HC Deb 28 March 1995 vol 257 cc584-5W
Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the average number of pupils per class in Scotland for(a) primary and (b) secondary schools for each year since 1979; [16323]

(2) if he will list the average number of pupils in each class for each education authority in Scotland for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools for each year since 1979. [16322]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: The available information on average class size is given in the following table.

Education Authority Schools Average number of pupils per class at September
Education authority 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1987 1989 1991 1993
Glasgow 19.8 19.7 20.2 20.0 19.8 n/a 17.4 18.5 18.9 19.5
Lanark 20.2 20.5 20.0 20.7 21.1 n/a 20.4 19.9 20.4 20.8
Renfrew 19.6 19.9 20.2 20.2 20.4 n/a 18.7 19.7 20.2 20.7
1 Until the 1983 school census, classes for small numbers of primary pupils withdrawn for short periods of time from their normal classes were included in the calculation of average class size. From 1983, all pupils were counted against their normal class for statistical purposes.