HC Deb 11 July 2002 vol 388 cc1162-7W
Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the local education authorities in which(a) primary and (b) secondary school class sizes have risen since 1 May 1997, ranking these from largest to smallest increase in class sizes; and if she will make a statement. [66275]

Mr. Miliband

[holding answer 4 July 2002]: The available information is shown in the table. The change in average class size is not readily available for those local education authorities that underwent local Government reorganisation in 1997 and 1998. The table is therefore shown in two parts: the list for local education authorities which are unaffected by local Government reorganisation; and the second for those that are.

A. Local education authorities unaffected by local government reorganisation ranked in order by the increase in the average class size1 in

maintained primary and secondary schools in England

As at January each year
Maintained Primary Maintained secondary
1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002 1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002
Suffolk 25.0 24.6 -0.4 Sheffield 22.7 23.2 0.5
Ealing 27.1 26.6 -0.5 Norfolk 20.2 20.7 0.5
Barking and Dagenham 27.0 26.4 -0.6 Trafford 21.7 22.1 0.5
Birmingham 27.7 27.1 -0.7 Kirklees 22.5 22.9 0.4
North Lincolnshire 27.7 27.0 -0.7 Leeds 20.7 21.1 0.4
West Sussex 26.8 26.1 -0.7 Rochdale 22.8 23.2 0.4
Havering 27.9 27.2 -0.7 Westminster 21.5 21.9 0.4
Harrow 27.5 26.8 -0.8 St. Helens 19.9 20.3 0.4
Bristol, City of 27.2 26.5 -0.8 Ealing 22.4 22.8 0.4
Richmond upon Thames 27.2 26.4 -0.8 Bath and North East Somerset 20.7 21.1 0.4
Bromley 28.5 27.7 -0.8 West Sussex 21.6 22.0 0.4
Lincolnshire 26.9 26.0 -0.8 Surrey 21.7 22.0 0.4
Norfolk 25.9 25.1 -0.8 North Lincolnshire 22.5 22.8 0.4
Enfield 29.1 28.2 -0.8 Gloucestershire 21.5 21.9 0.3
Croydon 28.3 27.4 -0.9 Cornwall 22.0 22.4 0.3
Sutton 28.1 27.2 -0.9 Bury 23.1 23.4 0.3
Cornwall 27.3 26.3 -1.0 Somerset 23.2 23.5 0.3
Bath and North East Somerset 27.0 26.0 -1.0 Suffolk 21.1 21.3 0.2
Bexley 28.8 27.6 -1.1 Calderdale 20.9 21.1 0.2
Newcastle upon Tyne 27.6 26.5 -1.1 Hillingdon 21.1 21.2 0.1
Manchester 27.2 26.1 -1.2 Manchester 22.4 22.5 0.1
Gateshead 25.8 24.6 -1.2 Sunderland 21.3 21.4 0.1
Doncaster 28.1 26.9 -1.2 Knowsley 22.1 22.2 0.1
Liverpool 26.8 25.6 -1.2 Stockport 23.1 23.2 0.1
Bury 28.3 27.1 -1.2 Stockton-on-Tees 22.2 22.3 0.1
Kingston upon Thames 29.4 28.1 -1.3 Walsall 20.7 20.8 0.1
Wakefield 28.2 26.9 -1.3 North East Lincolnshire 23.2 23.3 0.1
South Gloucestershire 28.5 27.2 -1.3 Northumberland 22.6 22.6 0.0
Rotherham 27.7 26.4 -1.3 Havering 21.8 21.8 0.0
Salford 27.3 25.9 -1.3 Hounslow 21.1 21.1 0.0
Walsall 26.2 24.8 -1.4 Sandwell 21.7 21.7 0.0
Barnsley 28.9 27.4 -1.5 Doncaster 21.5 21.5 0.0
Stockton-on-Tees 26.8 25.3 -1.5 North Yorkshire 20.6 20.6 0.0
Wirral 26.3 24.8 -1.5 Wirral 20.5 20.5 0.0
Sefton 27.6 26.1 -1.5 Greenwich 22.5 22.4 0.0
North Tyneside 27.1 25.6 -1.5 Wolverhampton 21.0 20.9 0.0
Oldham 29.3 27.8 -1.5 Merton 22.7 22.7 -0.1
Northamptonshire 27.0 25.5 -1.5 Bolton 22.1 22.0 -0.1
Sunderland 26.0 24.4 -1.5 Salford 22.1 22.1 -0.1
Somerset 27.6 26.0 -1.6 Hartlepool 22.0 21.9 -0.1
North Yorkshire 26.3 24.6 -1.7 Tameside 23.0 22.9 -0.1
East Riding of Yorkshire 28.3 26.6 -1.7 Hammersmith and Fulham 22.6 22.5 -0.1
Isle of Wight 25.9 24.1 -1.7 Richmond upon Thames 24.0 23.9 -0.1
Middlesbrough 26.5 24.7 -1.7 Oxfordshire 22.2 22.1 -0.1
Redcar and Cleveland 27.4 25.6 -1.7 Dudley 23.1 23.0 -0.1
St. Helens 27.8 26.0 -1.7 Redcar and Cleveland 22.2 22.0 -0.1
Stockport 27.8 26.0 -1.8 Warwickshire 22.2 22.0 -0.2
Solihull 27.9 26.1 -1.8 South Gloucestershire 21.5 21.3 -0.2
Calderdale 28.0 26.2 -1.8 Sefton 21.1 20.9 -0.2
Cumbria 26.3 24.5 -1.8 Rotherham 21.7 21.4 -0.2
Merton 27.3 25.4 -1.8 Liverpool 21.1 20.9 -0.3
South Tyneside 27.0 25.2 -1.8 Newcastle upon Tyne 21.5 21.2 -0.3
Coventry 27.6 25.7 -1.9 Coventry 22.6 22.3 -0.4
North East Lincolnshire 28.1 26.3 -1.9 Redbridge 21.0 20.6 -0.4
Leeds 28.3 26.4 -1.9 Oldham 22.2 21.8 -0.4
Bradford 28.3 26.3 -2.0 Birmingham 21.8 21.4 -0.4
Wigan 28.5 26.5 -2.0 Tower Hamlets 24.0 23.5 -0.5
York 27.6 25.6 -2.0 Newham 24.5 24.0 -0.5
Trafford 28.9 26.9 -2.0 North Tyneside 21.9 21.4 -0.5
Kirklees 29.0 27.0 -2.0 Isle of Wight 22.3 21.8 -0.5
Oxfordshire 27.2 25.1 -2.1 Camden 20.3 19.8 -0.5
Gloucestershire 27.4 25.4 -2.1 Southwark 24.4 23.8 -0.5
Hartlepool 28.0 25.8 -2.2 Cumbria 21.2 20.7 -0.5
Knowsley 27.7 25.5 -2.2 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 24.3 23.7 -0.6
Sandwell 28.9 26.8 -2.2 Islington 24.0 23.3 -0.7
Warwickshire 28.5 26.4 -2.2 South Tyneside 22.7 22.0 -0.8
Bolton 28.9 26.7 -2.2 York 21.6 20.8 -0.8
Kingston Upon Hull. City of 28.8 26.6 -2.2 Lambeth 21.9 20.9 -1.0

A. Local education authorities unaffected by local government reorganisation ranked in order by the increase in the average class size1 in

maintained primary and secondary schools in England

As at January each year
Maintained Primary Maintained secondary
1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002 1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002
Northumberland 27.0 24.5 -2.4 Waltham Forest 23.6 22.6 -1.0
Rochdale 29.6 27.0 -2.7 Middlesbrough 22.0 21.0 -1.0
Tameside 29.3 26.5 -2.8 Bradford 23.2 21.8 -1.4
City of London 26.0 3 City of London 0.0 3
Isles of Scilly 17.3 3 Isles of Scilly 21.0 3
1Classes taught by 1 teacher.
2Provisional
3At the time of publication, submissions from these local education authorities had not been validated.

Source:

Annual Schools' Census

B. Average class sizes1 for local education authorities affected by local Government reorganisation in maintained primary and secondary

. School in England

As at January each year
Maintained Primary Maintained Secondary
1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002 1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002
Bedfordshire2 27.4 22.5
Bedfordshire3 24.6 22.2
Luton3 26.0 23.3
Berkshire2 27.5 20.7
Bracknell Forest3 26.6 20.6
Reading3 25.7 19.0
Slough3 25.6 20.6
West Berkshire3 24.8 20.3
Windsor and Maidenhead3 24.9 21.0
Wokingham3 25.7 20.8
Buckinghamshire2 27.9 21.3
Buckinghamshire3 25.4 22.1
Milton Keynes3 25.9 22.1
Cambridgeshire2 28.2 22.1
Cambridgeshire3 27.1 23.0
Peterborough3 27.1 21.0
Cheshire2 27.5 21.3
Cheshire3 25.6 21.2
Halton3 24.6 21.5
Warrington3 26.3 22.3
Derbyshire2 29.3 22.2
Derbyshire3 27.0 22.3
Derby3 27.1 22.4
Dorset2 28.2 21.8
Dorset3 25.4 22.7
Bournemouth3 27.2 22.2
Poole3 27.0 20.2
Devon2 27.4 21.4
Devon3 25.4 22.2
Plymouth3 27.1 21.3
Torbay3 27.9 20.8
Durham2 28.5 22.5
Durham3 25.3 21.9
Darlington3 28.0 23.6
East Sussex2 28.2 21.4
East Sussex3 27.6 21.9
Brighton and Hove3 26.8 22.5
Essex2 27.3 21.7
Essex3 26.5 21.9
Southend-on-Sea3 28.0 21.0
Thurrock3 25.5 23.5
Hampshire2 27.9 22.2
Hampshire3 27.1 22.9
Portsmouth3 26.4 23.8
Southampton3 27.3 22.2
Hereford and Worcester2 26.0 22.0
Herefordshire3 24.7 21.7

B. Average class sizes1 for local education authorities affected by local Government reorganisation in maintained primary and secondary School in England
As at January each year
Maintained Primary Maintained Secondary
1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002 1997 20022 Difference between 1997 and 2002
Worcestershire3 25.8 22.4
Kent2 28.0 20.3
Kent3 27.2 21.0
Medway3 26.7 20.8
Lancashire2 28.8 22.5
Lancashire3 26.7 22.4
Blackburn with Darwen3 27.2 23.0
Blackpool3 27.9 24.2
Leicestershire2 26.7 22.3
Leicestershire3 25.9 22.7
Leicester3 25.8 24.1
Rutland3 25.2 23.3
Nottinghamshire2 28.7 21.7
Nottinghamshire3 26.8 21.5
Nottingham3 26.0 21.9
Shropshire2 27.4 21.9
Shropshire3 25.6 22.3
Telford and Wrekin3 27.1 21.8
Staffordshire2 27.5 22.3
Staffordshire3 25.2 22.0
Stoke-on-Trent3 25.4 22.7
Wiltshire2 27.2 21.7
Wiltshire3 26.1 21.9
Swindon3 27.5 23.3
1 Classes taught by 1 teacher
2 Before local Government re-organisation
3 After local Government re-organisation