HC Deb 30 July 1998 vol 317 cc487-8W
Mrs. May

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria he has set to judge the impact on educational standards of reducing infant class sizes to 30; and if he will publish these. [52564]

Ms Estelle Morris

[holding answer 27 July 1998]: We believe that there is already substantial evidence that smaller infant class sizes will improve standards of education in schools and that is why we have promised that by September 2001 at the latest, no 5, 6 or 7 year old will be in an infant class of more than 30 pupils.

Mrs. May

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in the Library the responses received by his Department as a result of the consultation on draft regulations on limiting infant class sizes. [52567]

Ms Estelle Morris

[holding answer 27 July 1998]: We are currently considering the responses to our consultation on the draft class size regulations and guidance. We will place a summary of the comments we received in the Library of the House once we have completed our analysis.