§ 32. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress he is making on reducing class sizes in primary schools. [127953]
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§ Ms Estelle MorrisAfter rising for the previous 10 years, the size of the average class in primary schools has fallen from 27.7 in January 1998 to 27.1 in January 2000. Over the same period, the size of the average class in primary schools in the Sheffield, Hillsborough parliamentary constituency has fallen from 28.2 to 28.1.
We are well on course to deliver our pledge to limit infant classes to 30 pupils. We have since January 1998 already reduced the number of children in infant classes of over 30 pupils by 300,000. £620 million is available to support the pledge, and allocations so far to Sheffield LEA amount to some £2.8 million. This has helped to reduce the size of the average Key Stage 1 class in Sheffield, Hillsborough to 25.6. The figure in January 1998 was 27.2. The number of children in infant classes of 31 or more pupils in the constituency has fallen from 1,250 in January 1998, to 230 in January 2000.