Primary Class Sizes

HL Deb 09 June 1998 vol 590 cc78-9WA

Lord Tebbit

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether average primary class sizes have fallen since 1 May 1997. [HL2092]

Baroness Blackstone

The average size of primary classes in maintained schools taught by one teacher was 27.7 pupils in January 1998 (provisional), compared with 27.5 in January 1997. This reflects budget decisions taken by the previous government. Average infant class sizes will fall this September as we have allocated £22 million in specific grants to local education authorities to reduce infant class sizes and £40 million for capital to build additional classrooms. This will enable schools to employ around 1,500 teachers and build an extra 600 classrooms, to the benefit of over 100,000 pupils who will be kept out of large classes.