Classroom Placement 2020

So far during 2019, we have enrolled over 120 students, including 60 in years 2-6. You will appreciate that it is a complex process to ensure that we stay within our staffing budgets (set by the Ministry of Education), yet also have the ability to cope with growth at all year levels.  

During 2019 we have been really pleased with how we have managed this, with all classes having teacher:student ratios well below the norm, and we have also avoided the need to shift any students from class to class to free up space.

In a rapidly growing school, there is a lot to factor in.

So…. how do we work out classes?

Firstly we have to look at how many students per year level from a logistical perspective.

E.g. if there are 70 year 5/6 students, that is too many for 2 teachers but not enough for 3 (At years 5/6, we are provided one teacher per 29 students from the Ministry of Education)

The schoolwide overview is initially created with teacher team sizes and year level overviews (of how many students per year level are where)

Then on an individual student level, our teachers will draft classes factoring in some of the factors below:

• Social maturity
• Physical maturity
• Academic ability
• Age and number of years at school
• Peer groups and friends
• Strengths and interests of teaching staff
• Balance of children in classes - special needs, behaviour

Students (and parents) will be notified of next year’s class and whānau teacher in the last week of school.  We are also planning for current students to spend some time with their teachers for next year.

Other common questions:

Do we stream classes based on ability?
No, our classes are not streamed based on ability. The programme is determined by the needs, interests and abilities of the students in the class. There are no separate programmes for each year level in the school, we use curriculum levels, based on individual student ability. Teachers run a wide range of groups based on abilities, and this is enhanced greatly with 3 or more teachers, where they can differentiate more widely.

Why does the school have some composite (i.e. Year 2 & 3) Learning Communities?
This allows the school to manage class sizes accordingly. Simply because of the varying numbers of students per year level, the composite nature of our teams will change from year to year.

Example: My child is a Year 4 in a Year 3/4 class, does that mean they will be “held back" and should I be worried?
No, the level of learning is based on the curriculum levels and not the Year level. We don’t stream the classes. Individual achievement/assessment info is crucial for each of our students and this is used to help determine individual, group and school programmes. Teachers use this information to help our students with their learning.
A year 4 student in a year 3/4 Learning Community will complete exactly the same level of work as a year 4 would in a year 4/5 class, assuming their individual abilities are similar.

How does the school support the students with the transition?
We will talk with the children about next year’s arrangements and answer any queries they have. In the last week students find out their room/teacher for next year and spend some time with them.
In addition, all achievement information travels with the student into next year and teachers have all the information on each of their students so they are able to begin programmes from day one next year based on the learning needs of the children in their care.

What do I do if my child is upset about next year?
Hopefully this will not be the case as teachers will have talked to students and explained how things have been arranged.

During our lives we all have times of change and what is valuable is the ability to adapt and move forward. Changes in peer/social groups are an expected and essential part of developing as a child.

Advantages of our Collaborative Learning Environments
In relation to the information above, some of the key advantages we are seeing at our school are:

• Greater differentiation and ability to meet the needs of all students, whether they be remedial, require extension or anywhere in between
• The student-teacher relationship is critical. Even the world’s greatest teacher will not be capable of building a strong relationship with every student, as this is human nature.
• However, students have a far greater chance to form a strong relationship with at least one of their teachers.
• Teachers are able to use their passion/strengths for the benefit of a wider group of students. i.e. we can use the skills of 3 teachers to build a “super-teacher”
• Students have a much wider circle of peers in each learning community. This enhances their social development and collaboration.
• Students have greater flexibility in their classrooms to select a working environment that best suits their own style or the task i.e. one size fits one, rather than some of the “one size fits all” desk-based environments.