HC Deb 14 November 1996 vol 285 cc338-9W
Dr. Hampson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many classes in (a) primary and (b) secondary education there are with over 30 pupils; what were the figures in 1979; and what has been the percentage change. [3883]

Mr. Robin Squire

The information requested is shown in the following table:

Number of classes of 31 or more pupils taught by one teacher in maintained primary and secondary schools
England
Position in January in each year (1979 and 1996)
1979 1996 Percentage change
Primary 44,899 38,338 -14.6
Secondary1 17,255 7,351 -57.4
1 Excludes pupils in sixth form colleges which ceased to be classified as schools in April 1993.

Mr. Don Foster

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is her estimate of the cost of reducing to a maximum of 30 maintained infant and primary school classes for pupils aged between five and 11 years. [3881]

Mr. Squire

The Department's statisticians estimate that it would have cost between £310 million and £570 million to reduce to a maximum of 30 pupils all single-teacher nursery and primary classes in January 1996. The exact cost would depend on the extent to which children in larger classes could be accommodated in existing smaller classes or grouped together in new classes. The estimated costs are for extra teachers only, and make no allowance for further costs such as extra accommodation.

Dr. Hampson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the (a) pupil—teacher ratio in each year and (b) the expenditure per pupil in each year since 1980. [3882]

Mr. Squire

The available information is shown in the following table:

Pupil: teacher ratio and expenditure per pupil for maintained nursery, primary and secondary1 schools
England
1979–1980 to 1995–1996
Financial year Overall pupil: teacher ratio2 Expenditure 3,4 per pupil(£)
1979–1980 18.7 513
1980–1981 18.6 651
1981–1982 18.5 740
1982–1983 18.1 811
1983–1984 17.9 872
1984–1985 17.8 924
1985–1986 17.6 991
1986–1987 17.3 1,110
1987–1988 17.0 1,238
1988–1989 17.0 1,361
1989–1990 17.0 1,487
1990–1991 17.2 1,623
1991–1992 17.2 1,749
1992–1993 17.7 1,857
1993–1994 18.1 1,866
1994–1995 18.3 1,890
1995–1996 18.5 n/a
1 Excludes sixth form colleges from 1993–1994.
2 Position in January.
3 Net institutional expenditure in cash terms.
4 Includes LEA maintained schools only.
n/a = not available.

Forward to