Victorian prep class sizes...

[Olive]

How big is your prep's class??
How many is too many?

[Beach Mama]

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.

[Boo Boo]

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.

[Mak]

DD will be in a class of 19. There will be 4 classes. No idea how that will work tho?

[Beach Mama]

Boo Boo pretty sure it varies per state, I'm in Vic.

[Bathsheba]

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.

[Boo Boo]

Small is beautiful when it comes to schools. .

Absolutely!!!

[Beach Mama]

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!

[Phteven]

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.

[Olive]

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!!

[Pandora]

There are 26 students in DS' prep class, we're in Vic

[mooks]

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.

[Nai]

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.

[Purple Penguin]

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.

[Traveller]

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?

[anney]

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.

[Amity]

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.

[Pandora]

i would be very surprised if they can make 77 children go into 3 classes of over 25.

we have 78 preps in 3 classes