HC Deb 20 June 2000 vol 352 cc176-8W
Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the average class size was in secondary schools in East Sussex in each year since 1979. [126299]

Ms Estelle Morris

The requested information on class sizes in maintained secondary schools in East Sussex local education authority area is shown in the following table.

In England, maintained secondary classes are already much smaller than primary classes, with around five fewer pupils on average. The average class size in maintained secondary schools in England in January 2000 was 22.0, compared to an average of 27.1 pupils per class in maintained primary schools. It is also worth considering the secondary class size figures published on 12 April in the Statistical First Release "Class sizes in maintained schools in England: January 2000", which showed a rise in class sizes under the previous Government—in 1990 the average class size in maintained secondary schools in England was 20.3.

In the Budget, secondary headteachers received between £30,000 and £50,000 each to spend as they choose. If they spent it on teachers, it is estimated that this would reduce the pupil:teacher1 ratio in secondary schools by 0.4. 1Pupil:teacher ratios (PTRs) within maintained secondary schools relate the overall number of pupils in these schools to the full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers employed in these schools.

Average size of classes taught by one teacher in maintained secondary schools in the local education authority areas of East Sussex and Brighton: 1979 to 2000
Position as at January
East Sussex1 Brighton1 East Sussex1
20003 22.1 22.3 n/a
1999 22.1 22.0 n/a
1998 21.4 22.3 n/a
1997 n/a n/a 21.4
1996 n/a n/a 21.1
1995 n/a n/a 21.3
1994 n/a n/a 21.0
1993 n/a n/a 20.1
1992 n/a n/a 20.8
1991 n/a n/a 21.0
1990 n/a n/a 20.8
1989 n/a n/a 20.9

Difference between budgeted spend and education SSA 1995–96 to 1999–2000
£million
LEA 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000
Camden 0.6 5.2 3.9 3.5 2.3
City of London 2.1 2.3 2.3 1.8 1.1
Greenwich -2.3 3.7 -0.6 -0.8 0.6
Hackney 8.2 10.6 7.2 2.5 -1.1
Hammersmith and Fulham 5.3 8.4 6.8 6.3 5.0
Islington 2.3 2.5 3.5 2.0 0.3
Kensington and Chelsea 9.5 14.0 16.3 12.3 12.4
Lambeth 3.8 9.8 4.2 2.6 3.6
Lewisham 1.6 3.8 3.3 -0.3 0.0
Southwark -0.8 3.8 2.0 0.4 3.9
Tower Hamlets 5.5 9.7 1.8 1.5 -0.4
Wandsworth 2.7 5.3 0.5 1.3 -1.0
Westminster 9.0 14.5 9.7 10.6 8.7
Barking and Dagenham 6.3 4.9 2.8 2.3 1.7
Barnet 6.8 9.6 5.4 7.6 6.5
Bexley -4.5 -3.4 -4.5 -3.3 -3.7
Brent -10.8 -6.2 -3.2 -3.9 -4.4
Bromley 8.5 2.4 7.6 -2.1 -4.0
Croydon 5.3 10.0 7.3 2.9 0.6
Ealing 0.3 3.5 5.9 2.1 0.3
Enfield 1.0 3.3 0.5 -1.0 -0.2
Haringey 7.8 8.0 1.7 0.3 0.0
Harrow 6.4 7.4 5.0 2.8 2.7
Havering 1.7 -0.3 0.0 2.6 -0.5
Hillingdon -1.7 -0.4 -1.4 -2.1 -0.9
Hounslow -0.8 -0.7 -2.9 -2.7 -2.0
Kingston upon Thames 1.4 1.4 0.2 0.4 0.9
Merton 0.1 1.2 -0.1 0.1 -2.4

Average size of classes taught by one teacher in maintained secondary schools in the local education authority areas of East Sussex and Brighton: 1979 to 2000
Position as at January
East Sussex1 Brighton1 East Sussex1
1988 n/a n/a 20.7
1987 n/a n/a 21.4
1986 n/a n/a 21.7
1985 n/a n/a 21.2
1984 n/a n/a 21.8
1983 n/a n/a 21.9
1982 n/a n/a 21.8
1981 n/a n/a 21.9
1980 n/a n/a 22.0
1979 n/a n/a 22.1
1After local government reorganization
2Before local government reorganization
1Provisional

Note:

n/a = not applicable

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