Written question asked by Vincent Cable (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 7 October 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 11 October 2005. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 October 2005 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Class Sizes

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the percentage of classes in key stage 1 over the statutory maximum class size of 30; what the percentage was in academic year 2004–05; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: In January 2005 1.2 per cent. of all key stage 1 classes had more than 30 pupils in them. In January 1997 the comparable figure was 29.0 per cent. and in January 2001 it was 2.3 per cent.The majority of key stage 1 classes over 30 have exceeded the statutory limit to accommodate permitted exceptions, such as children who move into an area after the start of term who would have a long journey to the next school with places available. However, my officials are contacting local authorities to discuss those classes which are illegally large, to ensure that the required measures are taken to reduce them.

Secondary information