§ Fiona MactaggartTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement regarding the overall pupil/teacher ratio in maintained schools in England. [86113]
§ The Prime MinisterThe overall pupil/teacher ratio in maintained schools in England fell from 18.9 to 18.8 between January 1998 and January 1999. Over the same period, the ratio in primary schools changed from 23.7 to 23.5 and that in secondary schools from 16.9 to 17.0. As a result of our policy to reduce the size of infant classes, the number of children in large infant classes fell by some 130,000 from 485,000 in January 1998 to 356,000 in January 1999.