Does a Large Class Size Affect Teaching?

One of the greatest challenges a classroom teacher can face is keeping a large group of children entertained, engaged and productive. This is becoming even more of a challenge as class sizes begin to grow in many schools. Schools are not supposed to have class sizes which exceed a certain amount of children (this size varies in different places), however sometimes it just isn’t possible to stick to these figures exactly, and class sizes are often larger.

Planning lessons to suit mixed interests and abilities presents a further challenge, which is a concern many parents share. Some are even choosing to privately educate their children instead of sending them to a school with larger classes.

However, does a larger class size have to have a negative impact? A child’s success in school is dependent in part on their environment, and larger class sizes help create stimulating surroundings where peers can bounce ideas off each other. Some schools don’t prioritise the reduction of class size because they don’t feel that it’s a key issue in supporting learning.

If you need any further support with teaching larger class sizes, speak to other teaching professionals and senior members of staff. Other hints and tips can be found online.