Class sizes

Quite hard these days I think. When I was at primary school the classes were huge, post war baby boomers. We had well over 40 per class BUT we were taught in a rigid manner and not allowed to speak much, just listen or chant tables all together. No one would dream of interrupting and if you spoke you were in trouble. Nowadays that is not the way and it would be a lot harder for the teachers.

The first class I taught (early 70s) was a top junior mixed ability class of 46, totally on my own. No Teaching Assistants in those days. When the Inspector came as it was my probationary year he said I was 6 over the limit for a probationer so I asked if I had to put those 6 chosen ones out on the steps of the wooden, temporary building that was my classroom! The children worked in groups according to my best assessment of their ability and I had to prepare differentiated work cards and materials for each group as well as visual aids and putting up wall displays of their work after school. The planning and marking took all of my evenings. We had no free periods. There was always a quiet buzz of conversation but no real problem with behaviour.

Every day finished with me reading from a children's book for 15 minutes, carefully planned to end with a 'cliff hanger'! I think my favourites were "The Boy with the Bronze Axe" by Kathleen Fidler and "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" by Alan Garner. We even went on a day trip to Alderley Edge after this one.

On the other hand apart from teaching basic reading, writing and maths skills the rest of the curriculum was pretty much up to me so I could adapt according to the weather, the season or what was happening in the world. Yes we learned tables and did spelling tests but there was also 'creative writing' where the content was more important than the grammar and spelling. I remember spending a whole week on Picasso when he died which included not only art work but writing imagined stories behind his paintings, history, geography of Spain and geometry.

It was a long time before I got down to a class of less than 36 and we changed year groups every two years just to keep the teachers fresh! Yes it was hard work but I loved that time before National Curriculum and the dreaded 'targets'. I think the children enjoyed it too but I guess you would have to ask them that.

Oh yes we also dug up the rough ground outside the classroom and planted flowers, including Helichrysum which were dried and made into arrangements to sell at our annual Christmas Fayre. Sorry to go on but the memories keep flooding back!

The first class I taught (early 70s) was a top junior mixed ability class of 46, totally on my own. No Teaching Assistants in those days. When the Inspector came as it was my probationary year he said I was 6 over the limit for a probationer so I asked if I had to put those 6 chosen ones out on the steps of the wooden, temporary building that was my classroom! The children worked in groups according to my best assessment of their ability and I had to prepare differentiated work cards and materials for each group as well as visual aids and putting up wall displays of their work after school. The planning and marking took all of my evenings. We had no free periods. There was always a quiet buzz of conversation but no real problem with behaviour.

Every day finished with me reading from a children's book for 15 minutes, carefully planned to end with a 'cliff hanger'! I think my favourites were "The Boy with the Bronze Axe" by Kathleen Fidler and "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" by Alan Garner. We even went on a day trip to Alderley Edge after this one.

On the other hand apart from teaching basic reading, writing and maths skills the rest of the curriculum was pretty much up to me so I could adapt according to the weather, the season or what was happening in the world. Yes we learned tables and did spelling tests but there was also 'creative writing' where the content was more important than the grammar and spelling. I remember spending a whole week on Picasso when he died which included not only art work but writing imagined stories behind his paintings, history, geography of Spain and geometry.

It was a long time before I got down to a class of less than 36 and we changed year groups every two years just to keep the teachers fresh! Yes it was hard work but I loved that time before National Curriculum and the dreaded 'targets'. I think the children enjoyed it too but I guess you would have to ask them that.

Oh yes we also dug up the rough ground outside the classroom and planted flowers, including Helichrysum which were dried and made into arrangements to sell at our annual Christmas Fayre. Sorry to go on but the memories keep flooding back!

Sorry slow internet so posted twice!!!

When I was at school a class of 45 pupils was common, we sat at desks in neat rows and were obedient and attentive. The last time I visited a classroom there were about twenty year 4 pupils and it was like herding cats.
When my DC started school it was a brand new school with just one open plan room divided by screens for year groups, by the time they left primary school the builders had been in and created individual classrooms.