§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what was the number and percentage of pupils in primary schools in(a) January 1980, (b) January 1991, (c) January 1992, (d) January 1993, (e) January 1994 and (f) January 1995 being taught in classes of 40 or more in maintained schools in each local education authority and in total; [21197]
(2) what was the number and percentage of pupils in secondary schools in (a) January 1980, (b) January 1991, (c) January 1992, (d) January 1993, (e) January 1994 and (f) January 1995 being taught in classes of 40 or more in maintained schools in each local education authority and in total. [21198]
§ Mr. Robin SquireInformation on pupils in classes of size 40 and over in maintained primary and secondary schools for years 1980, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 has been placed in the Library. Information for January 1995 will not be available until the autumn.
Ms MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will now commission research to assess the effect of class size on pupil performance. [21313]
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe Department will continue to monitor research in this area, but has at present no plans to commission such research. There is no conclusive evidence from a large volume of accumulated research that marginal reductions in class size affect pupil performance. What matters most is the quality of teaching.