Reception Class - How Many Children?

[Guest]

Hi

We have had a much higher than expected in take of children for our Reception class this year just wondered if others are in the same situation and how it has affected your ratio of adult to child. We have one teacher and one full time LSA but it appears we are going to have over 30 children in the end. Just wondered what is happening in other schools?

[Guest]

Hi

We have had a much higher than expected in take of children for our Reception class this year just wondered if others are in the same situation and how it has affected your ratio of adult to child. We have one teacher and one full time LSA but it appears we are going to have over 30 children in the end. Just wondered what is happening in other schools?

 

Hello,

I will have over 30 children in January in F2 and I have to share a TA with F1 each day. It was due to an LEA mistake that we have over 30 children so they have to supply funding for an additional teacher from January. This only happens if the year one and two classes are also full. They look at numbers across Foundation and Key stage one as a whole.

 

Hope this helps

Boogie x

[Guest]

We have 2 reception classes each with 30 children and one teacher (one class having a job share situation).Depending on the day each teacher has the support of a NNEB/Level 3/TA. There is no allowance for staff absence so if a staff member is ill or on a course there is no additional support to call on.

 

Pretty poor really!!

Edited September 16, 2008 by Guest

[Guest]

We have one reception class with a 30 limit.

 

The ratio is 1:15 in there, with one teacher and a TA

 

No more are allowed past that 30 limit!!!!!!!!!

 

I know as I have a little one in nursery who didn't get a reception place and is with us waiting and hoping that someone will leave!!!!!!!!

[Guest]

Last year we had to reorganise part way through the year and ended putting our 2 classes of 16 into one class of 32. Not ideal. EYFS clearly states that there is suppose to be one teacher to 30 children. My head had to be available to cover when I had them all in.

 

This year we didn't want to end up one large class (have 32 just started) so I have a class of 22 and then the other 10 have gone in a year R/1 mixed class with 12 year 1's. This has caused all kinds of issues with parents- more fuss than when we had to combine 2 classes!! Don't think parents understand how classes/differentiation works.

 

Oh and both classes have a full time TA.

[Shiny]

Our school usually has 2 reception classes between 20 - 25 children each.

 

This year the numbers went up dramatically!! We had 70 due to start, so we had to put in another class, good job the rooms was designed for 3 classes. From next year our numbers will be capped at 60, so we won't have that problem again.

[Marion]

The ratio in reception is 1-30 and is governed by Infant class size legislation which limits class size to 30 BUT in certain circumstances more children are allowed without additional staff.

 

"Permitted exceptions to the infant class size limit

 

Regulations prescribe the limited circumstances in which pupils may be admitted as exceptions to the infant class size limit. These exceptions are:

 

a. children with statements of special educational needs who are admitted to the school after the normal admission round;

b. children moving into the area outside the normal admission round for whom there is no other available school within a reasonable distance. From February 2007, legislation has required admission authorities to get local authority confirmation that a child falls into this category before admitting them as a permitted exception. This means that the LA will need to check whether there are places available for the child at any other school within a reasonable distance of their home;

c. children admitted outside the normal admission round because the person responsible for making the original decision recognises that an error was made in implementing the school’s admission arrangements and that a place should have been offered;

d. children admitted where an admissions appeal panel upholds an appeal;

e. from February 2007, where the child is looked after and the local authority which is the corporate parent either (as admission authority) decides to admit the child to one of its community or voluntary controlled school, or directs another admission authority to admit the child outside the normal admissions round.

7. In these cases, the child will be an excepted pupil for the remainder of the academic year in which they were admitted unless they could readily be accommodated within another suitable infant class in the same school. This means that, for that academic year, the admission authority does not have to take measures to comply with the infant class size duty e.g. employing an additional teacher. But it would have to do so for the next academic year."

[Guest]

Hi again!

Thanks for all your replies glad to know its not just an issue in our school if you know what i mean! Thanks Marion for your post that made interesting reading and I didn't know any of that!

Ems xx

[Marion]

I've got 30 with 2 additional children going to appeal so waiting the outcome.

[catma]

The exemptions would all be through the LA though and would be part of their powers to make a place for a child as the school places are set according to your size of school (1 form=30, 2 form=60 etc.) Your total for the year would be your school intake but where the intake for Sept has been over 30 in a 2 form entry in our LA. our heads have had to find additional teachers because otherwise the class sizes would be over the limit as the children are all there as normal entrants.

 

Cx

[Inge]

recent publication...here don't know if it is any help.. but thought it may be of interest...

 

Inge

Edited September 17, 2008 by Inge