How big is your prep's class??
How many is too many?
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How big is your prep's class??
How many is too many?
Hey darls I think the limit is 21 but I'm a PA teacher so don't quote me on that ;). If they are bigger they could have team teaching or an assistant.
21 for the three prep classes at the school that DD will be attending next year. Are there different limits dependent on state, we are in Vic.
DD will be in a class of 19. There will be 4 classes. No idea how that will work tho?
Boo Boo pretty sure it varies per state, I'm in Vic.
I'm in NSW and the size is 20 I think.... but there are going to be SIX prep/kinder classes at my son's school next year. Way too big for my liking. My DD was one of 10. Small is beautiful when it comes to schools. As soon as we can afford it our boys will go to a smaller school. I think my middle child was one of 20 when we lived in Vic when he was in prep.
Absolutely!!!:
Have to play devils advocate and say small but cashed up is beautiful!!!! As a teacher who has only ever worked at small but financially struggling schools, it really does suck for teachers when ends don't meet, contracts aren't renewed and sometimes students miss out purely because of lack of dollars. The community feeling at small schools is great though. All state schools being equal is not a reality in Victoria. Sorry to hijack Jols love!
I don't agree that small is necessarily beautiful. There is such a thing as too small. When you can't form groups of students of similar ability to work together then the class is too small. I think that in old style learning where students were expected to sit and stare at the teacher all day small class sizes might have meant more attention from teachers but now they do so much group work and so on that it's better to have a larger class so that they can make compatible groups.
My boys are in classes of about 20 and they have a great group dynamic going.
Thatsok tan, I love your input!! Im going to ring DD's school because i know they have 77 preps or next year and as far as I know only 3 prep rooms!!
There are 26 students in DS' prep class, we're in Vic
Two preps including my son, 18 students in total at the school. Small is great for learning but I don't think it's quite so great for forming peer groups and learning about social interaction.
We have 16 in dd1s prep class. There are 4 classes. I think 20 would be the max that I would be happy with. We are at a state school too.
There were 18 in DD1's prep claas at the start of this year, there's 21 now, next year there will be a class of 25 preps, which is on the bigger side but still doable.
There are around 20 in DS2's prep class, but when they had a larger intake they went from the usual 3 prep classes to 4 prep classes to keep the numbers low. Perhaps they are planning this at your school?
20 at our school too and as traveller says, they vary number of classes according to kids enrolling. But then, it is a big school so they have flexibility. Also have to say big schools not all bad. we are at one of the biggest state schools in melbourne. It has a great closeknit school community, lots of facilities and full time specialist teachers in music, art, lote, sport. So the classroom teachers get release time to plan programs so they are happier and less stressed. And always having other kids to play with when there are issues inthe playground has alot to be said for it.
i would be very surprised if they can make 77 children go into 3 classes of over 25.
My DS1 had 24 - 2 classes. DS2 has 21 (but was 20 for most of the year) - four classes. It depends on the numbers and I don't think there's an exact cutoff.
we have 78 preps in 3 classes:
I think the 'norm' for govt Vic schools is approx. 21 students per class or less. Private I think can go up to 25 or so.
At least you have a cap in other states - Qld all children must be offered a place - so in our country school, we currently have - wait for it .......37 pre kids!! Yep in one room! There is no possibility of shifting children to a combined prep/1 class as they will not provide additional teachers to do so. Ridiculous.
ausgirl most state schools h ere also have to accept all enrollments, there are some exceptions but not many
So how is it that you avoid having classes higher than 25? In Qld the staffing levels for the year are set by term 1 - any changes in enrolments after that there is no teacher increase. Is this the same in Vic?:
Our state school doesn't have to accept all enrolments. In fact many children from outwith the small catchment area are turned away each year, despite living very close to the school.
Ausgirl that is right hun, most schools will try not to over extend themselves by allowing for future enrolments through the year. Seriously tricky business when it can mean really low numbers in grades for a full year or ridiculously high.... Low means extra dollars of course which most schools dont have but most schools know parents of kids in prep won't be happy with high numbers.
25's sound high Jols I would be asking about other assistance etc that they may have to justify the numbers which they probably have.
When you are the only state school servicing the district with a population of 3500, and families have no other option, they have no choice but to over extend, happens every year yet the state govt won't give them more teachers! Sorry totally off topic.
Schools and Prins here decide on workforce planning but it's still ridiculous. For eg the school I'm at at the moment is working out what model to run with next year- 5 varying models of 10 grades, one with options of 5/6 grades of 30 and 31:o and then a few 9 grade models. In all that some staff will lose jobs, hrs cut( like me) purely because we are losing one grade. Increase one grade and we would have to employ another teacher( or keep current ones who will have to leave) but the school could afford it because enrolments =dollars in. The system should be fair and equitable across the nation but yet you can go from one suburb to another and see enormous gaps in buildings, resources, specialists etc... Rant over and Jols so sorry to derail again!!!
Schools can decide to a point, but if the education dept tells the school they have to take a child (which they can and do) then they have to.
You can't be turned away if you are in the right zone for the school, they have to manage it by moving the zone boundaries
i just rang the school and they're having 4 prep classes...phew!!!
As far as i know they are only allowed a max of 25 kids per class
if there are more they would probably set up an extra prep class.
If you live in the zone for the school you want you're child to attend they HAVE to accpect you.
how many kids will be in each class olive?
I'm guessing 19 ish
Rural school here. DD1 is in Prep/1 with 8 preps and 8 year 1's. Think there is 16 preps in the full prep class.