Size of School?

[Murphy]

Just wondering what experienced IT's view were on the pros and cons of working in small (say 1 form per year group) international schools?

Most school's seem to be a lot smaller than the average size British secondary but 1 class per year group is not uncommon - is this a negative / something to avoid or are there advantages?

Any thoughts?

[shadowjack]

The really amazing thing about going to a small school is the family atmosphere. I have taught at them before and am still in touch with many of my students and their parents. You get to know your students as people just as much as learners and it is really tight knit, but welcoming as people do come and go.

It is quality of school, not size, that is important.

[Murphy]

Are there negatives such as increased work load or teaching committments? I imagine having just 1 subject teacher for each specialism has its downside?

[Overhere]

It depends on whether you're asking as a teacher or parent and if as a parent, how old your kids are. I've taught at both large schools (<1500 students) and small schools (<150) and each had their advantages and disadvantages.

[Murphy]

Asking as a teacher considering options for a move overseas. Trying to build a picture of what to expect

Thanks for all the opinions so far

[profe]

I've mostly worked in schools in the 700 to 900 range, but I actually think 400-500 might be ideal. I worked at one school with around 110 children (K-12) and I loved the family atmosphere and seeing Grade 12 students playing with Grade 5 students and having that be no big deal. I would highly recommend it, unless you're looking for that big reputation "Tier 1" school challenge. I agree with shadowjack though that it's the quality of the school that counts, not the size.

[PsyGuy]

Small schools depend more on their faculty for everything because they dont have resources for support staff. If your in a small school and your the technology teacher that likely also means your responsible for tech support, because there is no one else, the same goes with everything else. Small schools have fewer collaboration meetings because your basically a department of one maybe 2 tops. You will also be responsible for more production (documentation) because you dont have HODs and coordinators to do those things. Everyone has to do everything when it comes to special events because you really dont have enough staff to have separate committees. So if you have a science fair, and you teach Literature your still helping with the science fair because the science department is 1-2 people. In small schools you dont have anywhere to hide or get away, everyone knows everyone and everyones business.

From a classroom perspective I find very small classrooms to have some frustrations. First, the group dynamic is very tight. If you have 12-20 students in a class and you get a new student, thee are social options for that student. If you have 4-6 students then what ever social circles there are they are really tight. You basically have one group of boys and one group of girls and if a new student doesnt click with them thats it. Second, doing project based work and group work with a small form means everything takes longer, you also are usually limited to one group maybe 2 and they dont change.