrying over primary school decision

inkie

Personally I would go with the local school. If the class sizes are that small in the other ,it's not going to be financially viable in the long term and closure or merger would mean another change for your child further down the line. Also, when moving to secondary from such a small school, then I would have thought that would be a more marked transition than from the local (bigger school).
Practical issues have to come in to play as well - you have the means to get there and back easily. I drive 3 miles each way to take my daughter to school, and really wish that she was at a closer school. We didn't chose our local school, but that was because we wanted a church school, and so travel for that.

fusar

I have been through the exact same situation with my little boy, who is now 5 turning 6 in July. I opted for the smaller school, in which his class consisted of 13 children. The extra attention was great, but on the downside, the other children had formed friendships before my son had started (as most had been to the pre-school), and we found that as there were so few children, he had less friendship groups available to him. In a week we are moving him to the larger school, where there will be 2 x clesses of 30. Larger schools tend to have teaching assistants, to help the main teacher, more funding and there is a wider social circle. The local school may also be better for friends to come back to play or for tea, which is important.

pandora205

Just to throw in another thought, it's often more difficult for staff to deliver the curriculum with mixed age groups and resources will be more limited in a small school. This will include staff expertise, as well as practical resources, such as ICT facilities and sports equipment. This may not seem to be key at present but may have a significant effect as your daughter gets older.

shirlgirl2004

As most people with more than one child will tell you it can be beneficial to have mixed age groups because children learn from each other. My 2 year old is much more advanced than her sister is in some areas because she strives to keep up. Also for a bright child they can be more easily challenged. It really does depend on the individual child and the teacher.

mrsbez_2

shirlgirl2004 - yes i agree, i also have DS(2) and he learns so much from his sister. He will be lost without her when she starts school full time. I also have to think of him when choosing the school.

Money_maker

All well and good with siblings. But may be a different matter when in school. The child in year 3/4 needs to learn from the teacher not the child in rec/1 and will be at a different stage.

Attachments to teachers can also be very strong in small schools - not always beneficial.

kelloggs36

That would depend on the reason - if it is because the teacher is deemed to have excellent relationships with the children and parents, then this is positive, surely?

Money_maker

From the emotional point of view, yes. But if a teacher is absent or leaves, this can cause concern for the children in getting to know a new teacher. Some primary schools struggle to attract male teachers, yet at senior school your child will come into contact with dozens of different teachers/teaching styles.

One on one with small number of supervisory adults is not always a good thing.

Money_maker

As you see, I am more inclined towards the larger primary. Eight children per school year does not give a great deal of scope for friendships. I would also suggest that to gently get her more used to her schoolmates at this age when she can bring them home after school etc. would be much easier than when she's 11. By then, they tend to be settled with a social circle and new friendships tend to be in addition to those they already have.

There are so many things to get used to in year 7 - usually a much bigger school where its easy to get lost, bigger kids, more teachers, puberty (!), peer pressure etc that its a comfort to know familiar faces and stand a chance of sharing some classes with someone they know.

End of the day its down to the op. I would suggest, however, if she uses the local primary that she spends time getting involved. This may mean volunteering reading or joining the PTA. That way she can help shape the school and encourage more after school clubs (soooo important) and other activities.

ailuro2

Go to the school that is closest and is more likely to have friends she can play out with after school when she is older.

Having said that, we live next door to school but because everyone else lives remotely there's never anyone around to pop out to play with for my 10yo DD.