HC Deb 02 May 1995 vol 259 cc182-4W
Dr. Godman

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the cost of adopting a policy which ensures that no class size in schools exceeds 30 pupils in number. [21091]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

Current class size limits are incorporated in the scheme of salaries and conditions of service determined by the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff in School Education. As these matters are therefore primarily for local authorities to determine, my right hon. Friend has made no estimate of the cost of variation in existing class size limits.

Dr. Godman

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number and percentage of pupils

Pupils in subject classes of under 30 at September
Education Authority Number Per cent
11979 21991 21993 11979 21991 21993
Scotland 327,328 3,176,473 3,360,688 83.4 95.6 94.6
Borders 5,849 66,505 73,002 85.5 99.6 99.3
Central 17,611 187,216 201,246 82.4 92.7 97.2
Dumfries and Galloway 9,008 103,674 110,950 81.0 98.3 99.3
Fife 20,395 223,259 240,205 81.9 97.5 95.9
Grampian 29,684 335,079 341,418 89.3 95.4 95.8
Highland 13,037 154,612 171,172 85.8 97.1 95.7
Lothian 43,657 394,441 412,359 87.9 97.5 94.9
Strathclyde 159,342 1,415,974 1,504,629 81.5 94.1 92.6
Tayside 24.139 237,774 245,017 83.9 97.9 96.9
Orkney 1,286 15,172 15,501 89.1 100.0 100.0
Shetland 1,416 17,685 19,316 92.0 99.5 99.8
Western Isles 1.904 25,082 25,873 82.8 99.6 100.0
Strathclyde Divisions:
Argyll and Bute 4,331 43,852 45,838 90.9 94.6 98.3
Ayr 23,457 246,170 268,932 77.6 97.0 96.4
Dunbarton 22,875 233,262 240,707 85.3 95.7 92.7
Glasgow 48,645 324,023 348,905 82.2 93.3 92.8
Lanark 36,877 336,679 367,221 80.1 92.8 92.2
Renfrew 23,157 231,988 233,026 79.2 92.3 87.9
1 Subject classes at a single timetable period in census week.
2 All subject classes running at census week; pupils are counted once for each subject taken. The figures for 1993 exclude two schools for which information is not available

Pupils in subject classes of 40 over at September
Education Authority Number Per cent
11979 21991 21993 11979 21991 21993
Scotland 1,032 369 6,209 0.3 0.0 0.2
Borders 0 0 185 0.0 0.0 0.3
Central 0 119 0 0.0 0.1 0.0
Dumfries and Galloway 0 0 40 0.0 0.0 0.0
Fife 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Grampian 53 0 1,634 0.2 0.0 0.5
Highland 220 0 94 1.4 0.0 0.0
Lothian 99 0 657 0.2 0.0 0.2
Strathclyde 95 250 2,907 0.0 0.0 0.2
Tayside 481 0 692 1.7 0.0 0.3
Orkney 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Shetland 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Western Isles 44 0 0 1.9 0.0 0.0
Strathclyde Divisions:
Argyll and Bute 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Ayr 40 0 1,737 0.1 0.0 0.6
Dunbarton 0 0 136 0.0 0.0 0.1
Glasgow 0 46 157 0.0 0.0 0.0
Lanark 55 0 0 0.1 0.0 0.0
Renfrew 0 204 877 0.0 0.1 0.3
1 Virtually all classes of more involve some form of team teaching.
2 Subject classes running at a single timetable period in census week.

Note:

All subject classes running at census week: pupils are counted once for each subject taken.

The figures for 1993 exclude two schools for which information is not available.

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 (i) under 30 and (ii) 40 or more in each local education authority. [21845]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The available information is given in the tables. This is derived from returns made by education authority secondary schools in the September 1979, September 1991 and September 1993 school censuses. From 1983, information on class size was collected biennially in the school census.