COMPOSITE classes in the New England region have increased over the last four years, new figures show.
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The classes, which combine students from two different years into the one class, have grown steadily across the region, with some schools recording more than five composite classrooms each year.
The Department of Education and Communities released its latest composite class figures this week, which compared mixed class numbers from 2010 to 2016.
Armidale City Public School’s figures show it has the most composite classes in the New England region with 381 students in 14 classes in 2016 alone.
Quirindi High School wasn’t far behind with 237 students in nine composite classes in the 2016 school year.
In Tamworth, Tamworth West Public School was listed as having 153 children in six composite classes in 2016, an increase from four classes in 2010.
A Dept. of Education and Communities spokesman said there many reasons behind the establishment of ‘multi-age’ classes in schools and the classes did not put students at a disadvantage.
“They may be established where it is considered that mixing students of different ages is academically and socially advantageous,” he said.
“The small size of the school, as is the case with many local rural schools, or because of the uneven pattern of enrolment in the school.
“The key finding from research is that the type of class organised will not determine either educational advantage or disadvantage. Important success factors for multi-age classes will include the degree of commitment of teachers, the acceptance and support of parents and, above all, the quality of classroom teaching.”
The spokesman said it was up to the discretion of the principal and teachers to establish composite classrooms in schools across the region, with Quirindi and Armidale City Public Schools an example of this choice.
“It has been Quirindi's choice to have multi-age classes. This approach allows the school great flexibility in the way it can group students according to a range of academic and social needs,” the spokesman said.
“Likewise, Armidale City PS chooses (to) prefer a model in which classes are based on stage groupings to allow for differentiated curriculum delivery across all 14 multi-age classes.”