We just wanted to share some changes that we are going to have to make to class structures – which will happen for the Summer Term onwards (i.e. after Easter holidays).
This was discussed with the children that it affects (Years 3-6) today.
Five to four Classes
A few years ago, we went up to five classes due to projection of numbers in school increasing. This has not happened as predicted – and, unfortunately, due to a succession of low school-aged children in our catchment area, the number of children has sat around 100 for the past couple of years. This does not look likely to rise and the number of children due to start in September and leave in Year 6 (at the end of this year) is going to cause numbers to fall slightly below 100.
This means that unfortunately we will not be able to maintain our 5-class structure and will need to go down to 4 classes in September.
Bees / Mrs. Norman
Further to this, Mrs. Norman is unfortunately going to leave Brown Clee to work for Shropshire’s Virtual Schools. Her new position will begin after Easter. We will all wish Mrs. Norman the best of success in her new role.
After a lot of discussion with governors and staff, given the position the school will be in next September, we have taken the decision to reduce our class number to four at this time (i.e. after Easter). This will result in two KS2 classes – with the Year 5s in Bees joining the Year 5s and 6s in Scorpions and all of the year 3s and 4s in Dragonflies joining the remaining Year 4s to form a new Bees class. This will look as follows:
- Bees Class (all Year 3 and 4 pupils) – who will be taught by Mrs. Heath
- Scorpions Class (all Year 5 and 6 pupils) – who will be taught by Mrs. Cains
As with all the decisions we make in school, the children’s best interests have been at the forefront of this decision – and I wanted to take the chance to explain the thinking behind this.
Firstly, given the time of the year, we did not thinking appointing a new teacher (who is unknown to the pupils) for a single term would be in the best interest of the pupils in Bees class. Further to this, the time of year and it being a single term would mean that it would be incredibly difficult for us to find an effective classroom teacher – whether it be on a supply or temporary appointment.
As well as considering the best interests of the children in the current Bees class, we have considered the impact that this could have on the existing Dragonflies and Scorpions – with their existing classes changing. We have taken some steps to utilise this situation so that there can be some significant benefits to all of Bees (Year 3/4) and Scorpions (Year 5/6):
- During the first half term in the build-up to SATs, for English and maths, the Year 5s and Year 6s will be taught separately. Mrs. Cains will continue to work with Year 6s during this time. During this time, the Year 5s will be taught by Mr. Harley in the spare classroom. The Year 5s and Year 6s will join together for their afternoon lessons. We will then review this at summer half term.
- The new Bees class (Year 3s and 4s) will benefit from additional adults in their class so that pupils can have much more targeted support and extension opportunities. Bees will also be utilising the spare classroom for their afternoon lessons.
Mrs. Rollings
After around 32 years of dedication working at Brown Clee (since we opened), Mrs. Rollings has taken the (I imagine difficult!) decision to retire at the end of this term. Many of you will have known Mrs. Rollings from your time at school (for those that attending Brown Clee at that time) – and I’m sure you will all join us in wishing Mrs. Rollings the best in the new chapter of her life.
We will be formulating a plan for the continuation of Forest School – by building on the fantastic work that Mrs. Rollings has done here over the years.
If anyone has any questions or queries about things, as changes will always cause, please get in touch to discuss these.
