Class Sizes

What are Class Sizes?

"Class size" is a statistical measure employed by the Department for Education and Skills, which measures the number of pupils taught in a class during a single selected period of a particular school day. This day is usually set to be in January each year to coincide with the Annual School Census.

From 2003, all class sizes are measured in the course of the Census. Previously, infant class sizes were measured in September.

Although apparently similar, class size is a distinct measure from "pupil-teacher ratio". This is calculated by taking the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of all pupils in a school (where a part-time pupil counts as one half) and dividing it by the number of FTE teachers employed (which is calculated by looking at the number of hours worked by teachers).

As such, it can be seen that class size provides much more of a snapshot figure, albeit one that corresponds more closely to the experience of pupils themselves.

The Labour Government elected in 1997 put class size firmly on the educational agenda, by promising to reduce the vast majority primary class sizes to 30 or less. This target was imposed upon Local Education Authorities, which are required to draw up detailed class size plans and to restrict admissions or increase teaching capacity at particular schools to enable the targets to be met.

Background

Class sizes has been a significant issue for many years, with concerns long expressed about the quality of teaching possible when a single teacher is responsible for large numbers of pupils. Dwindling teacher retention and low schools funding had, by the mid-1990s, lead class sizes, particularly in primary schools, to be regarded as something of a crisis.

In its 1997 election manifesto, the Labour Party pledged to cut class sizes to 30 or under for 5, 6 and 7 year-olds. This was one of the five key pledges that featured on Labour's "pledge cards". After its election, in 1998, the Government put this requirement on a statutory footing: Clause 1 of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1988 places a duty on Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and schools to restrict class sizes to 30 in Key Stage One classes from September 2002.

This date was subsequently brought forward to September 2001, when it was clear that it would be met. During the 2001 general election campaign, the Liberal Democrats pledged to cut primary school classes to 25 or less, but the success of the class size initiative to that time was widely viewed to Labour's credit, with clear public demands for more action limited.

Controversies

Class sizes are a highly emotive issue, which have today sunk into the background of the education debate somewhat. Common sense and extensive research suggest that the smaller the class a child is in, the more individual attention he or she can receive, which will presumably improve educational attainment.

While this is the academic orthodoxy, research is not unanimous on this point. A 2000 review of previous research by the London School Of Economics and Exeter University suggested that good teaching is a more important variable than class size as such. It was even claimed in 2000 by David Carter, the head of the 'National Remodelling Team' advising the Government on teachers' workloads - that larger class sizes - of up to 80 could in fact lead to improved standards.

Nonetheless, class size is perceived as a very important factor by parents. A May 2001 MORI survey for the Independent Schools Information Service showed it to be the biggest factor behind parents' decisions to send their children to private schools. The 36 per cent citing this factor was up from 25 per cent in 1997, moreover.

Critics of the Government alleged that reductions in primary class sizes had only been achieved at the expense of class sizes in secondary schools. The Government did acknowledge this initially, insisting that it was a necessary price to pay for achieving the desired goal in primary schools: " Either they want us to ring fence ear-marked money and say 'you can only spend it on class size' or they want the freedom to spend it in the school on raising standards", then Education Secretary David Blunkett argued in April 2000.

The Government later rejected the claim, presenting figures in April 2001 showing a year on year decline in the pupil-teacher ratio between January 2000 and 2001 from 17.2:1 to 17.1:1. Nonetheless, this figure had been 16.7:1 in May 1997, and had been 15 in 1990.

To date, no party has committed itself to introducing statutory requirements for secondary school class sizes, at least partly because of the different class teaching arrangements in secondary schools.

Efforts to reduce class sizes have also mitigated against other educational objectives on occasion. Parental choice was clearly restricted when LEAs were empowered to refuse admissions to particular schools on the grounds of reducing class sizes. This lead to a number of High Court cases, notably against Surrey County Council in 2000, with parents claiming that their children had been discriminated against.

The class size question is closely linked to those of teacher recruitment and retention, both of which were widely regarded as being in a state of crisis in the late 1990s. The Government's efforts in these regards, through incentives to enter teaching training and to go into schools afterwards, through reform of teachers' pay and other methods have had an impact on the teacher supply. Other proposals aimed at increasing the availability of one-to-one adult supervision, such as Classroom Assistants, have been received less well, with teachers initially reacting very badly to the perceived deskilling of their work and the belief that smaller class sizes were going to be achieved by diluting the role of qualified teachers.

The introduction of Classroom Assistants and greater use of IT equipment for teaching may ultimately contribute to class sizes ceasing to be a major issue of public concern.

Statistics

In January 2003 there were 17.9 pupils for every teacher in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools

The average class size in English maintained primary schools that month was 26.3.

The number of pupils in Key Stage 1 classes of 31 or more pupils taught by one teacher in January 2003 was 16,400 or 1.1 per cent of the total number

This compares to 485,000 in 1998

Statistics: (Source: DfES, 2004)

Quotes

"The Government's pledge to improve class sizes in primary schools must not be fulfilled at the expense of children in secondary schools."

John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, April 1999

"If you can't recruit teachers in the right numbers and of the right quality, there's no point in simply saying we must limit class sizes because that's good for education. We need to crack the recruitment problem and crack it urgently."

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, September 1998

"It would be daft to [restrict class sizes] for secondary schools: they organise their day totally differently to primary schools. There are small groups for some things with larger groups for PE and music."

David Blunkett, Education Secretary, "Breakfast with Frost", April 2000