Mixed Age Classes FAQ's
Why do schools have mixed age classes?This is simple result of school size. There are 7 year groups and there need to be 25-30 children in each class to make the school financially viable. The government funds schools according to pupil numbers. This effectively means that only schools with at least 200 pupils will have single age classes. All small schools have mixed age classes. A primary school with 50 pupils will typically have a class with 4 age groups together.
Is it just Staveley?No, all schools of our size and smaller will have mixed age classes.
Is this a new venture for the school?
No, this has been the practice for as longs as we have records. We are used to working in this way and have seen it to be very successful.
How many classes do schools have?This depends upon two factors:
Can’t a school just build more classrooms?Sadly no, this is governed by the local authority who have to maintain a strategic view of school places across an area of the county. They control the numbers of children coming in.
How can you teach two year groups in the same classroom?All classes have a large range of abilities; teachers are used to dealing with different abilities. They never teach the same level of work to every child. They make sure that each child have the correct level or work irrespective of age. Two year groups merely extend this range a little. We teach children at THEIR level not at an age related level.
Don’t the children end up repeating a year?No. They will of course return to particular aspects of the curriculum repeatedly such as fractions or shape but these are visited multiple times during the year anyway. Topic areas such as Tudors or People who help us are used on a cycle that is at least bi-annual and in many cases four yearly. If a child studies the Victorians one year, they won’t do it again the next. In the main the Victorians won’t appear again in school for another four years.
Do mixed age classes require more careful planning by teachers?Yes, the planning is much more time consuming. One advantage is that planning remains much fresher; it isn’t possible to just roll out old plans, year after year.
Do the children suffer academically?None of our data or national data suggests there is any negative impact on children due to mixed age classes. At individual school level this is borne out by LA and Ofsted inspection.
Do children suffer emotionally?Quite the reverse. We see children learn to form wider friendships and to relate to broader groups of other children. It also allows the younger children to experience being one of the older in a class. Children and parents are usually apprehensive but the long term view does not bear this concern out. Parent and child feedback is overwhelmingly positive by the end of the academic year.
Why does the arrangement keep changing?The changes we make reflect the variation of pupils in each year groups. Some year groups have 28 children in them whereas others have only 14. As these different groups move through the school we have to alter our arrangements to best cater for their needs.