HC Deb 20 February 1997 vol 290 cc682-3W
Mrs. Ray Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage and how many(a) primary school pupils and (b) secondary school pupils were in classes of over 30 in the latest census (i) in each local authority and (ii) in total; and what was the (1) actual and (2) percentage change in numbers against the previous year's census. [16296]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson

Statistics on class size in primary schools are collected biennially. The available information is given in the table. Schools have been allocated to their current education authority. Information on individual class sizes in secondary schools is not collected centrally.

Publicly funded primary schools1 Primary pupils in classes of 31 or more, at September in each year2
1993 Number of pupils in classes of 31 or more 1995 Number of pupils in classes of 31 or more Change 1993–1995 Change in number of pupils in classes of 31 or more
Education authority Number As percentage of all pupils Number As percentage of all pupils Number Percentage change3
Scotland 75,286 17 79,266 18 3,980 5
Aberdeen City 2,744 17 3,118 20 374 14
Aberdeenshire 3,080 15 3,134 15 54 2
Angus 2,627 28 2,013 21 -614 -23
Argyll and Bute 928 12 1,191 15 263 28
Clackmannanshire 731 17 1,021 23 290 40
Dumfries and Galloway 2,052 16 2,016 16 -36 -2
Dundee City 3,368 26 3,324 27 -44 -1
East Ayrshire 2.023 18 2,455 22 432 21
East Dunbartonshire 1,983 20 2,497 24 514 26
East Lothian 1,015 14 834 11 -181 -18
East Renfrewshire 3,003 37 2,729 33 -274 -9
Edinburgh, City of 7,696 26 8,599 28 903 12
Falkirk 2,330 19 2,697 22 367 16
Fife 5,387 17 4,704 15 -683 -13
Glasgow, City of 7,702 15 8,407 16 705 9
Highland 1,996 10 1,795 9 -201 -10
Inverclyde 1,122 14 1,244 16 122 11
Midlothian 1,181 16 1,381 19 200 17
Moray 732 9 886 11 154 21
North Ayrshire 2,138 17 2,139 17 1 0
North Lanarkshire 4,556 15 4,103 14 -453 -10
Orkney Islands 64 4 33 2 -31 -48
Perth and Kinross 1,541 15 1,605 15 64 4
Renfrewshire 3,829 25 4,084 26 255 7
Scottish Borders 544 6 857 10 313 58
Shetland Islands 0 0 31 1 31
South Ayrshire 2,317 24 2,752 29 435 19
South Lanarkshire 4,327 16 4,491 17 164 4
Stirling 911 14 894 13 -17 -2
West Dunbartonshire 1,176 13 1,248 14 72 6
West Lothian 1,993 14 2,859 20 866 43
Western Isles 190 7 125 5 -65 -34
1 Includes education authority, grant aided and self governing schools.
2 Includes pupils in classes covering more than one stage.
3 Percentage change based on small numbers should be treated with caution, as a small actual change could result in a large percentage change.