§ 23. Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent guidance he has given to education authorities about class sizes in rural schools.
§ Mr. ForthOur policy is to provide greater autonomy for schools so that they can make their own decisions on the deployment of resources. It would run counter to that policy to seek to impose a view on what class sizes would be most appropriate for rural schools.
§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue advice to schools on best practice in relation to class size in primary and secondary schools.
§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance on the size of classes in schools.
§ Mr. ForthI refer the hon. Members to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 9 March (Official Report, column 522).