Britain’s Smallest School: Only 13 Students, But Home-Cooked Meals Provided Daily

With class sizes in the public school system in America being what they are, with up to 40 students per classroom some cases, Britain’s smallest school has no such issue as there are only 13 students in the whole school.

The Bleasdale Church of England Primary School near Preston in the UK recently saw a population dip, and therefore now only has seven girls and six boys at the school, aged 4 through 11.

Despite the newly refurbished classrooms, as well as the extensive facilities and the school’s large grounds, the number of students is dramatically down due to the fact that the number of farms in Bleasdale hills dropped from 26 to just six.

The students at Britain’s smallest school are taught in just two classrooms, but enjoy weekly swimming lessons, as well as special physical education training. They also receive home-cooked food every day.

The Headteacher of the school, Ian Cookson, feels the small class sizes are a good thing for the students at the school, as he told reporters, “When people say small schools are like a big family it can get a bit corny, but actually my two small schools really are.”

On top of that, despite the dwindling numbers, Cookson feels the small class size works in many ways to the advantage of both the students and the teachers. “It’s a really nice atmosphere and because they are both church aided schools you can be quite open about your own personal faith and you hope that will have a positive impact on the school community,” he said.

On a political note, the MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, Eric Ollerenshaw, chimed in with his opinion on Britain’s smallest school saying, “You’ve only got to visit them to see the huge advantage of being educated in such an amazing environment. It’s education second to none – looking at a gem up here in the hills. It’s an amazing start in life. It’s trying to get some of the opportunities for people growing up in an urban environment to get an education in this kind of rural environment. It’s this huge potential in these village schools.”

It would be nice to think that American youngsters could enjoy smaller class sizes, even if that might not ever be six students per classroom.