Super sized schools

Kevin Harcombeconsiders whether we should cling to the rural idyll of small village schools, or embrace the rise of the educational behemoth – primaries with 700 plus pupils...

The Reform thinktank’s report Must do Better (2013) argues the case for concentrating on teaching quality rather than smaller class sizes – possibly without the additional cost of classroom assistants and their allegedly negligible contribution to standards of attainment. The agenda is, of course, about costcutting and may presage larger class sizes and, indeed, larger or even supersized schools. Far from supersized is Karlaine Gilbert’s 91 pupil primary school in East Meon in rural Hampshire. The benefits of this small, but perfectly-formed, institution are clear to her. “Everyone who works here knows all the children by name – and all their families and extended families, which means that personal relationships translate into excellent partnerships that benefit the children.”

Karlaine acknowledges that it is challenging in terms of the number of subject / aspect responsibilities for each teacher, but feels the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. “The older children effectively mentor the younger ones – they actually offer them a form of pastoral support: it’s embedded in the ethos of the school.” That ethos was what drew Karlaine to the school in the first place, coming from a larger suburban primary; that and one of the perks of many small, rural schools – “The setting: breathtaking grounds with a pond, chickens and other livestock. It is beautiful.” Another head of a small village primary, who prefers not to be named, stated that he loved his job, but felt overstretched at times: “I find myself doing all the usual headteacher stuff – budgets, performance management, self-evaluation, governors – as well as having to teach, be SENCO, part-time caretaker, computer troubleshooter and person who deals with grazed knees at lunchtime. Finding time to be strategic is pretty difficult.” All problems, of course, that would be solved by supersized primaries’ supersized budgets. Small numbers mean inevitable vertical grouping (not actually that awful) and short-notice fluctuation in these numbers means that planning for future organisation can be demanding. The rural idyll, then, is not always what it is portrayed by those who balk at the supersizers.

Growing pains

Fluctuating numbers – upwards – meant that Kay Jones, headteacher of Pinkwell Primary in Hayes, found herself faced with a rapid increase from threeform to four-form entry. This leap in size meant that everything became a little strained, especially as there was little time to plan for it. When the school increased from four- to five-form entry, however, there was time to take a more strategic approach and the difference in how the transition was managed was vast. “We looked at other large primaries and took some lessons on board, but basically built a staffing structure that would work for us and our children.” This included an expanded leadership team focusing on one crucial group: “The year leaders are the backbone of the place. They induct the staff as well as the children, making both parties feel they are part of something manageable. Inevitably, as in all schools, the social structure – staff and pupils – finds its own level, sub groups form and it works really well.”

The same sub groups form in smaller schools but are much more noticeable there and possibly more problematic. A disenchanted clique of three teaching staff in a total of seven can be poisonous – in a teaching staff of 30 or 40- plus, such groups have less influence on the school as a whole. For Kay, as for heads of much smaller schools, consistency is the key – if not easy to achieve. “I concentrate on making sure consistently high expectations and outcomes are set in stone, but give teachers the freedom to achieve these in their own, individual way. It works.” Pragmatism was a hallmark of all the heads to whom I spoke.

Support from the Local Authority as Pinkwell grew from three to four to five forms was crucial. “The Facilities Manager (aka supersized caretaker) was appointed and trained to take that particular area of concern from me, though I keep an overview.” This leaves Kay free to concentrate on standards and curriculum and not worry about the drains. But how does Kay ensure the children don’t feel overwhelmed? “We saw how well our speech and language group to support parents and children was doing and used our own funds to set up a Rainbow group, doing English, maths and PSHE in small groups which benefits SEN children both academically and socially. Our budget gives us the economy of scale to do this.”

Moreover, staff development (another imponderable unaffordability for small schools) can be achieved within the budget. The ‘huge’ grounds also make sure children have a sense of space in which to mingle. “There is great diversity, which I see as a definite plus, and the different cultures and different ethnicities mix tremendously well,” says Kay.

As in all schools there are occasional behaviour issues, but Pinkwell’s budget allowed Kay to set up her own Behaviour Support Team – heads of smaller primaries would kill for the money to do that (though that’s probably not an appropriate metaphor). Kay, having been through two major expansions, now has clear advice to offer to schools in a similar situation: “Never lose sight of standards, understand where the pressure points are and plan a staff structure to deal with both.”

Upwardly mobile

Before the latest expansion, Kay visited Gascoigne Primary, whose head, Bob Garton, presides over a primary school with over 1200 pupils on roll. When Bob took over the combined infant and junior schools there were already 800 on roll. The expansion arose from the national shortage of primary places which was heightened by local circumstances in Barking and Dagenham – all the schools had to expand, the numbers were simply more dramatic at Gascoigne Primary. Some parents even ended up with children in several different schools. Even now, the school has mobility of over 40 per cent because of temporary housing issues, something which may well be exacerbated by recent benefit changes leading to ‘internal migration’. But the parents are working closely with Gascoigne, setting up their own after-school groups and supplementary school sessions in the evening. The Saturday boosters for Year 5 children have added value, allowing teachers (volunteering for Saturday duty and suitably remunerated for it) to work with groups of 10-12. Despite the secondary-sized roll, relatively constrained site and the presence of the dreaded mobile classrooms (many of which are being replaced by permanent buildings this September) Ofsted recognised the good behaviour and leadership in its July 2013 inspection (not yet published at time of writing). Like Kay and Karlaine, Bob solves problems through a combination of skill and pragmatism and with the aid of his staff. The key to any good head – any good leader – is to surround yourself with talented people. Working in a large school can take its toll on middle management, obvious really as there are more people and things to manage. To counter this, Gascoigne has two deputy heads and seven (count ‘em!) assistant heads. A necessity, not a luxury, insists Bob, and it means that academic and pastoral support can both be first class – so much so that Bob’s staff regularly get promoted to spread Gascoigne’s skills in other schools.

Bob Garton and Kay Jones are making successes of their supersized primaries and have put in place staffing structures to make sure children and parents don’t lose the personal touch just because their school happens to be huge. “There are still only 30 children in a class” is a phrase each came out with when I spoke to them. In fact, like all good schools and all good headteachers, Bob, Kay and Karlaine never lose sight of the fact that they are dealing with individuals, though I wonder how such schools look and feel for incoming four year-olds.

The Must Do Better report argues that focusing on teaching standards rather than teaching assistants and smaller class sizes would enable schools’ budgets to be cut by 18 per cent – funnily enough, the exact same sum the public spending review is saying needs to be trimmed – without any fall in attainment. With pressure on primary school places, be prepared for an onslaught on some sacred tenets, such as those class sizes of 30 – especially in urban areas where numbers are likely to grow most dramatically.

Neither Bob Garton nor Kay Jones chose to be head of a supersized school, but are happy to bring their skills to bear to deal with the growth and ensure their children get the best possible deal. It may be that other heads – even heads of super-small schools – find themselves in the same overcrowded boat before too long, as solutions are sought for growing primary populations in an age of cost-cutting.
On the rise

Why more schools may become supersized in the future…

4.39m – predicted number of primary pupils in 2015 “By 2015, pupil numbers in maintained nursery and state-funded primary schools are projected to increase by 10 per cent. The number of pupils aged 5 to 6 will increase by 10 per cent. For pupils aged 7 to 10, a 9 per cent increase is projected over the same period.”

4.1% – percentage of all key stage 1 classes that have more than 30 pupils “The number of key stage 1 classes reported as having more than 30 pupils on the census day (Jan 2013), lawfully and unlawfully, was 2,299 (from a total of 56,597 classes), 4.1 per cent of all key stage 1 classes, up from 2.7 per cent in January 2012. (and 1.6 in 2009)”

4.80m – predicted number of primary pupils in 2020 “Numbers in maintained nursery and state-funded primary schools started increasing in 2010 and are expected to continue rising. By 2020, numbers are projected to be 20 per cent higher than in 2011, reaching levels last seen in the early 1970s.”

27.3 – Average KS1 class size in 2013 – as compared to 26.2 in 2009. Figures take from National Pupil Projections: Future Trends in Pupil Numbers (DfE, 2012) and Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2013 (a DfE statistical first release).